Cal State Fullerton (0-0) at BYU (0-0)
Tuesday, 7 p.m. MST
Marriott Center
TV: BYUtv
Radio: KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
PROVO — Last month at West Coast Conference basketball media day in Las Vegas, BYU senior guard TJ Haws stood not far from the court at Orleans Arena, where the Cougars suffered an ignominious end to its 2018-19 season last March.
San Diego humiliated BYU 80-57 in the WCC Tournament — the Cougars trailed by as many as 44 points — and with that, BYU failed to win 20 games and failed to play in a postseason tournament for the first time since 2005.
In the ensuing weeks, longtime coach Dave Rose retired and BYU hired Mark Pope. Since then, there have been plenty of changes and challenges in the program.
Now, a new era in BYU basketball tips off as Pope leads the Cougars in their season opener Tuesday (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv) at the Marriott Center against Cal State Fullerton.
“The guys have a great mindset right now. We believe in ourselves,” said Haws. “There’s great energy in the program.”
Pope is both optimistic and realistic about his first season at the helm.
“We have a chance to surprise people. We have a chance to get some things done,” he said. “It’s going to take some time. We’re going to have to really, really learn each other but we have a chance at the end of the day to be a pretty good team.”
While the Cougars have welcomed in transfers like guards Jake Toolson and Alex Barcello, forward Gavin Baxter is expected to be sidelined for the season due to a shoulder injury. Haws, Zac Seljaas and Jesse Wade have also dealt with injuries.
And then there’s senior forward Yoeli Childs, who declared for the NBA draft, returned to BYU and then was suspended for the first nine games by the NCAA for a paperwork mishap.
The absence of Childs and Baxter will make things tough for BYU in the post. The Cougars will rely on players like Kolby Lee, Dalton Nixon and Connor Harding inside early on this season.
With a guard-oriented team, Pope has emphasized consistent shooting.
“Coach Pope has done a great job of instilling confidence in our guys,” Haws said. “Guys are encouraging other guys to shoot when they’re open. Guys are feeling confident. Everyone wants them to shoot. If you’re open, you shoot. I think we’ll make a lot of shots.”
The NCAA has extended the 3-point line this season from 20 feet, 9 inches to 22 feet, 1¾ inches this season.
“For me, I’m excited about it because it opens up the floor a little bit more and gives us more space for us to play,” Toolson said. “I really think that it’s not going to affect the good shooters. It might expose some of the bad shooters. For me and TJ, guys that can shoot it at a high clip, I think we’ll continue to do that.”
In last Friday’s 100-58 exhibition win over UT Tyler, freshman Trevin Knell knocked down 5 of 6 3-pointers.
Other points of emphasis are playing strong defense and rebounding.
“What we’re spending all of our time on right now is being able to guard. We have some deficits in terms in being able to guard,” Pope said. “We don’t have great length and we don’t have off-the-charts athleticism. Rebounding the ball is going to be a real challenge for us all season long. But that is what I’d like to be our hallmark, the thing that makes us feel safe. … Our guys are understanding the value of getting stops and how much pressure that takes off of you offensively. We’re working hard at it. That gives you security. Work gives you confidence. The ability to guard gives you confidence.”
With seven seniors on the roster, the Cougars boast a wealth of experience and leadership.
“This is a fun team. It’s a veteran team and they’re savvy,” Pope said. “We clearly understand the challenge we have in front of us and we’ll figure it out.”
The Cougars face a tough nonconference schedule, including a trip to the Maui Invitational, where BYU takes on UCLA in the first round and potential games against Kansas and Michigan State. Other preseason opponents include San Diego State, Houston, Utah, UNLV, Nevada, Utah State and Weber State. Childs returns for the Utah game at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 4.
The Cougars are looking to get back to playing postseason basketball. They haven’t been to the Big Dance since 2014-15.
“Our goal is to make it to the NCAA Tournament,” Nixon said. “We just want to be consistent. We want to be able to put those games together so that we can have a special year where we bring it every game. We can’t let games slip like we have in the past. A real focus is to be locked in and put the work in so we can be consistently great on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively.”
“The most important thing for us is to be the best team we can possibly be in March,” Pope said. “If that’s the case, then whatever beating we might take early on in the season having a limited roster … is going to pay dividends for us down the stretch because we’re going to have guys that will have had experience, gotten minutes and been put in different positions.”
As a senior, Toolson is eager to make his final season a memorable one.
“We have a great group of guys. Everyone really cares and wants to win,” he said. “I’m just trying to help this team any way I can. It’s about winning. I want to win big.”