BYU Basketball: Cougars in the Pros, Part 2

While the first part of this series tracked some of the more notable three-point shooters in BYU history, the second part will focus on the interior, to see how some of the better rebounders, versatile wing players and big men at BYU did in their 2016-17 seasons of professional basketball.

Kyle Collinsworth, well known for his 12 triple-doubles at BYU, had a solid first season in the NBA Development League with the Texas Legends (a Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate). While the Legends did not qualify for the playoffs, Collinsworth did an impressive job cleaning up his assist-to-turnover ratio, which was over 3-to-1 this past season. While he continued his struggles shooting from beyond the arc and the free throw line, he rebounded at a very impressive rate for a guard, showing his versatility to play multiple positions. He did not record a triple-double for the Legends, but came within one point of doing so in a February 1st loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, finishing with 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

BYU’s all-time leading scorer Tyler Haws had a decent second professional season as a role player for the top tier Polish League team Anwil Wloclawek. While his three-point shooting was down considerably from his BYU career (where he always approached the 40% mark), he still managed to excel inside the arc and at the free throw line. While his team won the regular season championship in the Polish Basketball League, they got upset in a best-of-five series to the 8th seeded team in the first round of the playoffs.

Now two years removed from his brief NBA career, Brandon Davies had a very good season playing for AS Monaco Basket in the first tier French LNB Pro A League. He averaged over 10 points per game and 5 rebounds per game in limited minutes in French League games. Davies led his team to a regular season championship in France Pro A, but his team also faltered in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the 8th-seeded team. Additionally, his team also advanced all the way to the semifinals of the inaugural Basketball Champions League, a competition launched by FIBA, featuring teams from 31 different countries. He struggled a bit more against the better international competition, but still held his own as a significant contributor.

Charles Abouo, a key player down the stretch on BYU’s 2011 Sweet Sixteen team, has enjoyed a long and successful professional career. Abouo was the third leading scorer for Denain ASC Voltaire Basket of the second-tier French basketball league LNB Pro B. He has continued to develop his three point shot, making over one long ball per game on almost 38% from beyond the arc. However, he did not contribute very much in terms of rebounding or distributing, and could not crack 60% at the foul line. Abouo’s team did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing in 12th place out of 20 teams in the league with a 15-19 record.

Trent Plaisted, BYU’s only NBA draft pick other than Jimmer Fredette in the Dave Rose era, started his professional season in Germany playing for the Phoenix Hagen, but the team folded 11 games into the season due to financial difficulties and the loss of sponsors. In an interview with the Deseret News in mid-December, he said he was undecided if he would continue his professional career. However, he ultimately ended up playing the second half of the season in the first tier Japan-B League for the Toyota Alvark Tokyo team. After scoring in double figures to start the season in Germany, Plaisted accepted a smaller role in Japan, averaging just under 4 points per game in Tokyo. His team finished in second place in the Eastern division of the Japan-B League, and reached the semifinals of the playoffs.