PROVO — Raul Delgado’s shaved head, left triceps tattoo that sports his name, and tenacity in attacking the glass reveal a bold player trying to make his mark on Brigham Young University’s basketball team.

It’s hard to believe only five years ago Delgado was a newly immigrated high school sophomore who barely spoke English and had less than five years of hoops experience under his belt.

Delgado, a junior college transfer from Western Nebraska Community College, has stepped into the Cougars’ backcourt after dreaming of playing for the team during his career at nearby Springville High School.

“Everything has been a journey to me,” Delgado said. “Once you get to a different level, everything is more competitive, with better players, and you have to compete for the spot. It’s a life challenge.”

Delgado's journey almost never happened.

When American Leadership Academy assistant basketball coach Zac Erekson mentioned Delgado to his parents, Dave and Cheri Erekson of Mapleton, on a cold fall night in 2007, the couple expected Delgado, who was looking for housing in Utah at the time, to stay in Utah for a year, learn English at ALA and return to Mexico to continue studying. Two nights later, however, Delgado showed up at their door with ALA coach Joel Martinez, and neither Delgado's life nor the Erekson's lives have been the same — in a positive way — since.

Eventually, Delgado became part of the Erekson's family, which included mother Cheri, father Dave, and five brothers and sisters.

“Long story short, he fell in love with us; we fell in love with him; and we decided ALA wasn’t the place for him,” Cheri Erekson said. “We went to court, got guardianship of him, went through all the legal paperwork, and that’s how he got to Springville.”

The native of Chihuahua, Mexico, didn’t think he’d be playing basketball in the United States when he grew up. In fact, Delgado didn’t touch a basketball until he was 11 years old. Up to that point, the son of Mexican baseball standout Luis Raul Delgado Torres seemed to be following in his father’s footsteps in that sport. But when his best friend’s team needed an extra player for a league tournament, he filled the vacancy.

The job seemed easy enough for the inexperienced youth. All Delgado had to do, the coach said, was dribble, pass the ball to his friend, and take a shot if he wanted. Have fun.

Delgado did — and finished with 45 points.

He was hooked on the game.

“Mainly, I was in the right place, right time in my life,” Delgado said. “It was the right spot, for sure.”

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A few years later, Delgado saw a photo posted on his friend’s MySpace page. It showed a Utah high school, ALA, playing in the Class 2A state tournament.

He wanted that life; after talking it over with his parents, he moved to the United States. Martinez tried to find housing for Delgado, but he was at an impasse until his assistant coach (Erekson) stepped in.

When the school year ended, the Ereksons legally adopted Delgado, sending him to play in the Class 4A ranks at nearby Springville High.

Delgado would come to excel on the new stage, averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a senior while leading the Red Devils to the 4A state quarterfinals. His perimeter shooting became a sensation for a Springville team known for shooting the long ball.

It was a natural fit for the Ereksons, a family full of Red Devil athletes. Zac Erekson played football, basketball, baseball and track for Springville, and had a journeyman college football career at Dixie State, BYU and Weber State.

“He just fit what our family was used to,” Cheri Erekson said. “To get this opportunity, we thought we had another athlete (in the family), and it would be great. It wasn’t the only reason we wanted him, but it was great.”

Delgado also played football for the Red Devils, even receiving an offer to play at Utah. But basketball was his love. He accepted an offer from Western Nebraska, a community college coached by American Fork native Russell Beck that is full of members of The Church of Jesus Chist of Latter-day Saints and returned missionaries.

That atmosphere had a significant influence on Delgado, a recent convert to the LDS Church during his freshman year in Scottsbluff, Neb.

Delgado struggled early but eventually found a regular spot in the rotation for WNCC. By his sophomore season, he was averaging 18.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range for the NJCAA 19th-ranked Cougars.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound shooter drained 93 3-pointers for Western Nebraska, including a school-record 12 treys in a win against Little Big Horn College. Delgado went on to earn Nebraska’s junior college most valuable player, drawing interest from Colorado, Penn State, Wyoming, UCLA, Texas Tech, Wichita State and Utah State, among others.

But BYU stood out to him, and he committed after his first recruiting visit to Provo. He signed with the team over the summer, hoping to step in as a long-range scoring threat.

“Raul is an explosive and athletic guard,” coach Dave Rose said when BYU announced Delgado’s signing. “He’s a skilled perimeter player and is an effective 3-point shooter. He’s an excellent defender and guards with great determination. We expect him to be able to guard multiple positions on the guard line.”

His position filled up quickly, though. Sophomore guard Tyler Haws returned from a two-year LDS mission to the Philippines, and he has quickly stepped into the role of BYU’s top scorer. Redshirt sophomore Anson Winder, whom Delgado knew during summer tournaments in Las Vegas, has been among the backups.

Delgado’s minutes have been limited so far, and he knows he has to find his own niche.

“I want to be the energy guy to the team,” Delgado said. “All the guards that play my position, we all do the same thing. To be honest, being a shooting guard on this team is difficult because everybody who plays this position is really good and really talented at this level.”

He scored his first points of the season against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 21, then chipped in a career-high five points, an assist and a steal last week against Montana. More important, Delgado and SLCC transfer Agustin Ambrosino are improving at the rate expected of two junior college transfers.

“Everything is faster and more disciplined than in junior college, for sure,” Delgado said. “It’s really hard just to get used to it. The first months, it’s been really, really hard.

“But as the season goes along, we’re getting used to it and I think that me and Auggie are going through the stage right now, just trying to get used to it.”

Finding rhythm within the team hasn’t been an issue; Delgado played on the same court as many of his BYU teammates in high school, when six Cougars on the current roster played in Utah County. Former Provo High standouts Brandon Davies and Kyle Collinsworth, who is currently serving a church mission in Russia, were among Delgado’s best friends.

“It’s fun to have him here now,” Davies said. “I haven’t seen him since he went off to junior college. We kept in touch, and it’s nice to have him back. He likes being back home, and it’s good to see him again, to hang out.”

Davies, though, makes sure Delgado and the other former rivals know their place on the court.

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“I don’t remember ever losing to him, so there’s nothing really to talk about,” BYU’s starting center joked. “He doesn’t have anything he can hold against me.”

Playing basketball at a high level was only one reason why Delgado chose BYU. When he asked his father for advice, he told him to go to school where he could continue to grow in his new faith, new family and new fiance, McKenzie Marie Daily.

The connection to Utah was so great, Delgado even considered hyphenating his name to Delgado-Erekson on the back of his jersey. His adopted family was stunned at the gesture, and the option may be on the table later.

Whether his jersey reflects it or not, Delgado knows the changes that have come into his life since he met the Erekson family have been overwhelmingly positive.

“About six years ago, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with my life,” he said through mildly broken English after a recent BYU basketball practice. “Fortunately, everything in the last five years has been an amazing experience, and an opportunity above anything. I’m pretty grateful for everything that has happened to me.”

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