BYU Basketball: Cougars pick up JUCO transfer Blaze Nield

BYU Basketball picked up something that they desperately missed last season, a play-making point guard who can knock down outside jumpers. Utah State Eastern point guard Blaze Nield tweeted out today that he has committed to play for the Cougars. In his one year at USU Eastern, Blaze scored 20.6 ppg to go along with 4.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He shot 45% from the field overall and 40% from the three point line. He should be available to play immediately and have three years of eligibility for BYU.

Blaze is a 6 foot 1 inch tall guard who is incredibly long. This length helps him finish tough shots and make plays defensively. He is deceptively athletic and really knows how to exploit defenses tendencies to be an effective offensive player. One thing the numbers do not show is an uncanny ability to get to the correct spots and free himself and teammates up for open shots.

I had the opportunity to coach Blaze during his sophomore and junior seasons at Lehi High School. I was always impressed on how easily the game came to him at times. He was never rushed and always seemed to be playing a step or two ahead of his opponents. Besides his skill on the court, I loved my personal interactions with Blaze. My son was basically raised the first two years of his life in the Lehi gym. Blaze always played with him and one of my favorite memories is when we would break up into shooting drills. Blaze would sprint to the hoop my son was under because whenever they would make a basket, my son would cheer enthusiastically; whenever they missed he would say, “Oh no!” My point is that the Cougars are getting a fantastic basketball player and an even better person.

Blaze also had scholarship offers from Montana State, Idaho State, UMBC (yes, that school that beat Virginia as a 16 seed) and will reportedly be a preferred walk-on.