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Tavernari prepped at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas this past season, leading the state in scoring at 22.1 points per game while adding 10 rebounds per outing. Murdock played at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, where he was the Rebels’ second-leading scorer (11.7) and top assist maker (4.4).
“I look forward to having Jonathan and Ben join our program,†Rose said. “They both have outstanding basketball IQs. Jonathan is a skilled perimeter player with a great physical presence, and Ben is an excellent floor leader, tough competitor and very good shooter.â€
A native of Sao Bernardo, Brazil, Tavernari led Bishop Gorman to the Sunset Southwest Division (11-1 record) and Sunset Las Vegas Zone titles while advancing to the semifinals of the Nevada State Tournament with a 27-5 overall record. A third-team all-state selection, Tavernari topped 30 points five times, including a 32-point performance in the Zone Championship to advance the Gaels to the state semifinals. His game high for the season was 42 points. As a junior in 2004-05, he earned second-team all-region honors playing at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah.
Murdock earned a spot on the 2006 NJCAA Region 18 All-Tournament Team while helping Dixie advance to the championship game with a 21-12 record. He posted game highs of 28 points and 10 assists while garnering second-team Region 18 and All-Scenic West Athletic Conference honors for his regular-season play. The former Bountiful (Utah) High School product played his freshman season at Snow College in 2004-05, averaging 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-leading 4.3 assists on a 25-7 squad.
Tavernari and Murdock join three recruits â€" Jordan Cameron (6-5, G/F), Noah Hartsock (6-8, F) and Luiz de Toledo (6-7, F) -- who previously signed with BYU during the early signing period in November. Cameron and de Toledo will enroll in school this fall, while Hartsock plans to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prior to his enrollment.
While noting that additional players could join the program in the fall, Rose also released his 2006-07 roster, which includes six seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Changes from last year’s team include the loss of lone senior Brock Reichner to graduation and freshman Jackson Emery to missionary service. In addition, senior-to-be Derek Dawes will not complete his final season of eligibility because of an injury, and sophomore-to-be Jermaine Odjegba plans to transfer to BYU-Hawai’i.
Dawes recently underwent surgery as a result of a shoulder injury that forced him to miss four games this past season, including BYU’s final outing at Houston in the National Invitation Tournament. Dawes will remain at BYU to complete his degree in public health education.
“Derek has been a valuable member of our program and will continue to be a positive influence this season even though he won’t be playing,†Rose said. “He is a team guy. He’s a great teammate. I thank Derek for all he has done for BYU Basketball. Jermaine is going to transfer to BYU-Hawai’i, and I wish him the very best as he takes advantage of this opportunity.â€
A 6-foot-11 center from Salt Lake City, Dawes averaged 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 19 appearances off the bench in 2005-06. Overall, Dawes averaged 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds while logging 11.6 minutes in 71 of a possible 92 games during his three years on the court for BYU. The 6-foot-7 Odjegba played in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2005-06, averaging 0.4 points and 0.4 rebounds.
Headlined by MWC Freshman of the Year Trent Plaisted, 10 players will return from last year’s 20-9 team that placed second in the MWC at 12-4. Four starters return in Plaisted, third-team All-MWC pick Keena Young, honorable-mention selection Rashaun Broadus and sophomore-to-be Lee Cummard. Other key returners include swingman Jimmy Balderson, forward Fernando Malaman and guards Austin Ainge and Mike Rose. In addition, guard Sam Burgess and center Vuk Ivanovic will be back and ready to contribute after both sitting out last season as redshirts.
2006-07 BYU Numerical Roster
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt Yr. EXP. Hometown / Previous School
1 Rashaun Broadus G 6-0 195 Sr. 1L Mililani, Hawaii / Western Nebraska CC
2 Mike Rose G 6-3 185 Sr. 3L Houston, Texas / Spring Woods HS
3 Keena Young F 6-6 205 Sr. 2L Beaumont, Texas / South Plains College
5 Jordan Cameron G/F 6-5 185 Fr. HS Newbury Park, Calif. / Newbury Park HS
10 Vuk Ivanovic F/C 6-10 250 Jr. RS Pancevo, Serbia and Montenegro / Seton Hill University
13 Austin Ainge G 6-2 180 Sr. 3L Gilbert, Ariz. / Highland HS
15 Fernando Malaman F 6-9 215 Sr. 1L Limeira, Brazil / Arizona Western College
20 Sam Burgess G 6-3 190 Jr. 1L Alpine, Utah / Snow College
21 Luiz de Toledo F 6-7 220 Fr. HS Araraquara, Brazil / Modesto Christian High School
23 Jimmy Balderson G 6-6 200 Sr. 3L Magrath, Alberta / Magrath HS
24 Ben Murdock G 6-2 185 Jr. TR Bountiful, Utah / Dixie State College
30 Lee Cummard G 6-6 175 So. 1L Mesa, Ariz. / Mesa HS
33 Jonathan Tavernari G/F 6-6 220 Fr. HS Sao Bernardo, Brazil / Bishop Gorman HS
44 Trent Plaisted F 6-11 245 So. 1L San Antonio, Texas / Clark HS
Head Coach: Dave Rose, 2nd year (Houston, 1983) Assistant Coaches: Dave Rice (UNLV, 1991); John Wardenburg (BYU, 1986); Walter Roese (BYU-Hawaii, 1994) Director of Basketball Operations: Terry Nashif (BYU, 2005)
