ROVO, Utah -- Jonathan Tavernari, a native of Brazil with Italian blood on his father's side, learned early in life that to walk by faith is to follow a golden compass that never fails.

Tavernari, a BYU basketball player, was a former Catholic altar boy, and his parents remain committed Catholics. He converted to the Mormon faith after he left his native country as a 16-year-old to attend Timpview High School in Provo and pursue a dream to play basketball.

This is a venture that has taken him halfway around the world to a place where he barely understood the language. Now, at age 22, Tavernari is finishing his senior year at BYU as the most prolific 3-point shooter in school history. He attends the temple every Friday with his wife, Kiri, whom he has established as his hero