2018-19 BYU men's basketball season preview

childs-hawschilds-haws

2018-19 Season Preview

BYU men’s basketball enters the 2018-19 season with an experienced roster that has its sights set on returning to the NCAA Tournament.

Entering year 14 of the Dave Rose era, the 2018-19 edition of the Cougars features 11 letterwinners and six players with significant starting experience. BYU’s roster also features three players who have earned first- or second-team All-WCC honors in Yoeli Childs (first team in 2018), TJ Haws (first team in 2017) and Nick Emery (second team in 2016).

Not only does the 2018-19 roster feature double-digit letterwinners, it is also one of the most experienced rosters in the Rose era in terms of productivity returning from the previous season. The Cougars return 71.2 percent of points scored (third all-time in the Rose era) in 2017-18, 67.2 percent of total rebounds (fourth), 82.0 percent of assists (first) and 78.7 percent of minutes played (second). These numbers do not include the production of Nick Emery, who sat out last season but averaged 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 2016-17.

  • Two-year starter and junior forward Yoeli Childs (South Jordan, Utah) returns after a breakout sophomore season. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 17.8 points while leading the Cougars in rebounds (8.6 per game) and blocks (1.8). Childs also shot 54.1 percent from the field and posted 15 double-doubles. At the end of the regular season, Childs was named to the All-WCC First Team and the NABC and USBWA All-District Teams.
  • Another two-year starter returning is TJ Haws, who started all 35 games and averaged 11.7 points and a team-best 4.2 assists per game in 2017-18. Haws was also second on the team with 50 3-point field goals and 43 steals. The Alpine, Utah, native posted season highs of 26 points, eight assists and four steals and earned All-WCC Honorable Mention.
  • Jahshire Hardnett enters his junior season after a strong debut season in the blue and white. The Gulfport, Mississippi, native transferred to BYU from Chipola College and started 32 games for the Cougars. Hardnett averaged 6.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists and was BYU’s top perimeter defender.
  • Luke Worthington, one of two seniors on the 2018-19 roster, was a team captain who provided leadership and a defensive presence in the middle last season. The 6-foot-10 forward started 29 games and averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. Worthington posted season highs of 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks. 
  • Two-year starter and junior guard Nick Emery also returns after sitting out the 2017-18 season. As a sophomore in 2016-17, Emery posted averages of 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals and was second on the team with 75 3-point field goals. In the 2017 WCC tournament, Emery became the 50th BYU player to reach 1,000 career points. He also joined Danny Ainge, Tyler Haws and Eric Mika as the only BYU players to reach 1,000 points as sophomores.
  • Dalton Nixon overcame injury issues in 2017-18 to emerge as one of BYU’s most reliable bench players during his sophomore season. After returning from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nixon posted averages 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 72.0 percent from the free-throw line. One of his best performances came in the semifinals of the WCC Championships against Saint Mary’s when he posted 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
  • Zac Seljaas also returned from a mission prior to the 2017-18 season and averaged 5.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. The junior guard scored in double figures five times and posted season highs of 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks while starting 11 games.
  • McKay Cannon, BYU’s other senior on the roster, came to Provo last season via Weber State. He became eligible after sitting out the first six games when he received a waiver from the NCAA. The Shelley, Idaho, native played a key role in helping BYU sweep its in-state foes as he delivered a season-high 17 points at Utah State and a season-best six assists at Utah Valley.
  • Rylan Bergersen showed glimpses of his potential as a freshman in 2017-18. The 6-foot-6 guard from Boise, Idaho, posted shooting numbers of 52.6 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. Bergersen posted his season high of seven points in the final game of the season at Stanford.
  • Evan Troy was elevated from the practice squad prior to last season. A 6-foot-5 guard from Longview, Washington, Troy appeared in 12 games in 2017-18.
  • Among the newcomers on the 2017-18 roster are three freshmen, a transfer and a walk-on. The three freshmen include Gavin Baxter, Connor Harding and Kolby Lee, all four-star recruits according to ESPN.com.
  • Baxter comes to BYU from Timpview High School in Provo where he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds his senior season while leading the T-Birds to the 4A state title game. Baxter brings length and athleticism to the BYU roster. Baxter served a mission in Washington, D.C., before coming to BYU.
  • Harding, a 6-foot-6 guard from Pocatello, Idaho, prepped at Highland High School. As a senior he averaged 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while leading Highland to the 5A Idaho state title. That year Harding was named the Idaho player of the year by USA Today, Gatorade and the Idaho Statesman. Known for his versatility, Harding also earned first-team all-state honors as a junior. Harding served a mission in Atlanta following high school.
  • Lee redshirted at BYU last season after a successful high school career at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, Idaho. A dominant post player in high school, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 16.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while leading Rocky Mountain to a 26-1 record and the 2017 5A state title. At the end of the 2016-17 season Lee was named the state player of the year by Gatorade and the Idaho Statesman.
  • Taylor Maughan was added to the roster after one year as a practice player. Originally from Fullerton, California, Maughan played his freshman year at BYU-Hawaii before serving a mission in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 
  • The final addition to the 2018-19 BYU roster is 6-foot-1 guard Jesse Wade. After playing his freshman campaign at Gonzaga, Wade will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Wade prepped at Davis High School where he was a four-star recruit according to ESPN.com. As a senior in 2014-15, Wade averaged 26.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals and was named Utah’s Mr. Basketball by the Deseret News.

Dave Rose

BYU head coach Dave Rose has led the Cougars to one of the most successful eras in program history since taking over in 2005. His career record of 329-122 ranks him second in BYU history in total victories and first in winning percentage (.729). Rose has been named conference coach of the year three times, led the Cougars to four conference titles, eight NCAA tournament appearances, five NIT appearances, eight 25-win seasons and 13 20-win seasons. Rose also enters the season ranked seventh in career win percentage among active head coaches.

BYU and the Postseason

Under Dave Rose, BYU has reached the postseason in 13-straight seasons, a school record. The previous record was six-straight seasons (1989-90 to 1994-95). During that time the Cougars have earned eight bids to the NCAA tournament and five to the NIT. 

Childs star all grown up

In two years with the Cougars, Yoeli Childs has made his mark on the BYU record book. He is currently third in blocks per game (1.6), seventh in blocks (109), 12th in field goal percentage at 54.4 and 14th in rebounds per game (8.4). With another strong season, he is poised to climb the charts in career points and rebounds as well.

Four star additions

BYU added four players to the roster that were four star recruits coming out of high school. Gavin Baxter (class of 2016), Connor Harding (2016) and Kolby Lee (2017) are all freshmen who were all ranked four-star recruits by ESPN.com. Baxter and Harding are coming off two-year missions while Lee was a redshirt in 2017-18. The Cougars also welcome sophomore Jesse Wade, who was a four-star recruit in the class of 2015. He served a mission before playing his freshman season at Gonzaga in 2017-18. Wade will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Cougars with 1,000 points

In 2016-17, junior guard Nick Emery became the 50th player in Cougar history to score 1,000 career points. He also joined Tyler Haws, Danny Ainge and Eric Mika as the only BYU players to reach 1,000 career points as sophomores. Juniors Yoeli Childs and TJ Haws enter the 2018-19 season within striking distance of 1,000 career points. Childs has 930 career points while Haws has 880. Of the 50 players who had scored 1,000-plus entering this season, 14 were coached by current head coach Dave Rose, including the all-time leading scorer Tyler Haws and the No. 2 scorer in Jimmer Fredette.

100 career 3-pointers

Junior guard TJ Haws reached 100 career 3-pointers in BYU’s win at San Francisco last season, becoming the 23rd Cougar to reach the milestone. Junior guard Nick Emery was the 22nd Cougar to reach 100 3-pointers. Haws was fourth fastest to 100 career 3s in terms of games played while Emery is second. Junior Zac Seljaas is poised to become the next Cougar to make 100 career 3s as he enters the 2018-19 season with 91 in 70 games played.