12 newcomers, Trevin Knell injury hover over BYU hoops' opening fall practices

PROVO — BYU basketball opened the first day of two-a-day practices Monday with 12 new faces and a mountain of both on-court and on-paper work to accomplish before the regular-season opener on Nov. 7.

One key face was with the team but won't be joining the Cougars until much later.

Trevin Knell watched practice from the side of the court, wearing a blue track suit and struggling to lift his shooting arm over his head. That's because the junior-to-be from Woods Cross had offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, and will likely miss at least all of nonconference play as he continues his rehab, head coach Mark Pope confirmed to a small group of local media after practice.

"He's maybe a late-season (addition), for us; we'll see," Pope said. "It's pretty devastating for us. He had some pain all year last year, and we sat him, tried to treat it, and did every alternative therapy but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, he just had to have surgery.

"He'll be back to 100%, full speed. But, unfortunately, it's something that he needed."

Knell, who sat out practice but celebrated his birthday in the Marriott Center with cake and an impromptu edition of 50 Cent's "In da club" sung by the team's freshmen and rookies, told BYUtv that the surgery was to repair a torn rotator cuff and partially torn tendon that started in the first game of last year and eventually got worse, despite his best efforts.

The 6-foot-5 junior wing from Woods Cross is one of the most experienced players in the program, having spent four years at BYU and averaging 6.3 points in 19.5 minutes per game across 35 games last year with 18 starts.

Knell said the "super unfortunate" injury stemmed from last season, but he played through the pain with help from treatment from head athletic trainer Rob Ramos. After the season, he went in for a procedure and doctors discovered the torn rotator cuff, which prompted surgery.

"Coach Pope says a couple of weeks," he said with a hopeful wisp of dry sarcasm, "but it's more like 3-4 months."

Knell has been with the Cougars throughout the offseason, participating in offseason workouts when possible and otherwise receiving the title of "Shot Doctor" while working with BYU's analytics staff.

"I'm still waking up at 6 a.m. with these guys, and we're still battling every day," Knell said. "I'm trying to still maintain a leadership role on this team. The guys are awesome to work with.

"There's a chance I could still play this year. We'll see in January."

The news expedites the inclusion of freshmen guards Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders, who both returned from serving two-year missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the spring have been with the team through summer workouts.

Hall, the former Fremont High star and Gatorade Utah Player of the Year as a senior in 2020, has risen particularly quick in practice in filling out his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame and taking reps in practice with experienced starters like Gideon George.

"It is putting a lot of pressure on those guys but they are ready," Pope said of Hall and Saunders, a former Wasatch Academy standout from Riverton. "Richie came off his LDS mission and tested really high in the combine training we did. He's done an unbelievable job about being careful about ramping it up. We have to keep him healthy because he plays so hard.

"With Dallin, we have tried to take his progress a little bit slower but he's ultra talented. He's got unbelievable leadership skills. We don't have a veteran team but we have a nucleus of guys that can turn into a real problem on a national level."

Knell's injury leaves the Cougars light on experience ahead of their final season in the West Coast Conference before joining a newly reimagined Big 12 in 2023.

George, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward from Minna, Nigeria by way of New Mexico Junior College, is the only returning senior (after testing the NBA draft waters) listed on the roster, and one of two overall with Coastal Carolina transfer Rudi Williams, who will likely assume an Alex Barcello-like role but with key differences in his game, Pope was quick to point out.

In addition to Williams, the following players are new to the program:

• Noah Waterman, Jr., Detroit Mercy
• Jaxson Robinson, So., Arkansas
• Tredyn Christensen, Jr., Chaminade
• Nate Webb, So., Umpqua Community College,
• Braeden Moore, Fr., Nashville, Tenn. (Donda Academy)
• Tanner Toolson, Fr., Vancouver, Wash. (Union HS)
• Richie Saunders, Fr., Riverton, Utah (Wasatch Academy)
• Dallin Hall, Fr., Plain City, Utah (Fremont HS)
• Tanner Hayhurst, Fr., Eagle, Idaho (Eagle HS)
• Jared McGregor, Fr., Saratoga Springs, Utah (Westlake HS)
• Hao Dong, Fr., Beijing, China (RSL Academy)

The Cougars are still waiting for clearance from the NCAA for some players, like Robinson, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound wing who previously played at Arkansas and Texas A&M.

The newness of the group, combined with several uneven start times due to returning missionaries and incoming freshmen, left for a few awkward moments over the summer, Knell said.

"We only had six guys in the weight room around May, and we wanted to go play pick-up — but we could only play three-on-three," Knell told the KSL.com Cougar Beat podcast. "It's a lot of new faces."

But little by little, the team came to come together, he added.

"We went to a retreat in Heber City to get away from everybody, and were able to jell and talk about our biggest adversities in our lives," Knell said. "Being able to listen to what everybody has gone through, their hopes and their insecurities, it helps us know that we're a team and a family. This is our inner circle right now, and we can trust each other."

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