Due to the pandemic, BYU basketball coach Mark Pope couldn’t stage a Midnight Madness like he did last season as a way to revel with fans in the start of a new season.
So he did the next best thing — he brought the Cougars’ first day of practice to the people.
BYU’s spirited, 90-minute evening session Wednesday night at the Marriott Center, as part of two-a-day practices, was broadcast via the internet, capitalizing on the school’s vast broadcasting capabilities.
“For us, this is a no-brainer, right? We are blessed with these incredible fans, Cougar Nation, that just cares and they love being a part of it and we love them being a part of it,” Pope said.
“In terms of trying to grow that connection as quickly as we can, it’s really important to us. I also like the idea of my guys being in the gym where there’s an event like this where they’re getting analyzed and critiqued and they kind of have the lights on them — the best we can put on them right now and have them feel some of that juice.”
It was an innovative way for Pope to introduce his team, which is full of newcomers like 7-foot-3 Purdue transfer Matt Haarms and 5-foot-11 Utah Valley University transfer Brandon Averette.
Haarms thought it was a great idea.
“I think it’s an awesome way for the fans to connect with us. You always get that fan day or that Midnight Madness, but of course we’re not going to have that this year,” Haarms said. “We may as well do it in a different way. It’s a fun way to connect with the fans and show them our personalities. You can see us interact with each other and the coaching staff.”
Wednesday marked BYU’s first official day of practice since the NCAA Tournament was canceled last March. The Cougars finished with a 24-8 record and were projected to be invited to the Big Dance as a single-digit seed.
The 2020-21 season is scheduled to tip off Nov. 25. While the Cougars haven’t released their complete non-conference schedule yet, senior guard Alex Barcello was thrilled to be back practicing at the Marriott Center with his teammates.
“I have a feeling of being blessed to be in this program and to play for such a great coaching staff and have this group around me,” he said. “Obviously, last year didn’t end up how anybody wanted it to. That left a sour taste in our mouth, but we can’t hold on to that. We’ve got to move on and we have this upcoming year and games ahead of us. We’re doing everything we can to prepare for those games.”
Before the broadcast, BYU started its first practice bright and early Wednesday. For the Cougars, it was akin to waking up on Christmas morning.
“Putting on this practice jersey for the first day at 5:30 a.m. and going to practice at 6 a.m. is a very exciting feeling,” Barcello said. “We just want to be the hardest working team in the country. We believe we’re going to get to the goal that we want. We’re coming together as a group and battling and competing every day, getting better.”
While fans are being introduced to this team, coaches and players continue to become acquainted, too.
“The most important thing for us is just to get to know each other and also me getting to know them,” Pope said. “I know you look at our roster and say, ‘Are they going to go this direction or that direction?’ We’re actually asking ourselves the same questions.
How do we tap into everything the best team that this team has to offer because it’s uniquely composed team. The main part is for these guys to get to know each other and me to get to know them and figure out how we can be the best team we can, because there’s a lot of different directions we can go.”
Barcello is looking forward to seeing how this team comes together over the next several weeks.
“Everyone brings something different to the table. We have a lot of young guys and a lot of new guys,” he said. “We’re very strong, we’re very athletic, we’re quick. We bring that intensity. That’s one of our main pros right now, is the intensity and toughness that we bring … There’s a lot of guys that Cougar Nation hasn’t seen. I’m excited for Cougar Nation to see them.”