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One of the recruits from Dave Rose's first season as BYU's head hoops coach never played a game in a Cougar uniform. Signing during the 2005-06 campaign, Jordan Cameron redshirted in 2006-07, then left Provo to play junior college football for a season, transferring to USC for the Trojans' 2008 football slate.
Now, in 2010, as a senior, he has yet to catch a Division I pass, but has risen to the top of the tight end depth chart for Lane Kiffin.
USC's official bio for Cameron outlines his circuitous path since making his name as a two-sport prep star at Newbury Park (CA) earlier this decade.
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I wish I could say I'm hearing positive things about Harvey Unga's chances for a return to BYU in the fall, but I'm not.
In the last week, I've gotten what I consider to be reliable information sourced back to BYU higher-ups, who say it's unlikely Unga will make it back on the field for the Cougars. "Unlikely" doesn't mean "out," and until anything is official, there's always a chance, but it might be wise not to get hopes too high for Unga's return.
In an April 21st MWC teleconference with reporters, Bronco Mendenhall said Unga was "fighting diligently" to be re-admitted to BYU. Mendenhall added that he "(didn't) have a time frame on when a decision will be reached...if he's allowed to come back for the fall, obviously that would be something we'd love to have. We're kind of holding on and waiting."
The coach said that Unga's decision to withdraw from school was "a token that would make the administration know that 'I'm going to act before I'm asked to act.'"
The fact Mendenhall was speaking somewhat hopefully about the chances for re-admission had me confident that those chances were good; otherwise, I believed, he might have been less expansive about the possibility. Then again, Unga being re-admitted and being re-admitted in time to play in 2010 could be two different things. Time will soon tell if either timeline applies to Unga's future at BYU.
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Many of the BYU hoopsters are working out and getting a jump start on the 2010-11 season. Return missionaries Nick Martineau and Chris Collinsworth are back in Provo and getting some pick-up games in (Collinsworth is dealing with an ankle sprain), and when summer school starts on June 21st, those two, plus newcomers Kyle Collinsworth, Anson Winder and Stephen Rogers will all be enrolled.
The eight holdovers from last year's team are all enrolled for Spring term.
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Four-year BYU standout Jonathan Tavernari is currently training in Indianapolis, but is in Los Angeles today for an afternoon workout at which seven NBA teams will be represented.
JT plans to attend tonight's Lakers-Suns playoff game with former Cougar Lee Cummard, then get a postgame meal with his Brazil teammate Leandro Barbosa of the Suns. Then, it's back to Indy for more training. A June trip to Italy for the so-called "EuroCamp" is also on Tavernari's itinerary.
As for Cummard, he just finished a pro season in France, and returned to Utah a few days ago.
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Former BYU wide receiver Ben Cahoon just keeps on keepin' on in the Canadian Football League. A Cedar Hills resident in the CFL offseason, Cahoon has signed a contract to return to the Montreal Alouettes for another go-round--his 13th season with the Als.
Now 37 years of age, it's an annual question whether Cahoon's next season will be his last season. Yet Cahoon keeps on churning out thousand-yard efforts, leading the CFL last year with 89 catches for 1,031 yards, helping the Alouettes to a Grey Cup title--his second in Montreal.
Cahoon is fourth on the CFL's alltime receptions tally, and sixth in career receiving yards. He holds Alouette franchise records for single-season receptions, career receptions and receiving yards, and currently has a reception streak of 127 consecutive games. His highlight reel is the stuff of CFL legend; go ahead and YouTube him--you'll be glad you did.
Cahoon is a regular during BYU's offseason workouts, helping quarterbacks and receivers alike. I have made no secret of the fact that I would like Cahoon to someday be able to assist the Cougars on a daily basis as a BYU coach; I hope he gets that chance, whenever he decides he's ready to hang 'em up in Montreal.
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