With BYU Men’s Basketball possibly facing its first season since 2004-05 where they fall short of a 20 win season, a lot of Cougar fans are questioning everything from where the basketball program goes from here to Dave Rose’s tenure as head coach. But fans aren’t the only ones chiming in to defend or question the current state of BYU Hoops. On March 11th we had former BYU G/F Jonathan Tavernari join the show to give his opinion on things following BYU’s loss to USD in the the WCC Quarterfinals, the Cougs first game in the conference tourney.
Where Does BYU Basketball Go From Here?
With BYU Men’s Basketball possibly facing its first season since 2004-05 where they fall short of a 20 win season, a lot of Cougar fans are questioning everything from where the basketball program goes from here to Dave Rose’s tenure as head coach. But fans aren’t the only ones chiming in to defend or question the current state of BYU Hoops. On March 11th we had former BYU G/F Jonathan Tavernari join the show to give his opinion on things following BYU’s loss to USD in the WCC Quarterfinals, the Cougs first game in the conference tourney. This is what he had to say:
Here are some highlights from JT’s interview:
“It’s a frustrating game and it’s a frustrating situation. I watched the game and nothing went in for BYU. It was frustrating to watch.”
“I can honestly say the WCC is a solid league, but we still haven’t figured out to dominate like the end of our run in the Mountain West.”
“For me, it’s hard to understand the teams that we used to schedule in the pre-season and always beat at home and now we are going toe-to-toe with those teams. That’s hard to see.”
“I will always be a defender of Dave Rose. I would say to fans for cooler heads to prevail. He’s the best coach in BYU basketball history and we’re talking about the most decorated coach in BYU hoops history.”
POTD: Dave Rose is a victim of his own success. Agree or disagree? #BYU #BYUHoops #ESPN960
— Benjamin Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) March 11, 2019
BYU Basketball under Dave Rose as Head Coach
Dave Rose took over for Steve Cleveland as Head Coach for BYU Men’s Basketball following the 2004-05 season after the Cougs finished with a 9-21 record, the first time BYU had finished with single-digit wins since 1997-98, Cleveland’s first year at the helm. So how has the program performed during Rose’s tenure? Are the complaints justified? Should there be a change?
Here is a season-by-season look at the results under Coach Rose:
When I look at those numbers all I see is winning and consistent winning at that. Sure 2018-19 hasn’t been as grand as some other seasons. But 2009-2011 were rarified performances and not just for BYU Basketball but for college basketball in general. If BYU doesn’t play in a postseason tourney like the NIT or CBI, they will fall short of 20 wins for the first time in the Dave Rose era. But 19 wins is better than 9, right? And who could forget 1996-97 when the team went a lowly 1-25. I can promise you that Roger Reid and Tony Ingle sure haven’t.
I suggested the following on-air as items of concern:
The reasons why #BYUHoops is in a slight decline:
1) Experienced Assistant Coaches leaving the program (i.e. Rice, Pope, Nashif, Schroyer, etc.)
2) Players leaving the program
3) Recruiting
4) Admissions
5) Honor Code#BYU #ESPN960— Benjamin Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) March 11, 2019
Others have sighted that player development might be an issue.
Later that night another player joined in on the conversation, a player who played during those great years back in 2009-10 & 2010-11, former BYU G Jackson Emery. This is what Jackson had to say:
First off, thanks to everyone who commits to the program and cheers on the team. The passion and support that you bring to the games is very much appreciated. I think that we can all admit that we have a high bar for the BYU programs in what we think they should accomplish every
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
year. I am in that same boat, especially since I played during some great times. But let me start with the fact that I think very highly of the coaches and players, even though I don’t always see eye-to-eye. These individuals CARE about winning and they want nothing more than to
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
have success. To question their commitment and success from watching games is not entirely fair due to the countless hours they put into conditioning, school, film, and much more. I am sure many of us have come short at something in our lives where we put in a ton of time.
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
Now, onto a bunch of questions that I compiled from earlier tweets. First, I believe the largest difficulty that faced the program is the loss of key players to transfers or early departures: Mika, Bryant, Toolson, Chatman, etc. Each has their own story and specific path that
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
they chose to follow. Recruiting at BYU is tough as it is with the honor code, missions, and more. But when you put together an excellent recruiting class to have it fall apart, then you’re faced with starting guys who were 8-10 on your bench. You recruit 8 deep and fill in the
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
gaps with others. Those others were faced to play significant minutes. Also, with recruiting, why do people assume better talent is out of state? Brandon Davies, Collinsworths, Mika, Emerys, Haws, Yoeli, etc. are all from Utah. Not bad, if you ask me. Also, try recruiting to
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
an honor code and find top tiered athletic talent. Easier said, than done. Hence, why finding another coach who understands how to recruit to BYU and uphold high standards, is ALSO very difficult & not a very highly coveted position. Especially since it doesn’t come with high pay
— Jackson Emery (@jacksonemery04) March 12, 2019
Cougar fans, where does the BYU Basketball program go from here? What steps need to be taken? What changes should be made?
Join the conversation by following @criddlebenjamin & @espn960sports on social media and use #ESPN960 in your responses.
