Cougars happy to have Emery back, but Rose expects NCAA investigation to wrap up by November

PROVO — BYU basketball coach Dave Rose entered the school’s broadcasting building for the team’s annual media day with a smile on his face — and for good reason.

For the first time in three years, the Cougars will enter the 2018-19 season with seniors on their roster.

A young team that has found itself outside the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons has a mature base of returning players to grow and get back where they want to be.

And one of those returners is Nick Emery, the junior guard who left school prior to the 2017-18 season in the midst of an NCAA investigation that alleged improper benefits.

“When you see him play and practice, he’s extremely aggressive,” Rose said of Emery. “I think he’s grown up a lot, but he has a real special place in his competitive spirit for this game after not playing for a year. I have a lot of conversations with Nick during the week, and he’s doing really well in school and back on track to be able to get himself a degree and have a great college career.”

The former Lone Peak High star is back, though he won’t be eligible for the first nine games of the season.

Yet just having Emery in practice has been a benefit for the Cougars. Between Emery and former Davis High standout Jesse Wade, who transferred to BYU from Gonzaga this past spring, the Cougars may have one of the more talented practice squads in the country.

Emery averaged 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a sophomore in 2016-17 before leaving school, while Wade played one season for the Zags after a senior season when he averaged 26.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game en route to Deseret News Mr. Basketball honors in 2014-15.

“I love Nick; he’s a great guy,” said Yoeli Childs, the team’s unquestioned leader who enters his junior season after flirting with the NBA draft following an All-West Coast Conference first-team season. “I’m really happy for him, and everything he’s been able to get through to get to today. The first couple of games, while he’s on the practice squad, he’s going to help us a lot by giving us great looks. One of the biggest things that goes into a great season is a great practice squad.

“Having guys like him and Jesse on that team will give us a great look.”

The feeling is mutual for TJ Haws, who played with Emery at Lone Peak and was part of the fan-titled “Lone Peak Three” along with current Italian pro forward Eric Mika.

“It’s great having Nick back,” Haws said. “He brings such an intensity to our practices and makes things competitive. That helps everyone get better. I think he’s getting a lot better and I’m very excited to have him back. I think people are going to be very pleased with what they see this year.”

Rose confirmed that Emery’s portion of the NCAA investigation has been closed, and the Cougars are looking forward to moving on from the ordeal.

But the NCAA hasn't finished ruling on BYU's case, as athletic director Tom Holmoe mentioned during the school’s Education Week this fall.

“The enforcement part of it is still something we are waiting to hear,” said Rose, who anticipates hearing from the NCAA by early November. “Hopefully we can get that, get it behind us, and move forward.”

The Cougars open the season Oct. 24 in an exhibition against Saint Martin's. The regular-season opener is Nov. 6 at defending Mountain West champion Nevada.

BYU men's basketball 2018-19

Returning players: G/F Rylan Bergersen (So.), G McKay Cannon (Sr.), F Yoeli Childs (Jr.), G Jahshire Hardnett (Jr.), G TJ Haws (Jr.), F Dalton Nixon (Jr.), G Zac Seljaas (Jr.), G Evan Troy (Jr.), C Luke Worthington (Sr.)

Newcomers: G/F Gavin Baxter (Fr.), G Connor Harding (Fr.), G Nick Emery (Jr.), F Kolby Lee (Fr.), *F Taylor Maughn (Jr.), +G Jesse Wade (So.)

Key losses: G Elijah Bryant, F Payton Dastrup, F Braiden Shaw, C Ryan Andrus

*Transfer from BYU-Hawaii

+Transfer from Gonzaga, will sit out 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer regulations

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