BYU Basketball Tip-Off

So I anxiously headed over to the Marriot Center last night to check out this year's version of the BYU basketball team. I'll be honest, I haven't been this exited about a team in a while. And after seeing this team last night, I think they can be special. The great thing is they only have one senior, who happens to be the best player, Lee Cummard. I think this team has the most potential out of any of the other teams.

The only problem is that we only have one senior. Whereas in past years we've had multiple seniors. The experience factor will be huge in road games. Don't expect this year to be the year we beat UNLV on the road. That said, we can still win conference, get into the tourney, and actually win a game!

Here's a breakdown of what I observed at the scrimmage:

1. I've never been a fan of Jonathan Tavernari, mostly because I felt he took too many bad shots, but he played very well last night. I'm starting to come around on him. He knocked down a bunch of shots. Hopefully he can still be selective in his shots but still carry that confidence that makes him such a dangerous shooter.

2. It's going to be a tough decision on who could redshirt. Noah Hartsock could be a good canidade. He didn't look like he was in the best shape yesterday. But he is still a good player and could get some minutes backing up JT at the 4. Charles Abouo looked very good last night. He is huge (ripped). Look for him to get some good minutes behind Cummard if he doesn't redshirt. I actually think Michael Loyd would benefit from a redshirt, even though he probably won't. He'll probably be the second guard off the bench. He's super fast and athletic but not the best shooter.

3. I thought Matt Pinegar looked just as good or better than Lamont Morgan last night. Morgan is a decent player, but he can't shoot from the outside. He can penetrate very well and dish to the outside but thats about it. Pinegar was knocking down shoots all night long and looked very impressive on both sides of the court.

4. Jackson Emery is ripped. That boy looks like he spent some time in the gym on his mission. He struggled at times getting use to the speed again but I think he's going to have a great season. He'll probably be the first one off the bench to replace Jimmer and Lee.

5. Chris Miles and Gavon McGregor looked solid. Nothin spectacular but both can bang on the inside and get some boards. Both showed touch around the basket, something that was not present with Plaisted. This is another reason why Hartsock will be able to redshirt.

6. Jimmer Fredette and Lee Cummard are going to be great players for us this year. Look for great things, especially from Cummard.

G Pittman Transfering / BYU Basketball

I'll admit I was pretty bummed yesterday when I found out that G will be transfering. I've been exited for this kid ever since he came to BYU two years ago. I actually had the chance to talk to him last year when I ran into him when we were both waiting in line in the bookstore. He was a really nice kid and it seemed he really liked being here at BYU and was exited to get him chance to play.

I trust Bronco and his assessments, but I think this is one kid where they missed up big time. He should have been starting in front of Brandon Howard. I think anyone who has seen a game or practice would agree. I'm not convinced that academics was the only reason he left. I feel he was frustrated by his role on the team. Anyways he's gone and we're going to need Gary Nagy, Cameron Comer, and Garrett Nicholson to step up and be our "shut down corners" of the future. By the way, I hate the term "shut down corner". It is way over used.

I'll be headed to the BYU Basketball tip-off tonight at 7:00. I'm exited to see what some of the new guys look like. Mostly Jackson Emery (post mission), Lamont Morgan (post redshirt), Charles Abouo (post prep school), and Noah Hardtscok (post mission). I'll probably give an update on how it went tomarrow.

Mariners hire Jack Zduriencik as GM!

The M's have their new GM. Jack Zduriencik comes from the Milwaukee Brewers as their scouting director. He is known for his ability to find talent throught the draft. Just what the M's have been needing! Check out ussmariner.com or seattletimes.com for more on him. He has an impressive resume. Now lets go build a great team and not finish in last place in the AL again!

I know I'm beating a dead horse but... / Mendenhall: "We could adjust our philosophy"

I know I'm "beating a dead horse" but its so important that I think it needs some discussion. As I mentioned in the last post, BYU has the philosophy of playing their corners 10-15 yards off the ball to try and prevent "big plays". I have a few problems with this.

1. I heard Nate Meikle say that he has talked with a number of players on the team about this and they've said that this is a typical NFL approach. What? Have they even seen an NFL game? I've never seen the corners play 10 yards off the ball in the NFL. Every game that I've watched I've seen them play either "bump" coverage with the safties over the top in "cover 2 defense" or between 4-7 yards off the ball.

Brandon Bradley

#2. One of the reasons I've heard the coaches say we can't play up on the WRs is because our corners aren't "physical" or "athletic" enough to match up. I say this is ridiculous. Brandon Howard's main strenght is his speed and athletic ability. Scott Johnson's strenght is his physicalness and toughness. He's a great tackler. Are you telling me that Brandon Brandley isn't an athlete? That kid is amazing. He's a physical specimen. He needs to be on the field more. Then there is G Pittman, probably the most talented corner we've had in the program in a while.

#3. I've heard a few times (on the Greg Wrubell post-game show and coaches show) where Bronco and Nate Meikle say that the team has run statistical analysis on managing the total points in a game and that when you play "off" the WRs, it gives up yards but not points. Also known as a bend but don't break defense. This may work against terrible QBs but not against good QBs that will pick you apart. I understand where they are getting at but we need to realize that every situation calls for something different. Which leads me to some great news....

Bronco said in a interview that he may change some of the philosphy for different situations. I took this as meaning that he will move the corners closer on 3rd down situations. We got killed by TCU on 3rd down conversions when they just threw to their WR for 5-9 yard gains on third down. Its good to see that Bronco is willing to swallow some pride and adjust to what needs to be done. It will be interesting this week as we play UNLV because they have probably 3 of the best WRs in the conference. I know what I'll be looking for on 3rd down this week. They will either run a QB draw like TCU or attempt a 5-9 yards out pattern. Hopefully we can adjust this time!

Phillip Payne's Game Winning Catch vs Arizona State

Don't Stop Believin'!

Yes it has been a while since I've posted anything and for this I apologize. I promise to do more. It seems I have so much going on with school, work, and life in general that I just don't find the time to blog anymore. But I promise to find more time. Its an exciting time to be a BYU fan (even if we lost to TCU). Basketball season is also right around the corner and this could be a very good BYU basketball team this year. Seattle sports aren't doing so hot but there is always something to talk about with the M's or the Seahawks. Anyways, on to the good stuff, or the bad stuff for BYU fans.

So yes, BYU did get smoked by TCU. Yes, our coaches got totally out coached. Yes, some of our defensive philosophies are ridiculous (I'll mention them later). And yes, our offense is predicable. After all this negative stuff, we still have a chance at the BCS. But we need a few things to happen. I'll explain.

1. We have to win the rest of our games. This will be tough the way the team is playing right now. But honestly, we probably won't have a really tough game until we travel to Utah. Although the road trips to Colorado State and Air Force won't be easy. UNLV is also not a pushover anymore. But if we can somehow find a way to improve enough before Nov.22, we CAN win the rest of our games.

2. Utah must beat TCU in 3 weeks. Yes I know it is hard to root for the Utes but if TCU runs the table then they'll get the BCS bid. TCU doesn't have another hard game on the schedule except for Utah.

3. Boise State must lose a game. They actually have a couple tough games left. The tougest one is next week against a good San Jose St. team on the road. They also have a couple other tests @Nevada, @ New Mexico St., and vs. Fresno St.

4. As of now we are barely ranked behind Tulsa and Ball State in the BCS rankings. We must pass them somehow. We might be able to pass them just by winning out because our strenght of schedule is better. Or they could just lose a game. Tulsa has to play @Arkansas which won't be easy. Ball State has a couple in-conference games that should give them a challenge.

If these four things happen, we will be ranked in the top 12 (which is where we need to be to guarantee a BCS spot).

Now I'm going to go off a bit on what BYU needs to do to go undefeated the rest of the way.

1. Bronco/Jaime Hill need to re-think their defensive philosophy on playing the corners 10-15 yards off the ball. I can understand when it is 3rd and long. But when the other team needs 3-10 yards for the first down, we can't just make it easy for them and give them the 1st down. It might work against terrible QBs, but if we actually want to beat a good team we have to tighten up.

2. Learn how to adjust during the game! When a Wide Reciever is taking snaps at QB, he is probably going to run. Utah does this same thing with their Running Back so we're going to have to learn how to defend it. Along these same lines, our front 7 has to be more physical and stop the run, bottom line.

3. Our offense needs to get its confidence back. Teams have learned that if they shut down Collie, Pitta, and Unga, its game over. Somehow Anae needs to find a way to mix it up a bit to get the defense on its heels. Be a little creative without sacrificing consistency. TCU was able to pressure Hall. Mostly because our receivers couldn't get open.

Bottom Line: Don't Stop Believin'! signed-Journey