BYU Basketball: Is Dave Rose an elite coach?
In 2005, Dave Rose took over for Steve Cleveland as head coach of the BYU Men’s Basketball team.
Mar 17, 2015; Dayton, OH, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Dave Rose during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
BYU had gone 9-21 in 2004-05 and Rose inherited a team that wasn’t filled at the time with a lot of big names. He did have 6-11 Trent Plaisted and it was the first season for both Lee Cummard and Jackson Emery who became the all-time steals leader at BYU.
Rose calmly led the Cougars to 20 wins and a trip to the NIT where the Cougars lost to Rose’s old team the Houston Cougars 77-67 to end the first season under the new head coach.
Since that time, Rose had led BYU to 257 wins against just 88 losses for a BYU record of .745 winning percentage. He ranks ahead of such coaches as Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, Bruce Pearl, Sean Miller, and Jamie Dixon. He was the 15th fastest in NCAA history to reach 200 wins as he achieved that in his 259th game.
He had led BYU to 10-consecutive 20-win seasons and is in a tie for the seventh longest current streak in that category. He led BYU to six-consecutive 25-win seasons from 2007-2012 and seven overall.
Mar 16, 2015; Dayton, OH, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Dave Rose speaks during a press conference at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Cougars have made eight trips to the NCAA tournament including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11 where they lost to Florida in overtime. He also led the Cougars to a run to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden in 2012-13 where they lost to Baylor 76-70.
He has coached six All-Americans: Trent Plaisted (Freshman), Keena Young (HM), Lee Cummard (HM, Fourth Team), Jimmer Fredette (First Team, Second Team, Third Team, HM), Tyler Haws (HM), and Kyle Collinsworth (HM).
Fredette also won the 2011 Consensus National Player of the Year award as well as the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, and other various national awards under Rose.
He has also won four regular season MWC titles which is a BYU and MWC record.
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Feb 28, 2015; Spokane, WA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Dave Rose huddles up with his team during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
He hasn’t won a national title or made it to the NCAA Final Four and he has yet to knock Gonzaga off the top of the mountain in the West Coast Conference. People say that greatness is achieved in championships and wins. I say that Dave Rose, regardless of those championships, is truly an elite coach. He has put BYU in an opportunity to knock off Gonzaga in each of the past two WCC tournaments and they have faltered. The Championships will come again just as they did in the MWC.
He has star power in the 2015-16 season with Mr. All-everything Kyle Collinsworth back and sharpshooter Nick Emery returning from a mission. Corbin Kaufusi and Nate Austin will be in the middle clogging the lane along with Utah State transfer Kyle Davis and UNLV transfer Jamaal Aytes. Chase Fischer is back and will continue to knock down big shots for the Cougars. They will have Jordan Chatman who is a lengthy defender and who can shoot and pass too. Add in 6-foot-7, 205 pound incoming freshman Zac Seljaas who runs the floor extremely well and it could be a wild and special ride for the Cougars.
No matter how you put it, Dave Rose is an elite coach. He is special too. He has overcome a pancreatic tumor and continued to coach. He has the support of the BYU community and his wife Cheryl and the rest of his family. He has stayed loyal to BYU even though there have most likely been other opportunities for him to go to other schools. Every Cougar fan should be thrilled to have Dave Rose guiding their basketball team.