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He’s back: Zac Seljaas will play for BYU basketball next season

By Nathan Cunningham

Feb 27, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Zac Seljaas (2) celebrates after making a three point shot during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Zac Seljaas (2) celebrates after making a three point shot during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /
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One of the better 3-point shooters in BYU basketball history will be suiting up for the Cougars next season, as Zac Seljaas is back from his LDS mission.

BYU basketball announced today that Zac Seljaas will play in 2017-18 for the Cougars.

The 6-foot-7 guard/forward returned from his LDS mission in Iowa in early March to have shoulder surgery. There were rumblings that he may return to the mission field, but head coach Dave Rose confirmed Seljaas will be back on the hardwood soon.

Seljaas will enroll again in June and start working out and training with the rest of the BYU basketball team.

The 3-point marksman would have filled a huge role for this season’s squad, but that ship has obviously sailed. Still, Seljaas is a huge addition for Rose and the Cougars.

He averaged 7.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 2015-16 for BYU basketball, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point land.

So what does that mean for BYU hoops next season?

Well, for starters, it means way more 3-pointers. While painfully obvious, it’s something the Cougars were in desperate need of. Their inability to stretch the floor killed them at times offensively. Seljaas certainly helps solve that problem.

Assuming Eric Mika goes pro, and Elijah Bryant is healthy enough to play next season, BYU basketball’s starting five should look something like this:

TJ Haws, Nick Emery/Elijah Bryant, Seljaas, Yoeli Childs and (insert a big body here).

There’s nothing wrong with a lineup like this. Rose could look the graduate transfer route to find another big, or he could replace in-house.

But, that’s not the optimal lineup for the Cougars.

The best thing to do would be playing Seljaas as a stretch (and undersized) four. Play Childs at center, Bryant and small forward/third guard and start Seljaas as well.

BYU basketball likes running and gunning, but the Cougars rarely fully committed to it. Go super small. Go undersized. Try to run teams out of the gym. Shoot 35 3-pointers a game, let Childs roam the paint and play four out-one in.

Next: Jamaal Williams to Philly?

Sure, the Cougars would give up size to Gonzaga and St. Mary’s… but they didn’t this season and still got shellacked four out of five games. So you have nothing to lose.

We’ll see how things look when Seljaas and the Cougars return to the court in October.

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