This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A week or two later than normal, BYU basketball coach Dave Rose held his annual end-of-season one-on-one interviews with beat writers who cover the Cougars this afternoon.
You can talk about a lot of things in 30 minutes, so naturally there's a bunch of stuff I couldn't cover thoroughly in one article.
Good thing I've got this outlet to bring you the rest of the story. More posts will follow in the coming days.
We spent a good chunk of time talking about what next year's BYU basketball roster will look like, and some of that is below.
Coaches cannot comment on specific recruits until they have signed, so Rose could not talk about Lone Peak's Frank Jackson, the best player in the state, and one of the best in the entire nation. Jackson is listed on just about every top-50 prospects list I've seen.
Jackson committed to BYU in September of 2013 — before his sophomore season at Lone Peak.
He reportedly decommitted last November (2014) and re-opened his recruitment, while still keeping BYU on his list of possible destinations.
Without saying Jackson's name, I asked Rose if "the most recent decommitment to your program is the first decommitment you've had" in your 10 years as head coach.
His reply: "Well, you know, I can't really talk about that. But my comment on that is that I have never had a guy decommit."
Me: "Still?"
Rose: "Still."
So I asked the coach which schools he finds himself recruiting against now that the Cougars are firmly established in the West Coast Conference.
"I think it is pretty similar. I think it is still Utah State and Utah. The [Gonzaga] Zags have jumped into Utah and Idaho a little bit more. We see mostly West Coast teams [on the recruiting trail]. UCLA and Arizona and Arizona State as well — those guys all seem to get involved and have conversations with the same guys we are talking to."
Rose talked as if Zac Seljaas, the player from Bountiful High, has the talent to be able to contribute immediately, perhaps contend for a starting spot.
"I'm absolutely excited about our future," Rose said. "We've got not only really talented players, but talented players that fit together. The core of the group is really diverse. It is not made up of the same kind of guys, in the same position. We've got diverse players at all positions. I think that our experience, and our youth, and our talent, over the next few years are going to integrate really well. At least, that's what I hope."
Rose said senior forward Nate Austin has applied to get his year back from the NCAA, and prospects are promising that it will be granted. However, Austin is still bothered by a sore back, and there are some concerns that the malady could be chronic. Even if Austin comes back, Rose said he will likely be a non-scholarship player.
That said, it appears that BYU will have 14 players vying for 13 scholarships (the maximum number a team can give out, per NCAA rules).
The 14 players:
Seniors: Kyle Collinsworth, Chase Fischer
Juniors: Frank Bartley IV, Kyle Davis
Sophomores: Jamal Aytes, Isaac Neilson, Cory Calvert, Jake Toolson, Corbin Kaufusi
Freshmen: Jakob Hartsock, Braiden Shaw, Nick Emery, Jordan Chatman, Zac Seljaas
Rose said Toolson will likely play four straight years. He said Aytes suffered a "setback" in his recovery from ankle surgery (that kept him off the floor all of last season) and that he is back on crutches or one of those scooter-like deals.
When I asked him which player could be the odd man out for a scholarship, Rose declined to discuss specific situations.
"We will see," he said. "I still have to have my end-of-season player meetings with the guys. We will see which guys are on board, and which guys are maybe looking to do something different. We had an interesting situation this year with a couple guys changing their plans at the end.
Dalton was planning on a mission, and just got his call back to Boston. And Ryan [Andrus] is going to Philadelphia. And Luke [Worthington] got his call to Chile.
So, we will just see how that kind of plays together.
I think the roster for next year's team will be pretty much from the names that we all have right now. It is not like we are out looking for other guys to add to our roster right now."
The late signing period for basketball (and several other sports) begins Wednesday, but Rose said the Cougars aren't in the market for an addition, given their scholarship situation.
"No, we're not," he said. "At least that's the plan right now. Right now, we are not planning on [signing] anyone new."
The player meetings will begin after the annual season-ending banquet on Tuesday night at Nu-Skin headquarters.
"Those discussions you have with the guys are good," Rose said. "The one thing I feel really comfortable about is I am really honest with every guy. I am very honest about what I feel they need to do to help our team, what they need to do to improve their game. And sometimes, when you have those conversations, you don't see eye-to-eye, and that changes the curve. So we will see."
Having heard that Jakob Hartsock might have been the steal of the 2013 signing class, I asked Rose whether any returning missionaries could step in and contribute right away.
"I hope they all do. But you just don't know what they are going to be like," he said. "This is going to be new for us, because we got three of these kids that are coming back that haven't played for us. We have done that with a guy or two over the years, but this is how the majority of guys moving forward are going to be. Cory Calvert did play a year for us, but then you add Nick and Jakob and Braeden. We will see how they come back, what kind of shape they can get themselves into, and then we will kind of go from there, see how they develop. I am expecting all of them to come back and really challenge our guys. That's what I hope happens."
Rose on the balanced roster next year, assuming Austin and Aytes come back healthy:
"I think that is what excites us. If you look at our depth chart for the next two or three years, I think we've got good, young talent. We've got experienced guys, and guys that can fill a roster and make it, hopefully, a deep, experienced roster, but challenged with young guys. And then, there is a little bit of excitement because of some consistency that could be on this roster year after year with these missionaries coming back and having four straight years, and another group coming back with three straight years. So we will still have guys that come and leave, but I think the age change [rule] is going to keep the roster a little more consistent, year after year. I hope so, at least."