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On Monday, May 16th, BYU basketball will be hosting L.J. Rose, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard from the University of Houston.
This comes from a report from ESPN's Jeff Goodman on Twitter:
BYU will host Houston transfer LJ Rose on Monday, source told ESPN. BYU coach Dave Rose played with LJ's dad at Houston in the early 80s.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) May 14, 2016
L.J. Rose recently graduated from the University of Houston, meaning he would be available to suit up for the BYU Cougars next season. Rose has one season of eligibility left.
PROUD of our 2016 graduates!
— Houston Men's Hoops (@UHCougarMBK) May 11, 2016
CONGRATS @freebuckets_23, @5boogie, @showtheworld3 & @bertrandnkali! #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/04RXr6SbJy
L.J. had a tough season last year as he battled a foot injury. He played in only 2 of his team's 32 games.
He enjoyed two successful seasons with Houston. His career game came as a junior in 2015 on the road at South Florida. Rose scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting with five 3-pointers made.
As a point of interest, L.J. Rose has played against BYU in his career. He started his college ball at Baylor. He played 6 minutes for the Bears, recorded 1 assist and missed his only shot of the game -- a 3-pointer -- as Baylor defeated BYU 79-64 in Waco back in 2012.
Another fun fact? L.J. Rose's father, Lynden Rose, was a starting guard on the Phi Slamma Jamma Houston Cougars team that was captained by BYU head coach Dave Rose. So, there is a bond here that goes beyond a shared surname.
Take a look at Rose's career statistics below.
| Season | Team | Minutes per game | Field goals made-attempted | Field goal percentage | 3-point field goals made-attempted | 3-point field goal percentage | Free throws made-attempted | Free throw percentage | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Assists per game | Steals per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Houston | 13.5 | 2-6 | 33.3% | 2-5 | 40% | 1-2 | 50% | 3.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Houston | 34.6 | 64-172 | 37.2% | 24-81 | 29.6% | 34-56 | 60.7% | 9.8 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 0.9 |
| 2013-14 | Houston | 28.4 | 76-190 | 40% | 26-63 | 41.3% | 70-90 | 77.8% | 8.9 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 0.7 |
| 2012-13 | Baylor | 7.5 | 9-33 | 27.3% | 1-8 | 12.5% | 10-15 | 66.7% | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Career totals | 21.3 | 151-401 | 37.7% | 53-157 | 33.8% | 115-163 | 70.6% | 5.8 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 0.5 |
As the devotee to Vanquish The Foe that you are, you know that we have written about BYU's roster considerations a few times during this offseason.
We wrote about Dave Rose's probable solution to the 2016-17 roster's lack of wing/guard depth. BYU has 5 guards and 0 natural wings. As a potential fix, BYU has opened up a roster scholarship spot and has actively pursued a wing/guard in the graduate transfer market.
One of the confirmed targets to their search is UVU wing Konner Frey. Fans can now add L.J. Rose to the list.
While it would be more ideal to add a natural wing/small forward to the roster, if that isn't possible, it is most important to find Division-I talent to fill the open roster spot.
L.J. Rose is certainly that, and would add to the BYU guard depth -- making an injury, suspension, honor code violation, or foul trouble to one of the guards less perilous for the Cougars.
Monday is Dave Rose's chance to make his pitch to L.J.