PROVO — Mark Pope is taking largely the same approach former BYU basketball coach Steve Cleveland did when first hired back in 1997, albeit for different reasons.
And he’s hoping to forge a lot of the same success.
Like many, Cleveland has noted Pope’s seemingly incessant pursuit of transfers across the country, reminding him somewhat of the approach he took when first hired by BYU, with that effort ultimately providing strong dividends.
The former BYU coach certainly isn’t alone in noting it.
With the advent of Twitter, fans and media alike have become uniquely up to date on the recruiting front, and perhaps particularly with transfers. The first full offseason for Pope and his staff has seen many transfers list BYU among the finalists for their services, more so than many other college programs.
Sure, a lot of those listing BYU as finalists have gone elsewhere, although Pope was able to land perhaps the biggest name on the market when Purdue transfer Matt Haarms committed to the Cougars in April. Several transfers who listed the Cougars ultimately didn’t have the option to join BYU, while others simply preferred other locations.
Regardless, it’s apparent Pope and his staff are hitting the transfer market hard, with Cleveland believing it’s exactly what the new staff should be doing.
Drawing on connections and contacts
Cleveland inherited a much different BYU program back in 1997 than Pope did this past season. The Cougars were in a complete rebuilding mode when the Fresno City College coach arrived, which necessitated a vigorous pursuit of transfers to rejuvenate a lagging program.
“We had to rebuild very quickly and we primarily did it with junior college transfers. But it was a natural thing for us anyway, because all of us were from junior college,” Cleveland said, speaking of a coaching staff that came to BYU after coaching in the junior college ranks. “Doing as much expedited the process, which had to happen for us, initially. It allowed us to take a step forward quicker and I couldn’t imagine doing it different.”
Cleveland’s pursuit of transfers yielded some top-quality players — guys like Travis Hansen, Rafael Araujo and Terrell Lyday. It would be hard to imagine what the Cougars would have been like during Cleveland’s tenure without those players. Pope and his staff are hoping for much of the same.
Pope and assistant coaches Chris Burgess and Cody Fueger have shown a leg-up in getting noticed, perhaps due to their past coaching and playing experiences, much like Cleveland and his staff showed.
“So much of it has to do with connections, and our staff had been all over the country looking for guys before even getting to BYU,” Cleveland said. “So we were just really comfortable going that route, and I think you’re definitely seeing that with coach Pope and his staff. Contacts and connections are so important.”
Change in transfer rules
The changes haven’t become official, yet many anticipate a rule put in place for 2021 allowing first-time NCAA Division I transfers to bypass the transfer penalty of sitting out a year. The new rule will certainly change the transfer market.
“You’re going to see more transfers, not less, certainly. And it’s very clear that perhaps few understand this better than Mark, and he’s working hard to take advantage of the trends. It’s apparent recruiting transfers has become as high of a priority as recruiting high school players.” — Steve Cleveland, on Mark Pope
“It’s a game-changer,” Cleveland said of the proposed rule. “So guys are looking for big-time programs with great fan support more than ever. So BYU has always checked most of the boxes and I think with that first season Mark had, coupled with what was already in place — you’re just seeing them able to be aggressive and receive good response.”
The seemingly endless tweets from transfers placing BYU as a top option should only increase with time.
“You’re going to see more transfers, not less, certainly,” Cleveland said. “And it’s very clear that perhaps few understand this better than Mark, and he’s working hard to take advantage of the trends. It’s apparent recruiting transfers has become as high of a priority as recruiting high school players.”
Benefitting from the culture
Although the BYU culture Cleveland and his staff inherited wasn’t what it is now, the high-quality transfers brought into the program enhanced it greatly. Culture is a big thing for most transfers, according to Cleveland, with BYU’s unique atmosphere looked on as a benefit for some transfers.
“I feel like we did a good job developing a good culture here, and Dave (Rose) certainly continued with that and built on it,” Cleveland said. “Coach Pope has now been there just a year, but I think it’s clear he’s doing the right things to strengthen the culture and build upon what he inherited. I think he’s done an incredible job, so far.”
Cleveland mentions the atmosphere at the Marriott Center as a big benefit with prospective transfers, although noting that other factors play perhaps a bigger role in final decisions.
“Everyone involved has to understand that the player is going to get developed,” Cleveland said. “Everyone from the parents, the AAU coaches to the player himself — they have to understand and believe in that. So the culture of the program becomes so important with all players and certainly with transfers.”
So will the transfers already acquired by Pope, such as Haarms and Gideon George see similar success as Hansen, Araujo and Lyday and others did during Cleveland’s tenure? Time will tell.
“There’s a lot more accountability at BYU than other places,” Cleveland said. “But a lot of these transfers can understand why BYU is the best option for them better than a guy fresh out of high school. So with that, a lot of those top transfers coming in are better prepared to see success at BYU than others. So the aggressive pursuit of transfers is something I see Mark continuing to do and believe he’ll continue to have great success by doing it.”