BYU basketball: Is Heath Schroyer changing the culture in Provo?

BYU basketball brought back assistant coach Heath Schroyer this offseason. It seems like the defensive specialist is already changing things in Provo.

If there’s one thing BYU basketball has been good at in recent years, it’s scoring. Whether from deep or in the post, the Cougars were always a threat to post 80-90 points in a night.

The only trouble was that they were just as likely to allow a team to shoot 40 percent from 3-point range.

But with the return of Heath Schroyer, that might change for the Cougars.

We hear every year that BYU basketball has renewed its defensive efforts. Frankly, it hasn’t really shown on the Marriott Center floor. So while I’m still slightly skeptical, I’m pretty bullish on Schroyer’s mentality.

He recently spoke to the Deseret News. Here’s what he told Jeff Call in regards to what he wants the team’s identity to be.

"“We have to have a chip on our shoulder defensively. We have to be able to win a game 68-65. BYU’s shown they can win a game 88-85. (We need to be) able to have that grit defensively and manage the game.”"

Okay, I’m sold.

But I suppose it’s one thing to say it, and another to do it.

That’s where the news gets even better.

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BYU basketball’s practice are being centered around perfect rotations, protecting the paint and limiting open shots. Schroyer is stressing smart play from all five players on the floor, which will lead to collectively smart play.

Considering how most Cougar fans bemoaned the defense over the last few years, this is surely welcome news. There’s no guarantee that BYU drastically improves defensively in just one season, but this may mean that the team won’t have to resort to zone defense before December.

At the very least, it might truly change the mindset of the players.

We’ll be able to see in November how the changes are coming. The Cougars have their first exhibitions on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8.