I like this Charles Abuou kid

[Goatnapper'96]

I think he is going to be a much better player than I had ever anticipated. In fact I think he is going to be a 3 year starter. I am more excited about Abuou than Hartstock. Abuou will start over Austin Hawes next year. I think he will be a two inch taller version of Mike Hall. I doubt he ends up quite as good as Hansen, but I think he will be good.

This BYU hoops team is about as good as it was the past two years. Perhaps if BYU doesn't go through its patented OOC slide over the last 3 weeks of December it might get a higher seed by getting a solid win over WF or ASU. However, this BYU team is about as good as it gets for BYU hoops. Solid team that can sneak as high as a 6 or 7 seed but most likely an 8, 9 or 10 seed. Is likely to lose the first round game if it wins round 1 it will be a cold day in hell before it can get to the sweet 16.

I do think that this team is more athletic than most BYU squads. I will be interested to see how that plays out. The only real athletic liabilities are Tavernari and perhaps Fredette, but Fredette has a high hoops IQ and some physical strength to compensate. Tavernari compensates by playing PF instead of WF so he will not as exposed. I think Abuou, Emery and Morgan are significant upgrades from Murdock and Sam Burgess. Miles isn't quite as athletic as Trent, but he is still a very athletic big man. I hope Hartstock's injury doesn't knock him out for the year but I think it will. My guess is Abuou will get some minutes at the 4.

Cummard is better at creating on his own than he was last year. That is the big change I see in his game. Tavernari is still solid. He is a far more complete player than he gets credit, but his ballhog tendencies will always overshadow that. I think as the season develops Cummard, Tavernari and Fredette will all play 30-32 mpg.

The big key to BYU this year is Chris Miles. If Miles can become a consistent 12ppg scorer and demand double team attention, BYU could be better than last year. BYU has some great shooters and if they can get the open looks created by a post scorer who demands a double team they will be deadly. Further, I think Cummard, Emery, Fredette and Abuou all are better equipped and capable to drive than last year's perimeter players. I also think that this BYU team will defend better than last year. However, if Miles does not develop into that type of an offensive player I don't think the ability to drive will compensate for not having a player of Trent's ability down low and I doubt BYU gets the open looks they did the past two years from the outside. Hence, I doubt BYU is as good offensively even though I think this club will defend much better than it has the past two years.

I see an 8 seed with finally breaking through for a first round win!

[Non Sequitur]

This is a very good passing team. Emery and Fredette are excellent at finding open players, and the team, as a whole, has pretty good hands (Plaisted used to drive me crazy with his continual fumbling of entry passes). And while Miles may not be as athletic as Plaisted, he does know how to pass the ball out of the post.

I do worry about the point. Morgan does not impress me. He is quick and dribbles well, but doesn't seem to be much of a passer or a shooter. And I'm not sure how he's going guard anybody taller than Webster. I think Jimmer will get a lot of looks at the point and I wouldn't be surprised to see Emery play the point a little as well.

Tavernari seems to be in much better shape this year. He's becoming a very good rebounder and is playing better than average defense. If he learns when to shoot the ball, we will be solid this year.

[Goatnapper'96]

This is a very good passing team. Emery and Fredette are excellent at finding open players, and the team, as a whole, has pretty good hands (Plaisted used to drive me crazy with his continual fumbling of entry passes). And while Miles may not be as athletic as Plaisted, he does know how to pass the ball out of the post.

I do worry about the point. Morgan does not impress me. He is quick and dribbles well, but doesn't seem to be much of a passer or a shooter. And I'm not sure how he's going guard anybody taller than Webster. I think Jimmer will get a lot of looks at the point and I wouldn't be surprised to see Emery play the point a little as well.

Tavernari seems to be in much better shape this year. He's becoming a very good rebounder and is playing better than average defense. If he learns when to shoot the ball, we will be solid this year.

I think Fredette is the point guard this year. He will have to play some 2 because BYU's only backup perimeter player is Abuou, who while talented is young and raw, and Jackson Emery is a fresh RM. Especially if Harstock is out for the year, I have yet to hear anything but that injury saturday night looked like it could be year ending, and Abuou has to play some 4. Morgan isn't good enough to play more than 20 minutes per game and he will be a role playing pg. When we play teams with really quick scoring pgs, such as Darius Gray or Richie Williams, I think Morgan plays more minutes.

It would have been nice if Chris Collinsworth didn't go on a mission and BYU could have redshirted Harstock and had CC to backup at both the 4 and the 3. Harstock doesn't look to me like he can play on the perimeter like Collinsworth can.

[CardiacCoug]

Abuou is much better than I expected him to be. He plays within the offense and seems to pass the ball well. He doesn't turn the ball over. He's not afraid to take (and can make) the open 3. He plays good defense. And he makes his foul shots. He's a very solid player.

Hartsock, on the other hand, is not as good as advertised. He'll probably be a pretty solid contributor by his junior year, but he doesn't look ready to help the team much right now.

[cougjunkie]

Abuou is much better than I expected him to be. He plays within the offense and seems to pass the ball well. He doesn't turn the ball over. He's not afraid to take (and can make) the open 3. He plays good defense. And he makes his foul shots. He's a very solid player.

Hartsock, on the other hand, is not as good as advertised. He'll probably be a pretty solid contributor by his junior year, but he doesn't look ready to help the team much right now.

Call the national media and let them know that this is the difference between playing a year at a prep school and coming off a mission.

I seem to remember Tim Floyd at USC last year say that the advantage he had with Davon Jefferson and OJ Mayo being older was similar to that of someone going on a mormon mission. The problem is those guys are older because they played at Prep schools.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Charles is not only a pleasant surprise, he has inspired me (and I am not making this up) to step up my thrice-weekly workout with weights, in the hope I'll be sporting Abuovian delts by next spring. You watch, the resemblance will be striking.

[Goatnapper'96]

Charles is not only a pleasant surprise, he has inspired me (and I am not making this up) to step up my thrice-weekly workout with weights, in the hope I'll be sporting Abuovian delts by next spring. You watch, the resemblance will be striking.

I was wondering if it was too late to move him to OLB? He is going to be a good one.

[cougjunkie]

I was wondering if it was too late to move him to OLB? He is going to be a good one.

He looks like TO. He is ripped.

[Goatnapper'96]

Abuou is much better than I expected him to be. He plays within the offense and seems to pass the ball well. He doesn't turn the ball over. He's not afraid to take (and can make) the open 3. He plays good defense. And he makes his foul shots. He's a very solid player.

Hartsock, on the other hand, is not as good as advertised. He'll probably be a pretty solid contributor by his junior year, but he doesn't look ready to help the team much right now.

I think Hartock is likely done for the year. I think you will be surprised how good Noah will be early in his career. Playing as an RM true freshman must be pretty daunting. Lucky Noah did have a couple of years to get used to the altitude.

Saying that, if Hartstock redshirts this year it means he and Collinsworth and Davies could have 3 years to play together and that could be a pretty capable front court. That would be the most athletic group of 3-5 that BYU has ever had!

[Goatnapper'96]

He looks like TO. He is ripped.

I love a player like him. I think he is a legit 6'4"-6'5" and with his physical strength he should be able to cover most 4s by the time he is a junior. He will also have the quickness to cover most 2's. Having a starter who can match up with the opponents best player in position 2-4 is a huge commodity. I cannot believe Morrill let this kid go, he is the quintessential Morrill type of recruit in that he is a great athlete under the radar.

He appears to be developing as a shooter, if he can develop the ball control skills to penetrate and use his physical strength he will be a force as an upperclassmen.

Any west coast guys remember Gerald Madkins from UCLA in the late 80's? Abuou, from a physical characteristics perspective, is a much darker version of Gerald Madkins.

[Hazzard]

Any west coast guys remember Gerald Madkins from UCLA in the late 80's? Abuou, from a physical characteristics perspective, is a much darker version of Gerald Madkins.

I remember Madkins. If Abuou becomes as good as Madkins, we've got a great player on our hands; Madkins played in the NBA and other professional leagues. If Madkins wouldn't have shattered a bunch of bones in a nasty mo-ped or scooter accident, he would have likely been an NBA All-Star caliber player. Before the accident, he played way above the rim; afterwards, he was a mere mortal athletically.

[Surfah]

Goat your comparison of Abouo as a 2" taller version of Mike Hall was spot on. That's exactly what I think also. He's going to be good. I also agree about Miles. If he becomes someone that defenders have to sag on then this team could be really good. I am amped for this team. Cummard is the man. He just does everything well. Hopefully he stays out of foul trouble this entire season.

[RockyBalboa]

I think Hartock is likely done for the year. I think you will be surprised how good Noah will be early in his career. Playing as an RM true freshman must be pretty daunting. Lucky Noah did have a couple of years to get used to the altitude.

Saying that, if Hartstock redshirts this year it means he and Collinsworth and Davies could have 3 years to play together and that could be a pretty capable front court. That would be the most athletic group of 3-5 that BYU has ever had!

Why is Hartsock done for the year?

Did he get hurt? Sorry, I'm normally up on this stuff, but I hadn't heard about anything like this.

Also can you get a redshirt if you've already played in regular season games that count against your record? I honestly don't know.

[Goatnapper'96]

Why is Hartsock done for the year?

Did he get hurt? Sorry, I'm normally up on this stuff, but I hadn't heard about anything like this.

Also can you get a redshirt if you've already played in regular season games that count against your record? I honestly don't know.

Noah got hurt in the second half of the Cal Poly game. It looked like he jumped and came down wrong on his ankle, they carried him directly to the locker room and it didn't look good.

[Clark Addison]

Noah got hurt in the second half of the Cal Poly game. It looked like he jumped and came down wrong on his ankle, they carried him directly to the locker room and it didn't look good.

Agree that it didn't look good, but it is odd that we haven't heard anything yet. I would think that if it were a season-ending injury, word would have gotten out by 3 days later.

Maybe Cougar Nation is just to sad to do anything right now.