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1. BYU Hoops is on the prowl:
After a few letdowns that we won't let resurface, BYU hoops is back to it's winning ways behind the hot-handed Tyler Haws who dropped 35 against Pepperdine and 31 against Loyola Marymount. These teams represent the two losses that befuddled BYU fans earlier this season, but BYU got its sweet revenge and oh how sweet it was. BYU is on a three-game win streak and currently sits tied for 3rd in the conference, the two teams tied for 2nd also havie two losses. The gap between 1st and 7th in the WCC is very small this year. Every team in the WCC has a winning record and has 10 or more wins on the season so far. Pretty impressive top to bottom, but the top seems to be lacking the dominant strength it used to have.
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2. Tayo Fabulous flakes on the Cougs:
Tayo Fabuluje originally committed to BYU in 2010. He red-shirted as a Cougar that year. After that, he transferred to TCU, sat out a year due to transfer rules, played in 2012, and won Honorable Mention offensive newcomer of the year in the Big 12. This was a player BYU die-hards drooled over due to his prowess on the offensive line, a visible weakness on the Cougar team. He will have to sit out a year and will play for TCU in 2015.
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3. BYU's eternal struggles:
Little do many pundits know, but BYU is a school owned by the LDS church and is a private school. This alone makes BYU unique. It mainly attracts LDS athletes which limits the pool of which BYU recruits from. The honor code is probably the biggest reason BYU will struggle getting 4 and 5 star recruits and breakaway speed BYU has seemingly always lacked. The honor code places restrictions on drinking alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tee, illegal drugs, per-marital sex, pornography, beards, shorts lower than the knee, etc. This alone creates a specific demographic that fits into BYU. BYU also has higher academic standards to get into the school than Utah, UVU, Utah St, Weber St, etc just to name a few. A high GPA and ACT score is required, also Bronco holds players to a high standard of maintaining a high GPA. People joke that Bronco says football is 5th, but it's true. Faith, Family, Friends, Academics, Football. For these reasons and the uniqueness of BYU, BYU will always struggle getting and keeping top notch recruits and high end speed. Not only from an LDS honor code standpoint, but also an academic standpoint which creates a killer duo that makes the recruits at BYU very specific.
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Your Turn:
1. What do you make of BYU's recent success in basketball? Was it the fact we played at home? Or was it the line-up changes Coach Rose made (Halford-Carlino), etc?
2. How disappointed are you that Tayo Fabuluje transferred back to TCU? Does it bother you?
3. Do you think BYU will ever land top notch recruits and top end speed with the honor code and academic standard combo that the uniqueness of BYU presents?
Join the conversation in the comments section below. We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions about our Cougs.
