This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Thought I would check back in today for a few minutes after being away from my computer the past few days. The BYU basketball team held its annual team banquet on Wednesday night. Along with the somewhat stunning announcement from junior center James Anderson that he was not going to return for his senior season, a lot of hardware was handed out. Here are the awards, in case you missed them: Outstanding Player: Jimmer Fredette Inspirational Player: Noah Hartsock Mr. BYU Basketball: Jackson Emery Competitive Spirit Award: Kyle Collinsworth Most Improved: Logan Magnusson Sixth Man Award: Charles Abouo Best Conditioned Post Player: Brandon Davies Best Conditioned Perimeter Player: Jackson Emery Academic Excellence: Nick Martineau ———————————————- I was among the many media members who picked up on a statement last week by Al Fredette, father of Jimmer, in the Glens Falls Post-Star that Jimmer was causing such a big disruption on campus that BYU officials had asked him to stop attending classes. Turns out, that's not exactly true, according to BYU. Also, it is worth noting that classes are already over at BYU, which does not have a spring break. Here's BYU's response to media inquiries regarding whether Fredette was asked by the school to stop going to class. "BYU basketball player Jimmer Fredette has not been excused from his classes, nor has the university instructed him not to attend class. Given his travel schedule, he has been working with individual professors to complete his coursework and prepare for upcoming final exams."—————————————- Thanks to reader Bryan Smith for this next entry. Many BYU fans know that Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie is a former Cougar baseball player. Guthrie attended BYU out of high school, but transferred to Stanford after an LDS Church mission to Spain. Guthrie and his wife, Jenny, and their three children live in American Fork in the offseason. Check out the T-shirt Guthrie is wearing in this recent news conference. —————————— Check out my recruiting blog for more on Hauns Brereton, the Western Nebraska Community College star who recently chose Hawaii over offers from BYU, Tulane and others. Hawaii's roster will definitely have a Utah flair next year. The Warriors also landed a player who was recently kicked off Snow College's team. DeShawn Mitchell, a 6-5 wing player, said he will sign with Hawaii. Mitchell was averaging 23.8 points a game through his first 23 games with the Badgers before the dismissal.