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OREM — Utah Valley coach Mark Pope likes to call his place “Second-chance U.”
It’s hard to argue with the results, though.
The Wolverines are 4-1 after a brutal early season schedule that included a loss to Gonzaga and a 27-point comeback win at Denver before Saturday’s stunning 114-101 upset of BYU in the Marriott Center.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all school for every player. There’s just not,” Pope told KSL Sports during an in-studio interview you can watch above. “As players are gaining more autonomy, we’re seeing once you’ve gone to school, you have a much better idea of what fits you than before you go to college.”
But Utah Valley is doing it with a litany of transfer prospects; seven players on the current roster had previous Division I or Division II experience prior to playing in Orem, and the Wolverines also count on Salt Lake Community College transfers Conner Toolson and Hayden Schenck.
Among the three BYU transfers is forward Isaac Neilson, who scored a career-high 26 points in his return to the Marriott Center after putting on nearly 30 pounds of muscle mass while sitting out last season.
When the BYU assistant coach who recruited him took his head coaching job just four miles up University Parkway, Neilson naturally followed suit.
“I guess I made that choice because coach Pope was there,” Neilson said. “I really felt like he cared for me, as a coach, and he really gave me a vision of who I can become. Building this program means a lot to me, and being a part of that.
“I love this program. I love Utah Valley.”
Saturday’s loss was called “embarrassing” by BYU guard Nick Emery, and head coach Dave Rose was stunned as he came to grips with the Wolverines’ first-ever win over the Cougars since making the jump to Division I in 2003.
“I know they weren’t happy about losing at home, and certainly not to us,” Pope said. “I was really proud of our guys; they came in with resolve and unbelievable energy for 40 minutes. The guys who were not in the game were just as energetic as the guys on the floor.
“We saw a little glimpse of what we can become.”
