One of the more remarkable aspects of BYU’s surprising start to the 2023-24 basketball season has been the fact that the surprising Cougars have put together a 12-1 record without having all their weapons at their disposal in any one game.
Transfers Dawson Baker (foot) and Aly Khalifa (knee) weren’t healthy when the season began in early November, while freshman Marcus Adams was neither healthy nor eligible as he awaited an NCAA ruling on his playing status.
“It kinda began with him coming off the bench, and there are 100 reasons why we like the dynamic. But I am not devoted to it. That could change any minute.” — BYU coach Mark Pope on Jaxson Robinson
Sophomore guard Dallin Hall and Arkansas transfer Jaxson Robinson were slowed by injuries when the season began, but still played limited minutes the first few outings. Expected star Fousseyni Traore suffered a hamstring injury in the 95-86 win over North Carolina State that has kept him sidelined since Nov. 24.
Baker, the UC Irvine transfer, got on the court for wins over Georgia State, Bellarmine and Wyoming, but has logged only 37 total minutes and scored 20 points.
Will the Cougars, No. 12 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, ever be at full strength this season, their first in the Big 12?
Coach Mark Pope said Thursday that there is a chance it will happen Saturday, and just in the nick of time. BYU plays host to 11-2 Cincinnati in the matchup of Big 12 newcomers at the Marriott Center (8 p.m. MST, ESPN2).
“We are close. We are really close,” Pope said.
Most notably, the Cougars have been waiting on the return of Traore, who was averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds through six games. Pope said the 6-foot-6 junior from Mali practiced sparingly last week and then participated in full practices Monday and Tuesday this week. The Cougars had Wednesday off.
“I think Fouss is getting really close (to playing),” Pope said. “We are probably right now, with two good practices between now and Saturday, as close as we have been (to full strength), and that is super exciting for us.”
Khalifa, while still battling a sore knee, replaced Traore in the starting lineup and has wowed young and old alike with his passing ability. He’s got 42 assists to just three turnovers, and is averaging 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
“Well, we are still dancing with him a little bit,” Pope said when asked if Traore will get his starting job back. “I would like to use him full speed, is how I would like to use him. … He’s knocking on the door, for sure.”
Pope said the “long-term vision” would be to put Khalifa and Traore on the floor together for stretches, but that will be determined by each player’s health.
As for Baker, a 15-point scorer at UC Irvine last year, Pope said the guard’s recovery from offseason foot surgery has been complicated.
“He’s far from full speed,” Pope said.
The NCAA cleared two-time transfers, such as Adams, who signed with Kansas and then transferred to Gonzaga, to play in December. The 6-8 forward saw his first action as a Cougar against Bellarmine, scoring two points in just under eight minutes, but hasn’t played since.
“Marcus is doing great. He’s working really hard. He’s got a little bit of a knee and a little bit of a foot issue right now that he’s trying to deal with,” Pope said. “But he is putting a ton of work in right now, which is great.”
Through all the shuffling, the 6-7 Robinson has emerged as BYU’s best player, even if he has yet to start a game. Named the Big 12 Student-Athlete of the Month for December, Robinson is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game.
Pope said the decision to bring Robinson off the bench in 2023-24, after the Oklahoma native started in 30 games last year, “just happened organically.”
He said Robinson was out for nearly a month before the season began with an undisclosed injury, which is why he wasn’t in the starting lineup in the opener against Houston Christian.
“It kinda began with him coming off the bench, and there are 100 reasons why we like the dynamic,” Pope said. “But I am not devoted to it. That could change any minute.”
Teammates say Robinson has accepted his new role, and flourished in it.
“He’s been great,” said Spencer Johnson. “It is just a really big boost for a team when you can have a guy like that that really takes on the role that, ‘Hey, I am not going to start. I am going to come off the bench, but I am still going to get buckets, be the leading scorer on our team and just handle that really maturely.’ So hats off to him. He’s been great for us.”
Some national college basketball observers have suggested that Robinson is the best sixth man in the country.
“The most important thing is this Jaxson Robinson is just an incredible human being,” Pope said, noting that Robinson took 17 credit hours last semester “and crushed it in school.”
