PROVO — BYU basketball opened the 2017-18 exhibition season Wednesday with the on-campus Cougar Tipoff intrasquad scrimmage.

Yeah, it’s just an exhibition, and yeah, the Cougars were playing themselves in a glorified practice.

But Yoeli Childs poured in 23 points and six rebounds, and Elijah Bryant added 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds to lead the Blue team to an 88-68 win over the White team Wednesday night in the Marriott Center.

TJ Haws scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Blue squad.

“That was fun,” Childs said. “It was good to get out there with some fans in the stands.

“The way we are playing is really fun, popping the ball, and it’s a ton of fun.”

Dalton Nixon had 19 points on a cold 8-of-10 shooting with two rebounds and two assists to lead the White team, and Luke Worthington added 18 points, six rebounds and two assists for the White team.

Here are three things we learned from a Wednesday night fan fest at the Marriott Center.

Childs will be the guy this year

The coaches opened the game with returning players suiting up on the Blue team against a White team of mostly newcomers, including three recently returned missionaries, and veteran Braiden Shaw.

Childs stood out above everyone else, though.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore from Bingham High had eight of the Blue team’s first 13 points, including a lob dunk to open the walk-through.

“Tonight he was really limited to being around the basket or in the key. I think that he’s really expanded his game a lot,” BYU coach Dave Rose said of Childs. “He’s got the ball in his hands, he’s making good decisions, he’s got a lot of options, and I think he’s feeling pretty good.”

With the departure of former Lone Peak standout Eric Mika to Europe, Childs has taken on a larger role with the team. He’s been more vocal in practice, more projectile with the media and more of a presence on the court.

“Last year, I was a freshman just trying to survive,” Childs said. “I learned a lot from Eric, Jamal and Kyle. Now that I’ve been through all that, I feel like I can help out more guys and talk to the guys.

“Coaches are always staying on me about it, and trying to keep my motor going.”

As the top returning big man, he’ll see a lot of minutes. One of his few weaknesses was that Childs played enough to pick up his fourth foul with about eight minutes remaining. But he also finished the game with just the four fouls, showing control beyond his sophomore status.

“I could school him back in the day, but I got back from my mission and he turned into a man,” Nixon said of Childs. “He’s a great leader, a hard worker, and so skilled and so strong.

“I think he’s going to be a great leader for this team.”

BYU’s post depth is limited, but can turn heads

With 6-foot-11 Ryan Andrus sidelined Wednesday (and likely for the first month of the season, Rose said after Tuesday’s practice), the Cougars’ depth behind Childs was spread thin in the post.

Luke Worthington, the 6-foot-10, 235-pounder who recently returned from a two-year mission to Chile, was the next-best center on the roster, and the Cougars often had to go to Shaw, the 6-9, 210-pounder from Eagle, Idaho, in the low post.

That also left options limited at power forward. But Nixon filled the role well, shooting 8 of 11 from the field for 19 points, two rebounds and two assists.

“He does that every day in practice,” Childs said of Nixon. “Dalton just works his butt off; he's a good dude who is always in the gym. He's the guy you never want to guard in practice, because he goes so hard every play. I can't wait to see the success he has this season."

BYU opened the Blue team with a four-guard lineup in Haws, Nick Emery, Elijah Bryant and Zac Seljaas. Obviously, playing just one team instead of two will help alleviate the post concerns.

But it’s good to show that the Cougars can go to a small-ball lineup and thrive. The two squads combined to make 7 of 15 3-pointers in the first half, and made 16 threes overall.

It’ll be easier to see BYU’s depth when it opens against other teams, beginning Friday in a charity exhibition at former Mountain West rival New Mexico.

“I think when you take the pieces of what we saw here, we can put them together and be pretty competitive,” Rose said.

Newcomer alert: Jahshire Hardnett

Even when the White team fell behind big, Hardnett stood out.

The 6-foot sophomore from Gulfport, Mississippi, isn’t the most physically imposing player on the court. But he showed off his ball handling, as well as an ability to slash to the rim, that left several players in awe — and straddled on the floor.

“He’s different from all of our guys. He’s fast, quick and strong enough to find the play,” Rose said. “He’s a pass-first guy, which the other guys really like, but he can finish and he’s a good free-throw shooter. I think he’s physically tough enough to play and be a real factor at this level.

“When they were behind big, he still stayed within the system and ran it. He can get past anybody and make plays, but he did a good job of trying to do what we wanted tonight.”

Hardnett originally signed with Fordham, where he spent a redshirt season in 2015-16. But he left the program for Florida’s Chipola College the next season, and averaged 13.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game in his lone season of JUCO hoops. A 43.9 percent 3-point shooter, Hardnett handles the ball like a true point guard, but isn’t afraid to set up his own shot both from the outside and off the glass.

Rose remarked after practice that Hardnett’s biggest asset in early workouts was to practice against a quick, slashing guard like one the Cougars will face most nights in conference play. But he should see plenty of time — and thrive — in the WCC for the Cougars, as well.

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