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Cougars making the most of situations dealt to them |
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JaredLloyd | Friday, February 23, 2007, 5:28 pm
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Jason Franchuk
DAILY HERALD
BYU head coach Dave Rose admits that he’ll tune in occasionally to see how Houston is doing.
Those Cougars, of which BYU’s head coach is an alumni who was spurned for the Houston head coaching job while he was an assistant in Provo, aren’t succeeding like his current team.
Not that Rose will give much thought to what it would’ve been like if his career path veered another direction. Say, back to Houston or perhaps to Texas A&M. He turned down a chance a few years ago to become the top assistant in helping Billy Gillespie turn around an Aggie program that is also nationally ranked.
Asked about the different pitfalls and heartbreaks that have been part of this BYU season, Rose sounded like a Hallmark card. Or maybe Vince Lombardi.
“Basketball’s a lot like the rest of athletics, or like life,” he said. “A lot of different things can happen, but it’s about how you respond to the situation you’re in.”
The Cougars are nationally ranked for the first time in nearly 14 years heading into tonight’s 8 p.m. tipoff against Colorado State at the Marriott Center. It’s a group that has made the most of adversity and tough calls, like their coach.
The two major situations may be a sprained ankle to starting center Trent Plaisted early in the season. And, of course, there was the dismissal of point guard Rashaun Broadus last month.
Plaisted, a sophomore, learned from his limited offensive productivity. He is now a better passer, one who appreciates someone else’s two points almost as much as he does his own.
“Don’t get me wrong, when you play basketball, you want to score,” Plaisted said. “If someone says you can score 20 points or your teammate can ... you want the points. That’s just the selfish nature of basketball. But I think I’m like anybody on this team who just wants what’s best for the team. If that’s not scoring, so be it.
“But I will say I’m getting more enjoyment from an assist or a good pass than I ever thought possible.”
As for Broadus’ ordeal, Austin Ainge has played some of the finest minutes at point guard of his college career since the dismissal.
It’s little things that have happened, which BYU has thrived in fighting through. BYU is in first place of the league race with four games remaining.
A rematch with struggling CSU, which has lost 6-of-7 since defeating Rose’s team Jan. 20 in Fort Collins, presents another fork-in-the-road scenario.
Do the Cougars double team standout center Jason Smith, or let him see solo defense? Last time BYU sent an extra man often, and the Rams bombarded BYU with outside shots. It was their finest MWC game, and BYU’s last loss.
The Cougars have won their last seven. The solution to getting No. 8 is about matchups, but also stronger overall defense. It’s no huge dilemma, opined Jimmy Balderson.
“Last time we played, our defense just wasn’t good enough,” the senior guard said. “We have to make them take tougher shots.” |
