BYU coach Mark Pope admits that he’s become nostalgic this season as he enters West Coast Conference gyms and arenas for the final time as the Cougars play their final season in the league before jumping to the Big 12 next year.
Before games, he allows himself to reminisce about some of the special moments.
BYU visits Pepperdine Thursday (8 p.m., MST, CBS Sports Network) in its final appearance as a WCC member at Firestone Fieldhouse, located in picturesque, sun-drenched, beach-filled Malibu, California.
Pope noted that Pepperdine officials are planning to build a new gym.
“They have to make it a retractable roof. They have to. I’ve been pushing for this for four years. It’s the exact right place to do it. They can do some special cooling underneath the gym floor,” he said. “If they will do this, it would be one of the best sports venues in the world. I’m going to find a way to convince (coach) Lorenzo (Romar) to do a home-and-home if they get that retractable roof. That would be incredible.”
As for memorable games at Firestone Fieldhouse, Pope recalled his first season at the helm. In the regular-season finale, a week after the Cougars’ memorable, stunning upset at home over No. 2 Gonzaga, BYU traveled to Malibu to battle the Waves.
That day, Yoeli Childs scored a career-high 38 points on 17 of 27 shooting from the field and he collected 14 rebounds in an 81-64 victory over Pepperdine.
But one thing that Pope remembers most was Jake Toolson, who had been ejected with a couple of minutes remaining in the game.
“Then he just disappeared. He had found a chair and taken his jersey off,” Pope recalled. “He was sun-bathing out in front of Firestone Fieldhouse at the end of the game. I remember Yoeli Childs’ performance there in that game. It was a hard-fought game. Yoeli was unbelievable. He was ridiculous.”
And Pope remembers what happened at Firestone Fieldhouse last February.
Alex Barcello poured in a career-high 33 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the floor, including 9 of 10 from 3-point range, and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. And zero turnovers.
The Cougars beat the Waves 91-85.
“Last year, Alex Barcello putting on a show of all shows,” Pope said. “He was like a video game. I’ve thought about it since. It’s because of the orange coloring of the gym. His high school in Arizona was Corona del Sol was the same colors. He put on a show out there. And there, of course, our fans show up there really well, too. It’s been a fun place to play.”
Then on Saturday, the Cougars invade The Kennel to take on No. 16 Gonzaga.
“This Kennel is one of the great venues in the country right now. The fan base is fantastic. It’s super, super unique,” Pope said. “The teams are always great. There are so many stories from up there. Most recently, two years ago, we had a guest pregame speech-giver who was in the process of fighting terminal cancer. It was super special. … It’s our last time. It’s pretty great.”
Guard Spencer Johnson loves competing at The Kennel.
“Their fans are insane. They’re wild. It takes up the whole sideline. You’re sitting on your bench and you’re looking at their fans and it’s all the student section right there,” he said. “They show up two hours early, so you come out for warmups and it’s already full. They’re talking to you the whole time. It’s super fun. It sells out every game because they’re so good. It’s a really fun place to play.”
Johnson declined to elaborate about what the Gonzaga students say to him and his teammates.
As BYU ventures out on the road this weekend, it hopes to fare better than the last time it left the friendly confines of the Marriott Center.
The Cougars were swept in the Bay Area by Santa Clara and San Francisco a few weeks ago. BYU swept Loyola Marymount and Pacific last weekend at home.
What can Pope do to help his players perform better on the road?
“I don’t know. But certainly it’s something that’s crossed our minds. We’ve had some success traveling this year but certainly our last road trip was not,” he said. “We’ve really enjoyed the comfort of home for the last few games. It’s just understanding the energy that we have to generate and also understanding that teams generally play better at home. We fully expect both Pepperdine and Gonzaga to be better at home. I don’t know if there’s anything magical about it other than just us finding some joy in going into another gym.”
As a team captain, how can Johnson help his teammates play better on the road?
“It’s always tough to go on the road and go to some of these venues. It’s nice to be at home at the Marriott Center,” he said. “So when we’re out on the road, I think a lot of these new guys that are new to college basketball or new to this whole schedule we play on, Thursday-Saturday, it’s easy to get kind of in the grind. You’re in the mode and you’re going. We try to mix it up and have a little bit of fun. We have movie nights or play games to try to make these road trips fun and keep it loose and light.”
The Cougars are hoping to make some more memorable moments at Firestone Fieldhouse and The Kennel this weekend.
BYU (16-10, 6-5) at Pepperdine (8-17, 1-10)
Thursday, 8 p.m. MST
Firestone Fieldhouse
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: BYU Radio/1160 AM