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PROVO — The Cougars returned home this week after a disappointing end to a four-game road trip. A triple overtime loss at Portland and a double-digit defeat at the hands of Gonzaga have left BYU in the middle of the pack chasing the WCC regular season championship.
Despite the tough road ahead, Dave Rose was confident at his weekly coach's show Tuesday night at the new Google Fiber headquarters in downtown Provo.
"I think that this team has great potential and a great future," Rose said, "but we have to get started on Thursday with a big win."
This week the Cougars will play host to Pacific University on Thursday and Saint Mary's University on Saturday. A return home to the Marriott Center will be a big boost to the Cougars who have played 8 of their last 12 games on the road.
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This week's player guest was forward Nate Austin, who is averaging a team high 8.3 rebounds per game this year as a junior.
"Nate has been one of the real great stories of our program over the last couple of years," said Rose. "He has transformed himself into exactly what we need for our team. He has become one of our best post defenders...his ability to rebound the ball has set him apart."
Austin recorded a season-high 15 rebounds in the loss at Portland and was quick to point out just how emotionally draining that game was.
"It was tough to swallow...you look on their (Portland's) faces, (it) looks like most of their guys were done...but that little (Bobby) Sharp kid, he kept believing and he knocked down some big shots; the game went their way."
Like his coach though, Nate was optimistic about where the team is and the possibilities for remainder of the season.
"I still believe in this team...a few adjusts here and there and I think we can do a lot of special things still...(we) still have a long way to go in conference...it starts by getting a win on Thursday night and Saturday night...that's what it's all about, just winning games and staying together as a team."
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During the question answer period of the show Coach Rose was asked about how Mika is coming along after his injury.
"I think that injury was really tough on him," Rose said. "He's a gamer, he's a competitor and he's not going to make (a) big excuse out of it...he's really kind of geeling much better and really came out of that game with a lot of confidence."
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In the last segment of the show, Coach Rose applauded his team's offensive consistency and said that defensive intensity needs to increase if the Cougars hope to win both games this week.
We'll find out Thursday at 7:00 PM if the team can make the necessary adjustments.
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Mitch Tate is a KSL Newsradio BYU intern.
