PROVO — Heading into the 2002-03 campaign, BYU's basketball program faces the challenge of replacing Matt Montague, arguably the best point guard in the Mountain West Conference last season.
The Cougars took a big step toward filling that void Wednesday when Kevin Woodberry, who helped lead Dixie State College to the national junior college championship in March, was expected to sign a national letter of intent with BYU.
Wednesday marked the first day of the spring signing period.
Woodberry, a 6-foot sophomore, averaged 11.9 points, four assists and 4.6 rebounds per game as the Rebels posted a 34-3 record. San Diego State and Montana were among the other schools that recruited him.
A Phoenix native, Woodberry played only one year at Dixie State. Prior to that, he was at the University of Portland, then he sat out for a season.
Though Woodberry will be new to the Division I level, he will provide BYU with backcourt experience. Freshman Shawn Opunui played in only a handful of games last year before tearing ligaments in his thumb and missing the remainder of the season.
The Cougars will welcome point guard Austin Ainge to the program this fall. Ainge departed for an LDS Church mission right out of high school.
BYU coach Steve Cleveland said a couple of weeks ago that he will likely sign two or three players during this signing period, which concludes in May.
Last fall, the Cougars signed Rafael Araujo, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound center out of Western Arizona. He was named to the second-team All-America junior college team.
"He's got legitimate NBA center size and has the potential to make a significant impact on the program," Cleveland has said of Araujo. "He's still got some things to learn, but he has all the tools to become an outstanding player at the Division I level."
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com