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Provo • Those "MVP, MVP" chants ringing out in the Marriott Center on Saturday night in the waning moments of BYU's harder-than-it-looked 84-59 win over Pacific weren't for Kyle Collinsworth, Tyler Haws, Chase Fischer or Skyler Halford.
Collinsworth came up one assist short of a triple-double, Haws scored 20 points or more for the 70th time in his career, Fischer scored 16 points in 26 efficient minutes and Halford reached double figures, 18 points, for the fifth-straight game.
Nope. The appreciative chants were for senior forward Josh Sharp, the 6-foot-7 beanpole from Lone Peak High with the otherworldly jumping ability. You know, the forgotten man on the Cougars' roster this season until a week ago, when coach Dave Rose made him a starter.
Before getting the start and delivering seven rebounds in the 87-68 win over Loyola Marymount eight days ago, Sharp hadn't even played in four of the five previous games. He has 12 DNPs — Did Not Play — this season, despite being healthy all year.
Now the student section is chanting "Sharp, Sharp, Sharp" and he's being credited by his teammates and Rose for giving the club a huge lift the past three games, all wins.
"Well, these rebounds that he is getting for us are really timely," Rose said after the win over Pacific in which Sharp had eight boards, two blocks and a 3-pointer with eight seconds left that nearly brought the house down. "And defensively, he has just given us a big lift. His legs are pretty fresh, and there are times when he just kind of rises up through them all and grabs that thing."
After the 82-60 win over Saint Mary's on Thursday in which he had eight points, six rebounds and five assists, Sharp said it "felt really good" to contribute.
"I have kinda been waiting my time," he said.
Coaches were thinking about moving away from the four-guard starting lineup anyway, but when guard Anson Winder pulled a groin in the 80-74 loss to Pepperdine on Feb. 5 it made the decision easier.
Sharp has come in and made the staff look like either fools or geniuses, depending upon one's perspective. Some might say it was a brilliant move; others might question why it took so long. After all, Sharp has never been a prolific scorer, but he was a key defender and rebounder as a sophomore and junior before being relegated to the bench most of this season, a season in which lack of inside production has been a major weakness.
"He can rebound, and he can jump extremely high," Collinsworth said. "So he gives us those extra little plays. He goes in and gets an offensive rebound and gets us an extra shot. He gets a big block down the stretch. He just makes extra plays for us with his athletic ability."
The Cougars (20-8, 10-5 WCC) play only one game this week, on Thursday. Rose said they are hoping to get Winder back, not only because it is Senior Night against San Diego (14-13, 7-8 WCC), but because the Toreros feature one of the best guard tandems in the league and Winder's perimeter defense will be sorely needed. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. MST at the Marriott Center and the game will be televised by ESPNU.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Thursday's Game
P San Diego at BYU, 8 p.m. TV • ESPNU