Tweet
There is a unique window on the recruiting trail for the BYU Cougars. Can coach Dave Rose and his staff capitalize on the national level talent that the exists in the Mormon community over the next two classes?
Five very good players from two classes – 2013 and 2014 – could conceivably comprise a starting five that would be a load to deal with, no matter what conference the Cougars align themselves with.
So far, Rose has three of the five committed but the final two will prove to be the most difficult. Already commitmented is ESPN 100 PG Nick Emery (Lone Peak, Utah/Lone Peak), junior SG T.J. Haws (Lone Peak, Utah) and senior center Eric Mika (Lone Peak, Utah). The trio plays at the same high school and Haws and Emery watched their brothers play for the Cougars. They were legacy recruits so Rose knew he could lock them up, or at least felt good about his chances.
To complete the dream class -- including ESPN 100 SF Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon) and ESPN 60 PF Payton Dastrup (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) -- Rose will need more than family ties.
Parker is the best up-and-coming senior, while Dastrup is the second-best recruit out west in the 2014 class. The traffic for Parker reads Duke, Kentucky, Illinois, DePaul, Kansas, North Carolina … you get the picture. For BYU to land him, it would mean Parker put his faith way out in front of his basketball future. It’s conceivable he could be a one-and-done not one, Mormon mission, and return to Salt Lake.
Should the Cougars not score Parker, they could hit it big with Dastrup, a hybrid 4-man. Dastrup doesn’t have the national name – yet – but there’s little doubt he’s an elite player at his position. Even though Dastrup has been to camp at BYU, the Cougars haven’t, in his mind, made him a priority. They should and we’re guessing they will. Dastrup will play a year and then take his mission.
At last weekend's Pangos Camp, Dastrup rippled the national waters. A competitor at heart, Dastrup has the tools that make him a dual-threat big man. Not only does he have excellent touch, he's a good athlete for his size. This weekend was a sampling of his talent and it played well on a big stage.
When’s the last time this much talent came from the Mormon community AND each player filled a different position? Emery the point, Haws the shooting guard, Parker the 3-man, Dastrup the 4 and Mika the 5; that’d be nice. Then again, the trick would be not only signing them but getting Parker back a second year to play with Dastrup while managing the mission goals of each player. It’s not likely to happen and wouldn’t be an easy sell, but if they pull it off ...
Five very good players from two classes – 2013 and 2014 – could conceivably comprise a starting five that would be a load to deal with, no matter what conference the Cougars align themselves with.
So far, Rose has three of the five committed but the final two will prove to be the most difficult. Already commitmented is ESPN 100 PG Nick Emery (Lone Peak, Utah/Lone Peak), junior SG T.J. Haws (Lone Peak, Utah) and senior center Eric Mika (Lone Peak, Utah). The trio plays at the same high school and Haws and Emery watched their brothers play for the Cougars. They were legacy recruits so Rose knew he could lock them up, or at least felt good about his chances.
To complete the dream class -- including ESPN 100 SF Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon) and ESPN 60 PF Payton Dastrup (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) -- Rose will need more than family ties.
Parker is the best up-and-coming senior, while Dastrup is the second-best recruit out west in the 2014 class. The traffic for Parker reads Duke, Kentucky, Illinois, DePaul, Kansas, North Carolina … you get the picture. For BYU to land him, it would mean Parker put his faith way out in front of his basketball future. It’s conceivable he could be a one-and-done not one, Mormon mission, and return to Salt Lake.
Should the Cougars not score Parker, they could hit it big with Dastrup, a hybrid 4-man. Dastrup doesn’t have the national name – yet – but there’s little doubt he’s an elite player at his position. Even though Dastrup has been to camp at BYU, the Cougars haven’t, in his mind, made him a priority. They should and we’re guessing they will. Dastrup will play a year and then take his mission.
At last weekend's Pangos Camp, Dastrup rippled the national waters. A competitor at heart, Dastrup has the tools that make him a dual-threat big man. Not only does he have excellent touch, he's a good athlete for his size. This weekend was a sampling of his talent and it played well on a big stage.
When’s the last time this much talent came from the Mormon community AND each player filled a different position? Emery the point, Haws the shooting guard, Parker the 3-man, Dastrup the 4 and Mika the 5; that’d be nice. Then again, the trick would be not only signing them but getting Parker back a second year to play with Dastrup while managing the mission goals of each player. It’s not likely to happen and wouldn’t be an easy sell, but if they pull it off ...
Comment