Eric Mika announced via a press release that he will hire an agent and stay in the draft. The age of the “Lone Peak 3” BYU basketball is over. And that’s okay.
Guess what? BYU basketball will be very different next year. Again.
Eric Mika, the Cougar’s superlative big man, has taken his leave. He will forgo the final two years of his college eligibility, and ply his wares in the professional leagues. The wisdom of this decision is the subject of debate. There’s no debate that BYU would have been better next year with him under the basket.
But that’s not going to happen.
LP3, we hardly knew ye
The Lone Peak 3’s time with BYU basketball has eclipsed. It never really had a chance to wax to its fullest, and that’s a shame. Fans spent way too much time counting imaginary banners, but it’s true that with time, the talent could deliver memorable seasons.
But that doesn’t mean the Cougars won’t be good next season.
Heck, there’s a decent chance that the coming Cougars will be better than in 2016-17. With or without Mika.
The guard line will be deeper and more experienced. The bigs won’t have that many true centers, but there are enough good bodies that if two guys step up to contribute next to Yoeli Childs, it will be solid enough to be merely guard heavy instead of guard reliant. And a guard heavy BYU basketball has seen plenty of success before.
Jimmer’s fabled senior year had basically two reliable bigs: Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock. That season was only derailed when the Cougars were forced to bench Davies. If that’s how you can describe a year ending in a Sweet 16 run.
And the Cougars weren’t exactly terrible without a dominating big man while Mika was gone. Other guys stepped up.
Two-year comparisons remind us that in the 2 seasons Eric Mika was on a mission, Chase Fischer did some work: 356 FGM (215 3PFG), 1,121 pts.
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) May 17, 2017
I firmly believe that the underlying talent of the Cougars is better than those Chase Fischer years. With more experience and a new (old) coach, this team will barely have the same frame of reference as that 2016-17 season.
Disregard anyone predicting a cataclysmic implosion. Let Coach Cleveland ease your mind.
If some dramatic hand-wringing is therapeutic for you, go for it. Post your despondent posts, tweet your bitter tweets. Torture yourself with what-ifs in endless spirals. But for me, cautious optimism is better for my health.
LP3 BYU basketball is dead. Long live BYU basketball.