Ben Anderson: Has BYU’s LP3 been a disappointment?


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PROVO — BYU men’s basketball came to a stunning close last week with a 105-89 loss to UT Arlington at the Marriott Center.

It marked the end of a bizarrely inconsistent season, one in which BYU knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation (Gonzaga) on the road, the first win of its kind in program history, while falling to Utah Valley University earlier in the season at home.

The win over Gonzaga lived up to the expectations set on this team going into the season, when for the first time since 2013, Nick Emery, TJ Haws and Eric Mika suited up for the same team.

Emery, Haws and Mika last played together at Lone Peak High School in 2013, when the trio’s Knights team was named national champions by MaxPreps.com. Emery and Mika committed to BYU after the season, while Haws, just a junior had one more year to play.

All three were four-star recruits according to rivals.com, and among the top 100 recruits in the country. Each served LDS missions, with Mika first playing a season at BYU before serving in Italy.

Lone Peak's Nick Emery, Eric Mika and T.J. Haws, left to right, celebrate as Lone Peak High School defeats Davis High School in the state 5A quarterfinals basketball tournament Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in Ogden.
Lone Peak's Nick Emery, Eric Mika and T.J. Haws, left to right, celebrate as Lone Peak High School defeats Davis High School in the state 5A quarterfinals basketball tournament Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in Ogden.

There was some suspicion that Mika would be rusty returning to basketball after a two-year hiatus, but he quickly put that fear to rest, averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in his first month back in a Cougar uniform.

He never let up.

Mika finished the season averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and a hair under 2.0 blocks for the year, and an All-WCC First Team honoree.

He was joined by Haws, who as a freshman, made both the All-WCC Freshman Team and All-WCC First Team.

Of the highly touted trio, only Emery failed to earn all-conference honors, though Emery made All-WCC Second Team, and All-WCC Freshman Team last season.

With two first-team selections, and a year following Emery’s second-team selection, it’s hard to take umbrage with the production from BYU’s star threesome. And yet, a first-round exit at home in the National Invitation Tournament can’t be considered anything but disappointing by the team as a whole.

Potentially more worrisome for BYU fans is the high likelihood that Mika, following a breakout season, may test the NBA Draft waters over the next several months.

In the past, Mika’s decision about returning to BYU or attempting a run at the NBA would be an easy one, as the sophomore would almost surely return for his junior season. However, with new rules governing the NBA Draft, Mika will be able to work out with NBA teams and even attend the league’s combine, if he can earn an invite, before deciding whether to keep his name in the June draft if he pursues that option.

At 22 years old, Mika is already as old as most NCAA seniors and is be the seventh-oldest player projected to be drafted this year by draftexpress.com. The website currently projects Mika to be the 49th pick in the 2018 NBA draft, with early estimates placing him as the fourth-oldest player in next year’s draft. Age in the NBA, as in any sport, looms large when it comes to the draft. For most teams, the younger the prospect, the better.

If Mika were to get promising reviews from the NBA teams for which he works out, and maybe finding a grade as a top 60 player, he may be wise to keep his name in the draft. The NBA will allow two additional players on team rosters next season, which could make the likelihood of Mika sticking with a team significantly higher than it may have been in previous seasons.

If Mika were to return to BYU, alongside Emery and Haws, with Yoeli Childs coming off an All-WCC Freshman Team appearance this season, BYU would be returning its four core players from last season with an additional year of experience under their belts.

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But after a season that saw the team fall short of the NCAA Tournament, how high could preseason expectations reasonably be set?

With Childs, BYU would be starting four four-star recruits on the same roster as they did for much of this season. The team will add sharp-shooter Zac Seljaas next season, and would again be a favorite to compete for a top-three spot in the WCC.

Gonzaga will likely be the favorite again, despite graduating Przemek Karnowski and losing freshman Zach Collins to the draft, should he declare. Saint Mary’s will also return an overwhelming majority of its best contributors from last season.

The 2017-18 college basketball season is still far away, but for BYU, it feels as though expectations are high, even if optimism among the fan base may be down. With a lack of overwhelming buzz surrounding Mika in the 2017 draft, I’d expect him to return to BYU, whether he opts to work out for NBA teams this summer or not.

With three all-conference team selections between Emery, Haws and Mika, in just five total seasons, it’s hard to say the Lone Peak trio has done anything but live up to the hype of their individual recruiting expectations. Though as a team, failing to make the NCAA Tournament coming off a high school national championship has been a letdown for the fans and the team itself.

With likely one year more to complete their legacy together, the "LP3" shouldn’t be viewed as underachieving at BYU. However, with a roster as talented as the one returning to the Cougars next season, anything short of a competitive run in the WCC Tournament and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament will be viewed as a disappointment.


![Ben Anderson](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2556/255612/25561254\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is a sports contributor for KSL.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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