(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars guard Nick Emery (4) as the BYU men's basketball team plays a scrimmage game known as the Cougar Tipoff, in Provo, Wednesday October 25, 2017.
Provo • It didn’t take sophomore forward Yoeli Childs long to establish that he will be an integral part of the BYU men’s basketball team this season, and perhaps the most important part.
Childs scored the Blue team’s first six points at the Cougar Tipoff on Wednesday night at the Marriott Center, and had eight points at the first media timeout, including two dunks off lobs from TJ Haws and Eli Bryant. He finished with 23 points to lead the Blue team to an easy 88-68 win over the White team.
“It was fun. It was different than a real game, because you kinda know what the other team is going to do, you have been playing against them for so long, but it is just good to get out there with some fans in the stands. It is just a different vibe and it was a ton of fun.”
After that first timeout, Childs scored five more quick points, including his third dunk, before Blue coaches Dave Rose and Heath Schroyer took him out.
It was also clear that nobody on this BYU team can guard the 6-foot-8 Bingham High product with the otherworldly leaping ability. Whether BYU’s bigs can guard opponents remains to be seen, but Wednesday’s results were not promising.
Rose said that’s always the dilemma in instrasquad games. He’s happy to see players score, but disappointed to see players give up baskets.
“It was a good scrimmage for what we are trying to do and how we are going to bring this group together,” Rose said.
It wasn’t a surprise that the Blue team won easily. It consisted of most of the returning players and Zac Seljaas, back after a shortened LDS Church mission.
Childs’ explosive opening half accounted for most of the highlights. The play that drew the most applause in the second half was a lengthy bounce pass from Nick Emery to Haws that produced a reverse layup.
The White squad consisted of the newcomers, returned missionaries, and Braiden Shaw, who played sparingly last season. The junior college transfers, Jahshire Hardnett and Kajon Brown, acquitted themselves well and showed the athleticism and ability to penetrate that Rose said last month would greatly help the Cougars.
Bryant and Haws chipped in 20 points apiece for the Blue team, while Seljaas had 10 and Emery nine. For the White squad, returned missionary Dalton Nixon showed off his much-improved physique and led the way with 19 points.
“I was happy for Dalton,” Rose said. “Dalton played in this game exactly how he has practiced the last few weeks.”
Luke Worthington added 16 and displayed some nice touch around the rim that he didn’t seem to have his first two seasons in Provo before a church mission.
Hardnett added 14, but more importantly was 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Rylan Bergersen, the only freshman on the team, had 12 and was 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
The Blue team shot 72 percent in the first half, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range, and finished shooting 60.3 percent.
“The ball was popping around a lot,” said Childs, describing how differently the Cougars will play this season as opposed to last year when the ball went through Eric Mika, who is now playing professionally in Italy.
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