This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Good morning, everyone. We've got several links to pass along, including links to stories that are online but were not published in the newspaper this morning. Chiefly, here's my report on BYU basketball player Brandon Davies' chat with reporters after Tuesday afternoon's practice. I also posted video of the Davies' interview last night on this blog. While Davies was talking at the Marriott Center, BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall was dropping a bit of news about the quarterback situation. Mendenhall said that sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps is open to redshirting next season if new starter Riley Nelson continues to play well. My main football offering for the newspaper today is this piece about how Mendenhall's teams are only 18-17 against teams that finished the season with winning records. Couple of other links: * The San Diego Union-Tribune examines conference realignment (BYU and SDSU as potential Big East candidates) and the relationship between the schools in this piece. Looks like SDSU Associate Athletic Director Jenny Bramer declined to talk as well to local reporters about her email to Oklahoma officials about the "disadvantages" of being in a conference with BYU. But SDSU football coach Rocky Long quipped, "I'm sure Jenny is hearing from BYU fans." He's probably right. * And here's ESPN.com's writeup of the Davies interview.———————————I posted video of the first three minutes or so of the group interview BYU basketball coach Dave Rose conducted last night with reporters.Perhaps the most newsworthy stuff Rose talked about last night (not on the video) is that a pair of freshmen walk-ons — Jaren Sweeney of Mesa, Ariz., and Austin Nelson of Henderson, Nev. — will redshirt this season. "We are going to redshirt Jaren Sweeney and Austin Nelson, and go from there," Rose said. That means the two returned missionaries — Lone Peak's Nate Austin and Orem's Ian Harward — who were believed to be redshirt candidates will indeed play this season, giving the Cougars depth inside like they haven't had in quite some time. Also Tuesday, Rose confirmed that the Cougars expect to sign two players today to national letters of intent (today marks the beginning of the early signing period for basketball). The two players are 6-4 Jordan Chatman of Vancouver, Wash., and 6-3 Cory Calvert of Parker, Colo., although Rose could not name them or talk about them per NCAA rules. A few more comments from Rose: On what he thought of USU after watching the tape of Adams State: "Well, their personnel is different, but what they do and how they do it is very similar. Stew [Morrill] has been so successful, there is not a lot of reason to change. One thing about coach Morrill every year is that he has proven that his system is extremely successful. He gets guys to buy into that system and play in that system, and they are going to win a lot of games." On Brandon Davies speaking to media Tuesday instead of after the USU game: "Yeah, he came up to me and said, 'Coach, I want to do this on Tuesday, and be ready for the game on Friday.' On USU not playing real well vs. Adams State and whether that brings him any comfort: "I think that Adams State did a great job of pressuring them. It is interesting to watch different teams go into the Spectrum and try to play them, because they are so good at running their stuff, and they do shoot at a high percentage and very seldom do they turn the ball over much. But you kind of have to play your personnel. I don't think we can go in and do what Adams State did. Adams State has got a different kind of personnel, a different package. But I am sure they worked on that and that will be a priority for them to shoot a little better and not turn the ball over so much." On what the biggest issue is for the Cougars right now: "I think technique is the biggest issue right now for us. We didn't play at the pace we like to play at on Friday. We need to pick the pace up, but I do believe that how we do what we do, as far as executing, needs to get better." On where the pace will come from: "With a new team, you always hope that your energy doesn't come from your size. But a lot of times in a hostile environment, if you can control the crowd, I think it can really help you execute. And the only way you can control the crowd is to score. "