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BYU head basketball coach Dave Rose previewed the Cougars' 2012-13 campaign at Wednesday's Media Day, saying that he's "excited for the season...I feel that our players are prepared for practice on Friday."
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Rose returns eight players from the 26-9 squad of 2011-12, with a ninth veteran present in Tyler Haws, who played for a season before his two-year LDS Church Mission to the Philippines. Newcomers to this year's team are 2011-12 redshirt forward Ian Harward, freshmen guards Cory Calvert, Cooper Ainge and Kyle Rose, and junior college transfers Raul Delgado (guard) and Agustin Ambrosino (forward).
"How this team is going to mesh, how it's going to come together, the leadership that we get from this group--that's the exciting part," said Rose. "We'll find out here in the next four or five weeks, before we play our first game."
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You can hear Rose's entire Media Day press conference, and individual interviews with nine BYU players, in "Cougar Cuts," to the left.
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The offseason included a fair amount of injury and surgery news for the Cougar hoopsters. Forward Chris Collinsworth had to retire because of an ankle injury that followed multiple knee surgeries. Rose said "we're just all sad" about Collinsworth's departure.
Forward Stephen Rogers has had multiple procedures on an injured knee since last December, and Rose said "it has been really difficult for him...anytime he goes really hard for a long period of time, the next day, the day after, he experiences real discomfort and swelling. That's something we're just trying to work through."
Asked if Rogers might not be able to play in 2012-13, Rose acknowledged "it's a possibility." Rogers, for his part, said he is not considering having to miss the upcoming season. "I avoid that thought at all costs," said Rogers.
Forward Nate Austin had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder; his recovery has gone well. Rose says Austin "has been with us full-bore for about three weeks."
Delgado suffered a dislocated elbow right before the fall semester began, and Rose says the Springville HS product is "way ahead of schedule" in his recovery. Delgado told me that doctors projected a three-to-four month recovery period, but that after a little more than a month, he feels close to fully recovered. Delgado says he hopes to be rid of the brace on his shooting elbow by the time the Cougar Tipoff arrives, on October 24th.
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Heading into the first day of practice on Friday, Rose was asked what he is most curious to see from this year's group, relative to the BYU team that secured a sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth last season.
"Everybody who's followed our teams over the last few years will understand from last year's team that we struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter, at times," said Rose. BYU's 34.3% 3PFG success rate was the lowest of the Rose era, so he said as a result, "the group of guys that I'm really excited to see are returning players in that group and the players that we've added in that group."
Of the team's three-point shooting, Rose said "it's such a big part of the success of our program and how we play."
Having lost leading scorer Noah Hartsock to graduation, Rose talked of bringing the backcourt to the forefront in 2012-13.
"I hope balance will be the strength (of the team)," said Rose. "I hope that we have great guard play, really good point guard play, great post play. Last year we really relied on our two post players to carry us through the majority of the real tough times. In order to be really good and more consistent I think that the balance needs to be better on this team."
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The 2012-13 BYU Basketball Schedule has been updated, with today's additional BYUtv broadcast plans and game time assignments.
All games will be heard live on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and BYU Radio (SiriusXM 143). KSL's pregame coverage begins one hour prior to tipoff.
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2012-13 BYU Basketball Roster
| Jersey # | Name | Height, Weight | Position | Eligibility | Hometown (Previous School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Cooper Ainge | 6-0, 175 | G | Freshman | Wellesley, MA |
| 5 | Agustin Ambrosino | 6-8, 225 | F | Junior | Cordoba, Argentina (Salt Lake Community College) |
| 33 | Nate Austin | 6-11, 230 | F | Sophomore | Alpine, UT (Lone Peak High School) |
| 23 | Cory Calvert | 6-3, 185 | G | Freshman | Parker, CO |
| 10 | Matt Carlino | 6-2, 175 | G | Sophomore | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 2 | Craig Cusick | 6-2, 185 | G | Senior | Orem, UT (Utah) |
| 0 | Brandon Davies | 6-9, 235 | F/C | Senior | Provo, UT (Provo High School) |
| 1 | Raul Delgado | 6-2, 195 | G | Junior | Chihuahua, Mexico (Western Nebraska Community College) |
| 42 | Ian Harward | 6-11, 215 | C | Freshman | Orem, UT (Orem High School) |
| 3 | Tyler Haws | 6-5, 200 | G | Sophomore | Alpine, UT (Lone Peak High School) |
| 21 | Stephen Rogers | 6-8, 195 | F | Senior | Mesa, AZ (Mesa Community College) |
| 15 | Kyle Rose | 6-0, 180 | G | Freshman | Beaverton, OR |
| 12 | Josh Sharp | 6-7, 185 | F | Sophomore | Highland, UT (Utah) |
| 20 | Anson Winder | 6-3, 195 | G | Sophomore | Las Vegas, NV |
| 13 | Brock Zylstra | 6-6, 210 | G | Senior | La Verne, CA |
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Photo: Courtesy Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
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