BYU newcomer Lauren Davenport eyeing special reunion during rivalry tilt at Utah

PROVO — When Lauren Davenport felt the need to transfer from Boston University and find a new start closer to her hometown of Idaho Falls, the 6-foot guard was propelled by two things (besides the vehicle in which she made the cross-country trip).

First was the desire to be closer to her family, including a younger brother with special needs that she adores, the other was a spot in a system that could best utilize her on the court.

For that, Davenport also looked to Idaho — specifically, second-year BYU coach Amber Whiting.

"A big reason I came here is because Amber knew me before college and before everything; we're both from Idaho, she was in Burley, and she knew my game," Davenport said. "She knew exactly how to put me into her system. The last couple of years haven't been super great for me, and I think that Amber has done a really good job of finding what I could be good at, how I can help my teammates, and help us pull together wins."

Either a bigger guard or a smaller forward, Davenport has fit in seamlessly in Whiting's offense, starting every game during the Cougars' 6-1 start and averaging 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game ahead of Saturday's rivalry tipoff against No. 12 Utah (7 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network).

But playing in that system has also brought a personal comfort to Davenport's game a year after she averaged 5.9 points in 19 minutes per game for the Terriers, earning most improved honors from her team en route to a Patriot League championship game appearance.

When she first hit the transfer portal, it didn't take long for Whiting to reach out. The new BYU coach played against her when she was at Burley High, when Davenport set six school records at Thunder Ridge High en route to Idaho 5A defensive player of the year and all-Idaho first-team honors.

So Whiting knew exactly how she wanted to use the former prep standout in her defense-first game plan.

"I tell my players all the time, we're basically playing four guards because we switch one through four," she said. "She is a big guard who can post up little guards, or take care of the smaller forwards. She gives us a lot of versatility."

Of course, the biggest personal comfort for Davenport is seeing her family, who has traveled to Provo for nearly every home game and will be in the crowd at the Huntsman Center this weekend.

Win or lose, Davenport will find her family, greet her parents, and then get what she calls the "biggest, warmest hug" from a special man in her life: her younger brother, Cole.

Cole was born with Down syndrome, but that hasn't stopped the 11 year old from being Davenport's personal "adventure buddy," taking selfies for her Instagram, or for the family to celebrate him every March 21 for World Down Syndrome Day.

"I miss Cole all the time, still," Davenport said. "But my family has been able to come to almost every game so far, and it's really nice to see them."

Davenport is excited for this weekend's game, too — a historic rivalry that will be played as a nonconference game for the final time before the Utes join BYU in the Big 12 next season.

Growing up in Idaho Falls, a bit over 200 miles away, Davenport knew a lot about the series but never got a chance to experience it first-hand.

In her first game against the Utes, she'll not only get a chance to play in front of family and friends, but also against close friend and former teammate Samantha Crispe. A Boston U. transfer, Crispe is a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward who is averaging 3.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on the Hill.

"I'm so excited, to be honest," Davenport said. "Me and her were super close in Boston, and we basically entered the portal together, then we committed basically together. Being this close and having an opportunity to play against each other, to see each other again, I think it's going to be super fun."

Not many will be picking the Cougars against the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, a Utah team averaging 100.7 points per game powered by reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili.

Not many outside of the BYU locker room, at least. And that's fine with Davenport and the Cougars, who didn't have many expectations from the outside prior to starting 6-1. Fine, except for one thing, that is.

"I hate that, to be honest; I hate that people think that," she said. "I just want to prove them wrong. I think that's the mindset that we need to take in. If someone tells me that I can't do something, I'm going to want to do that."

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