BYU Basketball 24-25-Bring out the Jelly!

[LiveCoug]

JJ Mandaquit is announcing tomorrow. He is teammates with AJ Dybantsa and I thought we had a great shot at landing JJ. He and AJ took their official to BYU together.

He received a crystal ball to Washington tonight.

[Donuthole]

He received a crystal ball to Washington tonight.

What does that mean?

[LiveCoug]

What does that mean?

It's a 247 recruiting term. A national pundit (one with a very good record calling these things) has given a high confidence prediction of JJ to Washington.

https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitut...rtPredictions/


For what it's worth, this same guy has crystal balled AJ Dybantsa to BYU recently, so fingers crossed

[Goatnapper'96]

Geez man. Pull the string.

Fundamentals are always an interesting thing to discuss and comprehend.

[myboynoah]

Fundamentals are always an interesting thing to discuss and comprehend.

To what fundamentals are you referring? I'm truly interested. Things have changed, as evidenced by this season. Is the suggestion that this may not hold and BYU will return to its fundamentals? Or something else?

[Goatnapper'96]

To what fundamentals are you referring? I'm truly interested. Things have changed, as evidenced by this season. Is the suggestion that this may not hold and BYU will return to its fundamentals? Or something else?

I am wondering if BYU's decision makers will be comfortable long term with this model of pay for play. Will there be grumblings from decision makers as the percentage of the team being LDS dwindles? Does it get to a point where folks might not be putting up impediments to KY but KY feels as if he is trying to row the boat alone. Just BYU being BYU, in my interpretation.

I have opined on the changes I think Shane Reese has led or allowed to be instituted, and I think BYU is trying to carve out a niche as a place where great athletes can go an compete at an institution that isn't crazy but I am interested if the historical fundamentals will have really strong tentacles. Look at the pain many of our former Ute friends find themselves in when they thought they could outrun their own fundamentals. They now have an AD disgusted by professionalism who is a laughing stock to much of the college football world outside of SLC. Fundamentals are strong.

[SteelBlue]

To what fundamentals are you referring? I'm truly interested. Things have changed, as evidenced by this season. Is the suggestion that this may not hold and BYU will return to its fundamentals? Or something else?

I took it to mean the way they have always done business and established their teams each year. Lots of emphasis on Mormon kids, and usually local to the intermountain west.

Edit: GN answered while I was typing so never mind.

[falafel]

I am wondering if BYU's decision makers will be comfortable long term with this model of pay for play. Will there be grumblings from decision makers as the percentage of the team being LDS dwindles? Does it get to a point where folks might not be putting up impediments to KY but KY feels as if he is trying to row the boat alone. Just BYU being BYU, in my interpretation.

I have voiced (maybe just in my head?) this concern before was well.

[Goatnapper'96]

I am wondering if BYU's decision makers will be comfortable long term with this model of pay for play. Will there be grumblings from decision makers as the percentage of the team being LDS dwindles? Does it get to a point where folks might not be putting up impediments to KY but KY feels as if he is trying to row the boat alone. Just BYU being BYU, in my interpretation.

I have opined on the changes I think Shane Reese has led or allowed to be instituted, and I think BYU is trying to carve out a niche as a place where great athletes can go an compete at an institution that isn't crazy but I am interested if the historical fundamentals will have really strong tentacles. Look at the pain many of our former Ute friends find themselves in when they thought they could outrun their own fundamentals. They now have an AD disgusted by professionalism who is a laughing stock to much of the college football world outside of SLC. Fundamentals are strong.

It isn't even if the kids make mistakes- I think BYU has moved beyond that. Kids breaking the HC and fallout from that is not my concern. It is more of a subtle-wow we have bought all these great players form all over the world the past few years and won a few more games in the NCAA tournament but we have yet to get a final 4 so are we really that much ahead of where we were with our own model before KY came along? Would it hurt so much to have 6 LDS kids on the team instead of 2-after all there are 15 scholarships available now and only 9 kids play........Mormons are tribal and love.love.love. their own to do well. Hell my wife remembers going to a Merril Hoge Fireside back in her HS days-not sure Merrill ever even memorized 1st Nephi 3:7 at any point in his life.

[Bo Diddley]

I have voiced (maybe just in my head?) this concern before was well.

I do this a lot. I occasionally will go back to quote myself and then elaborate the point only to find I never made it in the first place (out loud).

[Jeff Lebowski]

Lol @ you guys.

"Oh no! Good things are happening to us. It can't last!"

[myboynoah]

I get some of the concerns expressed, but things are changing. I'm as tribal as any Mormon. I also want BYU to win at the highest levels. Watching Demin and Catching alongside our more "traditional" players has been exciting. Seeing BYU sign top-level talent is awesome. I'm sure we all agree.

I just don't see why this can't work. There is plenty of LDS talent out there to make us Mormons happy. KY is focusing on higher end, short-term talent. That will cut down potential problems. We have a good story: come here, play for less than a year with few distractions, and get NBA prep. Plus, we have the funds to do within the rules what many other schools have done under the table in the past. And why wouldn't the powers that be be happy with the notoriety that comes with success at the highest levels, even if the leading players aren't LDS? Look at all the good that comes via Jake, and to a lesser extent, the African American kids on the football team. Last year's basketball team had Ali, Foos, Aliatiki, and Jaxson as leading players. How is that so different from this year's team, aside from two of those guys with 4 and 5 star talent?

C'mon guys.

[Bo Diddley]

I think the biggest risk is that the model doesn't end up working. Still, I think that risk is low. Looking forward to what they can do this year.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I get some of the concerns expressed, but things are changing. I'm as tribal as any Mormon. I also want BYU to win at the highest levels. Watching Demin and Catching alongside our more "traditional" players has been exciting. Seeing BYU sign top-level talent is awesome. I'm sure we all agree.

I just don't see why this can't work. There is plenty of LDS talent out there to make us Mormons happy. KY is focusing on higher end, short-term talent. That will cut down potential problems. We have a good story: come here, play for less than a year with few distractions, and get NBA prep. Plus, we have the funds to do within the rules what many other schools have done under the table in the past. And why wouldn't the powers that be be happy with the notoriety that comes with success at the highest levels, even if the leading players aren't LDS? Look at all the good that comes via Jake, and to a lesser extent, the African American kids on the football team. Last year's basketball team had Ali, Foos, Aliatiki, and Jaxson as leading players. How is that so different from this year's team, aside from two of those guys with 4 and 5 star talent?

C'mon guys.

Exactly. Look at the culture in our football program right now. That is great for both the university and church. The fact that we have non-LDS players involved is a bonus. Look at all the positive press about our QB. We need players who can adapt to that environment but there are plenty to go around. Especially when we are winning.

Good grief, show a little intestinal fortitude, people.

[Goatnapper'96]

Exactly. Look at the culture in our football program right now. That is great for both the university and church. The fact that we have non-LDS players involved is a bonus. Look at all the positive press about our QB. We need players who can adapt to that environment but there are plenty to go around. Especially when we are winning.

Good grief, show a little intestinal fortitude, people.

I got plenty of intestinal fortitude. I am likely to be cheering well if the policies change drastically and BYU ends up in the Big Sky-I am more than willing to allow BYU to do whatever it wants to do. I have a deep interest in this subject because not only does it concern me as a lifetime BYU sports fan but I find this change enormously interesting wrt the greater LDS Culture at large. Most cultures, and individuals, go through cycles of reaching outside itself and then re-entrenching. I just hope we don't end up an asshole at the end of the process like Iron-Tex/Phillipedes or whatever that fellow from Heber calls himself now.

So use my words against me-without attributing my intellectual property properly (woebeuntoyou were you a Cadet as that is an egregious Honor Code violation and could have resulted in the Duffle Bag Drag Shuffle there)-but my interest in this will stay piqued for quite some time.