PROVO — BYU football's stress-filled schedule has some fans clamoring for basketball season to begin. The season is just around the corner and the Cougars are full of intrigue.
BYU showcased its men's and women's basketball teams last Friday at the annual Boom Shakalaka event in the Marriott Center. This year's event was a little different from years past. The men's and women's teams played some five-minute mini-scrimmages with a champion crowned after a couple of rounds. The main difference was the absence of a dunk contest. There were whispers of a potential Yoeli Childs-Eric Mika showdown, but that was quickly debunked after the first couple of scrimmages.
Here are a couple of takeaways from Boom Shakalaka that may translate to season play:
This is Nick Emery's team
The sophomore captain has taken the reins of this team. In about 10 minutes of play at Boom Shakalaka, Emery made four three-pointers and added a couple of assists.
The Cougars will go as Emery goes. He'll have games where it feels like he can't miss. Then there will be those nights where nothing goes his way. Emery could average anywhere from 20-25 points this season. His silky-smooth jump shot, particularly from behind the arc, could make him the leading scorer in the WCC by season's end.
TJ Haws needs more time before joining the starting lineup
Haws looked pretty good, offensively, at Boom Shakalaka. He's got a long way to go before he's ready to defend starting guards. Haws will score a lot of points this season as well, especially when Emery is having one of his hot nights and the double-teams will allow Haws to get more open shots.
So if Haws isn't starting at the beginning of the season, expect the starting lineup to look something like this:
PG: Elijah Bryant (if healthy)
SG: Nick Emery
SF: Davin Guinn (yes, Davin Guinn)
PF: Kyle Davis
C: Eric Mika
Guinn, the junior walk-on, looked really active in Boom Shakalaka. There was a particular play where Emery received a pass from Guinn outside the arc and attempted a long three-pointer. Emery missed but Guinn got the offensive rebound, out playing Mika by the way, and scored the quick lay-up. Guinn's energy and defensive prowess could garner him a starting spot at the beginning of the season.
This may be the deepest crop of BYU big men ever
The returning big men from last season's team are senior captain Kyle Davis, junior center Corbin Kaufusi (who is expected to have a reduced role this season) and barely used Jamal Aytes and Braiden Shaw. Davis looked pretty good and Aytes played incredibly well during his short scrimmages.
But it's all about the newcomers. Sophomore Mika is back from his two-year LDS mission and looks to compete for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award by season's end. The freshmen bigs, Payton Dastrup and Childs add much-needed depth to a position that's struggled for consistent post play for many years. Both can step back behind the arc and hit the occasional three-pointer but both will be heavily relied on for their defense against opposing bigs.
Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @n8_harker.