Moms do a ton of things to stamp positive images on their sons, and in that regard, BYU freshman Jonathan Tavernari is no different.
Except his mother, Thelma Tavernari, was his basketball coach. She's the reason he's got the fundamentals down. Minding his mom has made him a devastating court bomber.
Cougar senior Austin Ainge — no stranger to witnessing shooters, growing up the son of BYU legend, NBA shooter and coach Danny Ainge — said the fact "JT" had a mom teach him the nuances of flipping the ball in the hoop cannot be understated as one of the primary reasons this freshman packs almost a picture-perfect stroke.
If you break down Tavernari's shot, his arms and hands are very quiet and tight. There is very little movement to his setup and delivery. He has exceptional range and control because he is extremely strong in his shoulders, arms and wrists. He is built like a football tight end.
Tavernari launches the ball with an impressive repeatable muscle memory. And, as some games this early in his career have shown, he can be deadly.
At Timpview High in Provo and Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, Tavernari had a reputation as a gunslinger — shooting all over the place. Sometimes it wasn't always successful, although his 23 points a game was tops in Nevada in 2006.
His coach, Dave Rose, says Tavernari has learned some patience in setting up his shot, and he's narrowed his choices in shots to those he's most comfortable with. As a result, the Brazilian can light it up. We witnessed this in his six-straight baskets against TCU and his four-straight field goals last Saturday against Wyoming — all cold off the bench.
Those shots against Wyoming, his third, boosting the Cougars ahead of the Cowboys 37-35 with three seconds to play before the half, ignited the Cougars past the Cowboys during a crucial stretch when both clubs were jockeying for an upper hand.
"Right now he's just really taking good shots," Rose said. "He has a lot of strength, he doesn't have a lot of movement, his shot is really tight. He's got a combination of strength, and he has a good touch," said Rose. "But don't kid yourself, he's spent a lot of hard work on his game, and it's showing. He's shooting with a lot of confidence."
Rose plays Tavernari at power forward. He believes many opposing players at that position are not used to going out on the perimeter to guard a shot like Tavernari has. "It's to our advantage," Rose said.
To date, Tavernari is shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc and 50 percent from the field — in limited minutes.
Tavernari led Bishop Gorman to the semifinals of the Nevada State Tournament with a 28-5 overall record and was nominated as a McDonald's High School All-American. He scored more than 20 points 16 times during that season, including five games of more than 30 points and a career-high 42 points against Spring Valley. At BYU, Tavernari's career best came in a blowout win over Western Oregon in the Marriott Center during finals week. He had 18 points in 20 minutes.
It remains to be seen what role Tavernari will have the rest of the season, although he's proved to be a spot relief shooter like senior Michael Rose.
He does not lack for confidence.
And he can thank his mom for that. There's a lesson there somewhere.
This summer, Hall of Fame golfer Johnny Miller, speaking of the great Tiger Woods, pointed out there is magic in a parent building up self confidence in a child like Earl Woods did with Tiger. Earl Woods built up his son from the inside out, instilling in him a belief he could do anything and he could dominate the world.
"Giving a child affirmation for the good he does can bring about great results," Miller said. "By the same token, if a father keeps telling his kid he's no good, well ..."
No doubt Tavernari's mother created his shot, then echoed over and over that he is a great, great shooter. Sometimes he is.
No pressure, all you moms and dads. But you guys can make a huge difference with the right kind of cheering for your kids.
Corny? I know.
But if you actually know your stuff, possibilities could be limitless.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com