This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall is losing one of his prized graduate assistants. Shaun Nua, a former Cougar player who has been a G.A. the past three seasons, has accepted a full-time job on Navy's staff as a defensive line coach. Nua graduated from BYU in 2005 and spent four years in the NFL before returning to his alma mater. "Shaun is a bright and enthusiastic coach and I'm very excited to have him join our staff," said Navy head coach Ken Niumatolo in a school news release. "He is a man of character and coaches with a great deal of passion. I went to BYU last spring to watch a couple of spring practices and he immediately caught my attention with the way he coached. He will be a great asset." Mendenhall called Nua "an exceptional coach and an exceptional person, He has an outstanding defensive mind blended with great optimism, and he is an excellent teacher who cares for the players in his charge. Our players and coaches are sorry to see him leave, but excited for him and his opportunity at Navy. Shaun has a very bright future in the coaching profession."
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BYU's basketball team returned to Provo late last night after its crazy-wild 70-68 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and will hit the practice court this afternoon to begin preparing for WCC-leading St. Mary's. The Gaels are in action tonight, playing at Loyola Marymount. Here's The Tribune's game story from Wednesday night's game, in cased you missed it. And here are game stories from the Washington Post and Roanoka (Va.) Times. Of course, BYU fans will have a decision to make on Saturday night, because at the exact same time (7 p.m.) the Cougars are tipping off against St. Mary's in the Marriott Center, Jimmer Fredette and his Sacramento Kings will be at EnergySolutions Arena taking on the Utah Jazz. Should be an interesting night. Although the Kings were pummeled last night by the Denver Nuggets, Fredette had one of his best games, scoring 20 points. Here's a clip of his highlights.