The last day of May featured Jimmer Fredette taking part in his first NBA team workout, a session with the Indiana Pacers. The first day of June arrives with Fredette facing a jam-packed three weeks before the NBA Draft on June 23rd.

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Fredette's Pacers' workout was well-received, and he talked about it on an Indianapolis sports radio station with former college coach and current analyst Dan Dakich.

Jimmer Fredette began his NBA workout schedule by performing for the Indiana Pacers Tuesday in Indy, and he did well, according to reports.

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ESPN's Chad Ford:

BYU product Jackson Emery was one of four players to work out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday morning, while his Cougar backcourt mate Jimmer Fredette opened his NBA team workout schedule in Indianapolis for the Pacers.

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You can hear Emery's post-workout comments along with those of Jazz head coach Ty Corbin by clicking on the audio links in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.

Jackson Emery has earned an invitation to work out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, with BYU's alltime steals leader grabbing a spot in the Jazz' pre-draft workout schedule, along with three other players.

Emery will be part of a group including Michael Stockton (Westmister College), Brady Morningstar (Kansas) and Mustapha Farrakhan (Virginia).

Meantime, Jimmer Fredette's NBA workout schedule tips off Tuesday with a session for the Pacers in Indianapolis.

New BYU Basketball assistant coach Mark Pope sat down with the local sports media on Friday, kidding that he "had to beg Coach Rose" to give him a job at a school he says is "unique, so unique, and that's just become more and more apparent to me...really understanding how unique and special this place is."

Leaving Wake Forest after a single season as an assistant to head coach Jeff Bzdelik, Pope says "I sprinted toward the opportunity to maybe be a part of" the BYU coaching staff after associate head coach Dave Rice left for UNLV.

"This is a place like no other in college basketball, and I'm really fortunate to be here."

The NBA Draft Combine ended days ago, but some of the event's key metrics are only now being released and interpreted. Only time will tell how much the data will be either relied upon or disregarded. In Jimmer Fredette's case, some of his combine numbers have been eye-opening, for many observers.

Others, who have seen Fredette play for years, have to be less surprised that his performance ranked high in some notable categories.

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In releasing new APR scores, the NCAA says Division I academic progress is improving across all sports, while Dave Rose's BYU Basketball team is one of a pair of BYU programs singled out for recognition after another year of exemplary APR scores.

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As defined by the NCAA, APR (Academic Progress Rate) is "a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes that was developed as an early indicator of eventual graduation rates."

Following in the footsteps of his father and two older brothers, Dylan Collie (#15, pictured above) will be the fourth member of his family to wear BYU blue and catch passes as a Cougar.

The younger Collie called BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall Monday night to notify him of his commitment for the recruiting class of 2012, then added the news to his Facebook page.

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Jimmer Fredette was back on the floor in Chicago on Friday, taking part in the second and final day of on-floor activities at the 2011 NBA Draft Combine.

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After Thursday workouts that included shooting, passing and defensive drills, Friday was reserved for agility and speed testing, along with some court work.

Jimmer Fredette has begun his professional journey by taking part in the 2011 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Fredette participated in team interviews Wednesday night, then hit the floor Thursday morning for an hour of drills and workouts with ten other point guards.

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Skipping the morning session were the projected top three point guards at the combine: Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker. While Knight and Walker will take part in agility testing, Irving is skipping every on-floor session. Fredette is taking part in all sessions.

BYU head basketball coach Dave Rose has hired former Kentucky Wildcat big man Mark Pope as an assistant, with Pope taking the bench spot vacated by Dave Rice.

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A national champion with the Wildcats in 1996, Pope was chosen after an interview process that also included Lone Peak High School head coach Quincy Lewis, a former player under Rose at Dixie College. There are indications it came down to Pope and Lewis as the two finalists for the job.

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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