Rounding the bases on a number of BYU-related topics...

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I asked Tom Holmoe a couple of football schedule-related questions at last week's media gathering--more about timetable and if/when he might have some future games or series to announce.

BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe covered a variety of issues, from the honor code to scheduling to team apparel, when he met with members of the local sports media Thursday afternoon.

You can hear excerpts from the conversation in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.

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A few weeks ago, I got a look at a sneak peek of a phenomenal pull-out photo spread/timeline dedicated to Jimmer Fredette that would be appearing in the Spring 2011 edition of BYU Magazine.

The edition is now in print, and the article accompanying the pullout is now online. My Deseret News colleague and friend Jeff Call authored the linked article, and as usual, he does a tremendous job, profiling a player we think we all know, yet finding ways to to introduce us to new elements of the "Jimmer story."

Well done, Jeff, and I know all readers will echo my congratulations.

I spent some time talking with Jackson Emery last night, getting some more background on his upcoming tag team event with former backcourt running mate Jimmer Fredette.

The two ex-BYU guards are getting together to stage the "Jackson and Jimmer Basketball Camp"--June 3rd and 4th at the XSI Factory at Thanksgiving Point.

Starting with 400 camp registration availabilities, more than half of the spots have already been filled, with the camp sure to sell out within a matter of days.

"I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love."

-The Beatles

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A 2010 traffic ticket turned into a short time at the Washington County Jail for BYU WR Cody Hoffman early Wednesday.

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An unresolved November speeding citation resulted in a "failure to appear" warrant that was enforced after Hoffman was stopped near the Utah/Arizona border for a minor traffic violation that was not cited.

Jimmer Fredette is on the path to professional basketball with today's news that he has signed with the powerful Octagon agency, and representatives Jeff Austin and Chris Emens.

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Austin is the Senior Vice President of Ocatgon Basketball, while Emens is listed as a Senior Director. Among current NBA players, Austin and Emens are listed as either the primary or secondary agents for Rudy Gay, David West, Kirk Hinrich, Ryan Anderson, and Landry Fields. Octagon clients also include Steph Curry, Wes Matthews and Josh Childress.

Barring a BCS bowl berth, BYU's postseason marching orders are now set for the next three seasons with today's news that BYU has secured an agreement with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl for the 2011 game in Dallas.

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BYU had previously struck deals with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl for 2012 and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in 2013, so assuming BYU is postseason eligible and not ticketed for one of the BCS games, the Cougars are locked up until 2014 at the earliest.

I called my first BYU Basketball game in the 1996-97 season. The listed average home attendance that season was 16,895--but that number was hardly a reflection of the actual attendance numbers, as BYU hit rock-bottom in a 1-25 campaign and fan numbers dwindled.

The school decided to change its attendance accounting numbers the following season, and BYU's average attendance has not topped 16,000 since--until this season.

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With spring ball in the rear-view, Bronco Mendenhall and his staff are going about solidifying BYU Football's 2011 personnel plans and drafting what will become the team's 105-man roster for fall camp.

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Mendenhall is presiding over the annual task of winnowing the roster, cutting some non-scholarship players who took part in spring, and leaving room for incoming freshmen/transfers and returning missionaries who will join or re-join the program in August.

A new BYU broadcast partner pulled into Provo early Friday as the ESPN/DIRECTV satellite bus made a whistle stop on campus.

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In what could only be viewed as good news for Brandon Davies and BYU Basketball fans, the school and Davies today announced that while the sophomore center has withdrawn from school, there is "a plan in place" that could lead to Davies' enrollment in the fall and participation with the Cougars basketball team for the entire 2011-12 season.

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The statement from Davies, as released by BYU Friday morning, reads:

BYU's new partnership with ESPN is paying dividends with an off-season promotional swing that pulls into Provo on Friday.

The ESPN/DIRECTV satellite bus is due to make a stop on the BYU campus, with head coach Bronco Mendenhall scheduled for interviews to be aired Friday and in days ahead on the network's various platforms.

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During the BYU Football/Basketball off-season, I'll occasionally take us on a trip down memory lane by going to the "Cougar Tracks" archives and re-posting entries that may seem particularly resonant, for whatever reason.

I've made just under 1,350 blog entries since I started writing "Cougar Tracks," so we have some material from which to choose.

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Want a chance to rub shoulders with Bronco Mendenhall and other BYU coaches, all for a great cause?

Buy tickets today for Bronco and Holly Mendenhall's inaugural "Cowboy Ball," May 21st at the Stephen's Foxtrotters Family Farm in Wallsburg.

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For me, the BYU Basketball season is never officially over until Dave Rose makes his closing remarks at the team's annual postseason awards banquet.

That event came and went last night, with team, conference and national honors handed out, along with farewells to one coach and four players.

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It was last Friday that BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall told me his players would pick 2011's captains after spring ball, and not after fall camp--a departure from previous Cougar Football protocol.

"The benefit could come in terms of leadership and ownership of the summer program," said Mendenhall, when asked about the change in plans.

As the coach indicated would be the case during that Friday interview, the announcement of team captains and Leadership Council members came on Monday.

After six seasons as Dave Rose's right-hand man on the BYU Basketball bench, Dave Rice is "going home."

A former UNLV player and assistant coach, Rice is returning to Las Vegas to replace Lon Kruger as the head coach of the Runnin' Rebels.

"We were blessed to spend six great years at BYU with Coach Rose and a terrific staff and players," Rice shared with me via text on Sunday afternoon. "We will always be so proud of our time as Cougars."

Snow fell before game, and late in the game, but 5,500 BYU Football fans were treated to an enjoyable 2011 Blue/White spring game Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium--a contest won by the Riley Nelson-led White team, 18-17 in overtime.

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KSL Radio broadcast the afternoon of football, and you can listen to the game broadcast, along with pregame and postgame coverage, by clicking on the audio links in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall says he hopes to "drive the competitive edge" in a Blue/White spring football game that will conclude BYU's early season work Saturday at a chilly LaVell Edwards Stadium.

You can hear Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Brandon Doman preview the game and break down their respective sides of the ball during pregame coverage that will begin Saturday morning at 11:03 am on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and ksl.com. Marc Lyons and Scott Johnson will join me on the call of the game during a broadcast that will also include comprehensive postgame coverage featuring live player and coach interviews.

Here's BYU's official release on the spring game plan: