He has not (had) a lot of basketball experience behind him, but he really at times can dominate certain parts of a pickup game or a short scrimmage. – BYU coach Dave Rose, on Corbin Kaufusi
PROVO — BYU basketball media day introduced a lot of new faces, with coach Dave Rose expressing guarded optimism regarding all of them. Through workout sessions, Rose has acquired thoughts of how each player can fit in and help with what the team does this coming year.
One player whom Rose talked about in glowing terms with regards to potential is converted football player Corbin Kaufusi. When pressed to state who the 6-foot-10 athlete reminds him of, Rose thought back to perhaps his most famous former collegiate teammate.
“I hate to say who he reminds me of because it sounds so out there because (you’re) talking about one of the top 50 players in NBA (history),” Rose said. “But he reminds me a lot of Hakeem Olajuwon when I was playing with him in college. Just the fact that he’s so young, so raw and so active. He has not (had) a lot of basketball experience behind him, but he really at times can dominate certain parts of a pickup game or a short scrimmage.”
Kaufusi predictably shied away from the comparison when the media related what Rose had said but is excited to reach his full potential.
“I’m a little behind skill-wise, and what not, but I think with everything else, if you put your mind to it — put in enough effort that you can get to where you want to be,” Kaufusi said.
Kaufusi originally signed with BYU as a football prospect before leaving to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to South Korea. Upon returning from his service, he went through one football practice session before opting for basketball.
The main reasons for the switch was his 6-foot-10 height, which Kaufusi believes is a bit too tall for the gridiron along with impressing during pickup games. Since returning home from his mission, he’s played consistently with members of the basketball team with those same players impressed enough to encourage him to make the switch.
It was more of the perimeter guys who were more excited about Kaufusi than some of the post guys,” Rose said. “But now I think everyone has embraced him and look forward to have him contribute."
While it's unknown how much Kaufusi will contribute this season, Rose believes the Timpview product brings a lot to the table.
“He has great timing. He can block shots out of his area. He can rebound outside of his area and he can really run,” Rose said. “I love his energy. I love his size and I love how physical he likes to play, and the rest we’ll have to see how it fits in.”
Other newcomers: Kaufusi wasn't the only new face at BYU's media day — far from it. The event introduced five new freshmen along with Kaufusi and two transfers in Chase Fischer and Jamal Aytes, who are raring to go after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
The freshmen included guards Jake Toolson (6-foot-5), Jordan Chatman (6-5), forward Dalton Nixon (6-7) and centers Ryan Andrus (6-11) and Isaac Neilson (6-11.)
“I believe there’s real talent and a lot of confident guys,” Rose said of his freshmen. “Once we start putting our system in and guys start to adjust and pick it up … then we’ll see who has the real advantage.”
Regarding Fischer, who transfered from Wake Forest, Rose said, “I think Chase Fischer is a guy who was one of our best 3-point shooters in practice last year playing on our scout team."
With regards to Aytes, “He’s an inside scorer and I think he wants to be known as an inside scorer,” Rose said. “There’s a lot of guys who play that position that are pretty good inside scorers but want to be outside scorers … Jamal has a nice midrange game to him, but he likes to be down there with his back to the basket.”
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney