The players who played for him are really lucky. They’ve had a great high school basketball experience. He’ll be missed in the state. – Dave Rose on Craig Drury
PROVO — Provo High basketball coach Craig Drury, who has won more state hoops championships than any coach in Utah prep history, is retiring at the end of the season.
In his 32 years at the helm, Drury has led the Bulldogs to eight state titles and has won more than 500 games.
Over the years, BYU coach Dave Rose has forged a strong relationship with Drury and has coached several former Provo High players, including current guard Kyle Collinsworth.
“The best things about those players is that they’ve come in here and they’ve been coached,” Rose said. “They have a system that they run and everybody learns how to play in that system. So when you get them, they’re pretty programmed to figure out what this system is and how to play in it. They’re fighters, just guys who have a lot of similar characteristics. Those are all characteristics they’ve learned coming through that program. Craig’s been a good friend of mine for years. When I was at Dixie, he brought his teams to my camps. I had a few of his players at Dixie. The players who played for him are really lucky. They’ve had a great high school basketball experience. He’ll be missed in the state.”
“He taught me a ton,” Collinsworth said of Drury. “He’s the reason I’m where I’m at today, especially rebounding and my post moves down there. All that stuff came from him. It’s been able to carry on to the next level. He’s a great coach. He’s been terrific. It’s too bad he has to retire, but he’s had a heckuva career.”
WORTHINGTON MISSION-BOUND: BYU sophomore forward Luke Worthington announced Monday through his Twitter account that he will serve a mission.
Worthington has started 21 games for the Cougars this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds this season.
AWARDS CANDIDATES: Tyler Haws is one of 16 finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award. Haws, who is on the verge of becoming BYU’s all-time leading scorer, is No. 3 in the nation in scoring.
Collinsworth is one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Collinsworth leads the Cougars in assists, rebounds and steals and is the only player in the country ranked in the top 100 in all three categories. With five triple-doubles this season, he has set the NCAA single-season record and is one away from tying the career record. For the season, Collinsworth is averaging 13.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals and has totaled 12 double-doubles.