Provo » Brigham Young basketball coach Dave Rose does not like to change his starting lineup very much. A self-described creature of habit, once the fifth-year head coach settles on his five guys, you can pretty much pencil them in every game, barring injury.
Which brings us to Friday night's season opener against the Bradley Braves at the Marriott Center (7:30 p.m., the Mtn.).
Which five will get the nod?
It's safe to assume that power forward Jonathan Tavernari, point guard Jimmer Fredette and shooting guard Jackson Emery, all of whom started last year, will start. After that, it gets tricky.
"We have a pretty good idea who our top seven or eight guys are," Rose said. "We [still need to] figure out the way we want to start this. The way we start it isn't necessarily the way we finish it."
Senior Chris Miles started almost every game in the post last year, and in the first exhibition game against Trinity Western, along with sophomore Charles Abouo and the aforementioned three.
But on Tuesday against Central Washington, Rose went with freshman Brandon Davies at post in the first half and sophomore Noah Hartsock at post in the second half, leaving some to wonder if Miles is losing his starting spot.
"Right now maybe [Miles] is trying too hard," Rose said. "But I have a ton of confidence in Chris. We won two conference championships with him playing in the post, and we are planning on winning a third one with him."
The starter at the three spot against CWU was another freshman, Tyler Haws, who played the most minutes of anyone, 24. Lamont Morgan, Jr., got his chance to run the point to open the second half, with Fredette moving over to shooting guard and Emery to the three spot.
Rose said the "starting lineup will come from one of those combinations [that opened a half in the exhibition games] that we played."
As far as facing Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference is concerned, Rose said it will be the most difficult home opener in his tenure. The Braves went 21-15 last year and defeated Lewis 68-63 Sunday in their only exhibition game.
BYU basketball coach Dave Rose said the starting five against Bradley on Friday night will be one of the groupings that started in the halves of the exhibition games:
First half vs. Trinity Western » Jonathan Tavernari, Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery, Chris Miles, Charles Abouo
Second half vs. Trinity Western » Tavernari, Fredette, Emery, Davies, Lamont Morgan Jr.
First half vs. Central Washington » Tavernari, Fredette, Emery, Brandon Davies, Tyler Haws
Second half vs. Central Washington » Tavernari, Fredette, Emery, Morgan Jr., Noah Hartsock
