PROVO — From the outside looking in, the BYU basketball program has already experienced a season’s worth of adversity — and the season hasn’t even started yet.
“We love drama,” said first-year coach Mark Pope. “This is what we do.”
Injuries to TJ Haws, Zac Seljaas and Gavin Baxter, along with Yoeli Child’s nine-game suspension, have been among what Pope calls the “twists and turns” the program has dealt with in recent months and weeks.
But the Cougars say they are determined to optimize their strengths.
“We feel so positive. I think that some of the turmoil that people outside the program might be feeling is not as intense inside the program,” Pope said. “We’re spending all of our time trying to find the answers.”
No doubt, as the season approaches, BYU is trying to re-invent itself amid unexpected personnel changes.
“We have to work our way through some moments in the season where we’re not going to have a full roster,” Pope said. “But we have what we need to do some extraordinary things. It’s a matter of us figuring out how to do it and being committed enough to each other to get it done.”
“It’s definitely been tough. There’s always adversity. When you think of great teams and great stories and great anything, does everything go smoothly ever?” said senior guard Jake Toolson. “I can’t even think of one instance where everything went perfectly as planned. Adversity is an opportunity for you to make something happen. You’re either going to run from it or you’re going to find a way. What we’ve done is just embraced it. Guys have stepped up and guys are ready to make the most of what’s been dealt to us. I think it will prove to be a very valuable experience to us this season.”
Fortunately for the Cougars, they boast a roster with seven seniors, including Toolson, who have been through plenty of ups and downs during their respective careers.
“As seniors we have a big job this year to lead the way,” said Toolson, a transfer from Utah Valley who earned Western Athletic Conference player of the year honors last season. “But we have guys, no matter what year they are, that will bring a lot to this team.”
Pope said having so many seniors to rely on is “nice because they have a calming influence. The longer you’re in athletics, the more experience you have dealing with the twists and turns of a season, a preseason, and a roster and all the things that go into it. Those guys have experience under their belt where they’re more capable of staying focused ...
“We don’t have a lot of depth on our team right now because we just don’t have a lot of bodies. We have seven scholarship players right now,” Pope added. “These veteran guys that have seen everything up to this point and especially when they’re some of your best players and your seniors, I think it gives you some continuity and some belief … I think seniors do magical things.”
One of the seniors looking for a magical season is Childs, who returned to BYU after initially declaring for the NBA draft last spring.
“Obviously, it’s a lot of stuff going on in a short amount of time. But all the great stories kind of start like that,” he said. “All the amazing stories we grew up listening to, all the big comebacks and wins and the teams that explode and have great years that you never saw coming, it never starts out with, ‘everything was perfect and then they just got even better.’ That’s really not how it goes. I like to look at it as a sign for great things to come. That’s how those comeback stories happen.”
Because the Cougars’ depth is thin, Pope said he and his staff have reached out to students that are already on campus to join the team.
Pope said the spate of injuries and Childs’ suspension have “given us an unbelievable opportunity to be creative, probably instilling in us a reckless courage that we might not have had otherwise to try some different things. When you do that, it’s incredibly fun. It’s really fun basketball to watch and really fun basketball to play because every moment is filled with sheer terror about whether it’s going to work or not.”
Haws, who underwent a knee scope a few weeks ago, is expected to be at full strength next week while Seljaas, who suffered a broken foot during the team’s trip to Italy in August, could be ready by the season-opener. Baxter, who injured his shoulder in practice, could be done for the year.
Certainly, BYU will be thin in the post, especially to begin the year. But Pope is confident in forwards Dalton Nixon and Kolby Lee.
“Dalton Nixon is a freak. Man, this kid is awesome. There’s no coach in America that wouldn’t want to have him on their team. What he’s done this summer and this fall has been incredible,” Pope said. “This Kolby Lee going to shock everybody. He’s shocking himself right every day in practice with what he’s doing.”
TIP-INS: Sophomore guard Colby Leifson has entered the transfer portal … The Cougars tip off the season Nov. 5 at home against Cal State Fullerton. BYU will play an exhibition game against UT Tyler on Nov. 1.
BYU’s Seniors
Yoeli Childs F South Jordan, UT
TJ Haws G Alpine, UT
Dalton Nixon F Orem, UT
Jake Toolson G Gilbert, AZ
Taylor Maughan G Fullerton, CA
Zac Seljaas G Bountiful, UT
Evan Troy G Longview, WA