BYU Basketball 2014-15 Summer Prospectus: Top Story Lines
By Jake Hadlock
March 8, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Kyle Collinsworth (5) shoots against the Loyola Marymount Lions during the first half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s Note: This week at Lawless Republic we are rolling out our five-part 2014-15 BYU Basketball Summer Prospectus. This is part three looking at the top storylines for the upcoming season.
There are some exciting things on the horizon for the Cougar Cagers. Let’s take a look at the top story lines for the 2014-15 basketball season.
What will the newcomers bring?
Will Chase Fischer and Jake Toolson bring back the three-ball? Will Isaac Nielson be BYU’s starting center? Is Corbin Kaufusi the next coming of Blake Griffin? (No, he isn’t. But he could still be fun to watch.)
Jordan Chatman brings another ball handler to the team. This will be helpful if Kyle Collinsworth is not back by the start of the season. Chase Fischer (Wake Forest transfer) is expected to bring excellent shooting, along with D-1 experience, to the team this year.
Dalton Nixon and Jake Toolson bring good size and more shooting to a team that really needed it last year. Both freshmen should see time at the three, and Nixon could play the four as well.
Jamal Aytes (UNLV transfer) brings a solid low-post game and good athleticism to the team, and should see time at the four. Corbin Kaufusi brings some interesting buzz for being a walk-on. Kaufusi literally outgrew the football team on his mission, and we have heard reports about him dunking on everyone during pickup ball games at the Smith Fieldhouse. He will bring much needed size to this team.
Isaac Nielson and Ryan Andrus are incoming freshman that bring size to the team as well. Isaac Nielson is a traditional post player, while Andrus could be considered a stretch-four but will most likely see time at the five. It is great to hear so many things being brought to this team.
What will Tyler Haws do?
Tyler Haws is back for his senior year, and he is amazing. He gets very little national respect, and deserves a lot of it (Seth Greenberg knows). He was 6th in PPG last year in the NCAA; what will he do this year?
Tyler is set up to pass Jimmer Fredette on the all-time scoring list at BYU this year. I think we see Tyler leading the NCAA in PPG this year and land a spot in next year’s NBA Draft. Whether you agree or disagree with that statement, you can expect Tyler to be a leader and solid contributor for this team.
What will we see from KC?
The big question mark is how will Kyle Collinsworth come back from the ACL injury. Many guys never come back the same after such an injury, but from all reports KC is ahead of schedule.
Kyle has made it clear that if he has a good year and is expected to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft next year, he is forgoing his senior year and going to the league. Will that happen?
How far will this team go?
It’s a little dangerous to make a prediction about the team this early, but I’ll do it anyway.
Dave Rose has said this team is better than last year. What does that mean? I think it means there is more leadership, more athleticism, and we should see more consistency.
With so many weapons on offense, there shouldn’t be a need for Tyler Haws to carry the entire team like he has had to do in the past. If all the players show up as they have been billed, we should see a talented and powerful offensive attack from the Cougars this season.
The schedule isn’t fully completed yet and we have yet to see the conference slate, but there is a good chance we see BYU in the postseason.
Is there any story that you feel I missed? Let us know in the comments section or tweet us @LawlessRepublic!
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2014-15 BYU Basketball Summer Prospectus
PART I: Last Year in Review
PART II: Personnel Breakdown
PART III: Top Story Lines for 2014-15 season
PART IV: The Future of BYU Basketball
Part V: 2014-15 West Coast Conference Preview