BYU basketball: Nick Emery won’t play in Cougars’ season opener

BYU basketball will be without junior guard Nick Emery on Saturday. Head coach Dave Rose announced Emery will sit against Mississippi Valley State.

BYU basketball hosts the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on Saturday, Nov. 11. But the Cougars will do so without the services of junior guard and team leader Nick Emery.

BYU head coach Dave Rose addressed local media on Tuesday night after the Cougars practiced. He told the Salt Lake Tribune’s Jay Drew that Emery won’t play as the NCAA and the university investigate his ties to a booster.

“Nick won’t play this week, for sure,” Rose told Drew. “It’s kind of part of the plan and we’re still trying to figure out information from the NCAA. He won’t be available.”

Last season, Emery posted 13.1 points per game as a team captain. He was undeniably streaky, but his upside was high and he was a skilled defender.

At this point, there’s no telling just how long the NCAA’s investigation will take. Maybe BYU basketball fans will see Emery, maybe they won’t. It’s certainly unfortunate for Emery, who had spent the last few months dealing with some personal/family issues as well.

The investigation centers around Emery’s relationship with a BYU booster. The university started investigating after some reports a few months ago. Now the wait is on for the NCAA to render a verdict.

As far as BYU basketball goes, it’s obviously never easy to replace a team leader. However, Emery’s play had been so erratic that I think the Cougars can overcome the on-court production loss. Jahshire Hardnett seemed like the better player throughout the exhibition season anyway.

Therefore, I would expect Hardnett to take Emery’s spot – but that’s all lineup dependent. If the Cougars go with two bigs, then Elijah Bryant and Zac Seljaas may play alongside TJ Haws.

In any event, we’ll have an idea for the rotation after Wednesday’s game against Colorado College.