Provo • The past few weeks haven’t been great for BYU’s basketball program, as Cougar coaches have watched a pair of the state’s top recruits commit to play for the rival University of Utah.
Sky View’s Mason Falslev and Pleasant Grove’s Matt Van Komen both pledged to Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak in late July.
However, on Thursday night BYU coach Dave Rose landed a commitment from another 6-foot-3 guard from Timpview, rising senior Nate Hansen.
“So happy to say I’ve committed to play basketball at BYU,” Hansen tweeted Thursday night.
Hansen averaged 15.1 points last season for the Thunderbirds and will go on an LDS Church mission next summer before enrolling at BYU. His teammate on last season’s Timpview squad, 6-3 guard Hunter Erickson, signed with BYU last fall and is currently on a church mission.
Like Erickson, Hansen is an excellent long-range shooter, having made 90 3-pointers last season.
Hansen scored a career-high 30 points against Cottonwood on Jan. 26, according to Maxpreps.com. He has been playing on a traveling club team coached by former BYU star Marty Haws called the Utah Mountain Stars and also had an offer from UC Irvine.
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