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The 2012-13 BYU Basketball team received an unanticipated addition to its guard line Friday, with the news that November signee Cory Calvert will play for the Cougars this upcoming season before embarking on his two-year church mission.
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The BYU press release is as follows:
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PROVO, Utah - Chaparral High's Cory Calvert will join the BYU basketball team for the 2012-13 season, BYU head coach Dave Rose announced Friday. Calvert, who signed a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 10, 2011, plans to leave on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following his freshman campaign.
"I was really hoping I'd be able to play a year before going on a mission and get the college experience," Calvert said. "Coach Rose told me that he wanted me to play on this year's team and I'm definitely excited that it worked out."
The Denver Post and MaxPreps.com named Calvert, a 6-foot-3 guard, the 2012 5A MVP in Colorado while he also earned first-team all-state, the Continental League Player of the Year and the Joint Effort Co-Player of the Year. He led Chaparral High School to the 5A state championship and a 25-3 record while averaging 22.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Calvert, who turns 19 in October, had planned to serve a mission prior to enrolling at BYU.
"With my birthday being late in the year I wouldn't have been able to leave on my mission until the fall," Calvert said. "It would have been tough to come back right before the season to get ready to play so I'm really happy it worked out that I can play this year. I'm super excited to be a part of this team and contribute in any way that I can."
As a junior, Calvert averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 boards and 3.9 assists as a junior and earned first-team All-Continental League and honorable mention all-state honors. He sophomore season he averaged 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists and was named second-team all-league.
With the addition of Calvert, Rose has added depth at every position to the 2012-13 roster. Calvert, a combo guard, can play the point and shooting guard positions. Returned missionary Tyler Haws and junior college transfer Raul Delgado (Western Nebraska Junior College) add depth on the wings. Another junior college transfer Agustin Ambrosino (Salt Lake Community College) gives Rose another option in the post.
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While Noah Hartsock and Brandon Davies provided one of college basketball's best one-two frontcourt scoring punches in 2011-12, the Cougars' guard shooting and scoring was inconsistent at best. The addition of return missionary Tyler Haws, juco transfer Raul Delgado and now Calvert to the guard line gives Dave Rose's team a significant shot in the arm.
Combined with the return of Matt Carlino, Brock Zylstra, Anson Winder and Craig Cusick, and a hoped-for recovery by Stephen Rogers, BYU's perimeter play is now projected to be a certain strength of next season's squad.
When the most recent season ended, Rose said his primary offseason objective was "to increase the talent depth of our team," saying "we need more players at every position." The Calvert news and recent signings--including that of forward Agustin Ambrosino--show that only weeks after the end of the 2011-12 campaign, that mission has been accomplished.
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