SDSU game (away)

[MikeWaters]

1. Great game, great overall effort. BYU definitely looked like the better team on the court. In the last game, it seemed like everyone but Jimmer and Davies were just watching. This time, everyone was focused and ready.

2. Jimmer did not have his best shooting game, but it looked like he was a bit more energized, a bit more explosive. So today was an improvement over some of the more recent games.

3. Abuou, ton of credit to him. Knocking down open shots. And getting a lot of tough defensive rebounds. Against this very physical team, he was a real key on both ends of the court. Probably his best game of the season. And he is paying off Rose in spades for starting him.

4. While Davies did not have a big impact on the offensive end, he was huge on the boards, esp. at the end. Credit to him.

5. Hartsock. Again, huge. He made them pay big-time for doubling Jimmer. Great shooting performance. Very gutty performance. He's going to be one of the key guys, the leader of the team next year.

6. Emery. Great defensive performance. Took Gay out of the game. Made passing around the key and horn very difficult. Hit some shots.

7. Rogers. Didn't do much, but he did have a big 3. No hesitation. Boom! It's huge when you have a guy on the bench who is a threat, that guys have to respect and not cheat too far. Helps open up the floor.

8. Wow, SDSU fans. All the kids dressed as missionaries. The "Bulls*t" chant near the end, and throwing things on the court. Stay classy! Sad that a good group of players for SDSU, who are classy themselves, can't have classy fans to support them. I think that was a real moment of embarrassment for their entire university on national TV.

9. Steve Kerr, who was general manager at Phoenix, mentioned that he thinks Davies has an NBA future. Good size, speed ratio with fluid game. Confirming my belief as well, that his improvement bodes well for the possibility of contributing at the next level. For sure he should stay in school at least one more year, and most likely 2. He could very well be a huge focus of the team next year, and that will give him more opportunities, and could be a veritable star his senior year.

10. Next year we are looking at Carlito, Abuou, Rogers, Hartsock, Davies. I think we have the potential to be good. Depends on how the new guards do.

11. We aren't always going to shoot the rock like we did today. So, I'm really hoping that the team can play well in the NCAA tourney. I doubt we end up as a No. 1 seed, even if we win out. But that would be huge if we were. Help that little bit more. But no doubt, we would be the upset choice among the nation's bracket-filler-outers.

12. It's just too damn bad that Jimmer is a senior. Imagine if he were coming back next year, with the ESPN contract and all that. It would be huge. I think either way, BYU basketball gets a ton of exposure next year.

13. These are heady days to be a BYU basketball fan. We've all seen a lot of disappointment, just this one time, it would mean so much to do well. THings are going almost too well to really believe.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

1. Great game, great overall effort. BYU definitely looked like the better team on the court. In the last game, it seemed like everyone but Jimmer and Davies were just watching. This time, everyone was focused and ready.

2. Jimmer did not have his best shooting game, but it looked like he was a bit more energized, a bit more explosive. So today was an improvement over some of the more recent games.

3. Abuou, ton of credit to him. Knocking down open shots. And getting a lot of tough defensive rebounds. Against this very physical team, he was a real key on both ends of the court. Probably his best game of the season. And he is paying off Rose in spades for starting him.

4. While Davies did not have a big impact on the offensive end, he was huge on the boards, esp. at the end. Credit to him.

5. Hartsock. Again, huge. He made them pay big-time for doubling Jimmer. Great shooting performance. Very gutty performance. He's going to be one of the key guys, the leader of the team next year.

6. Emery. Great defensive performance. Took Gay out of the game. Made passing around the key and horn very difficult. Hit some shots.

7. Rogers. Didn't do much, but he did have a big 3. No hesitation. Boom! It's huge when you have a guy on the bench who is a threat, that guys have to respect and not cheat too far. Helps open up the floor.

8. Wow, SDSU fans. All the kids dressed as missionaries. The "Bulls*t" chant near the end, and throwing things on the court. Stay classy! Sad that a good group of players for SDSU, who are classy themselves, can't have classy fans to support them. I think that was a real moment of embarrassment for their entire university on national TV.

9. Steve Kerr, who was general manager at Phoenix, mentioned that he thinks Davies has an NBA future. Good size, speed ratio with fluid game. Confirming my belief as well, that his improvement bodes well for the possibility of contributing at the next level. For sure he should stay in school at least one more year, and most likely 2. He could very well be a huge focus of the team next year, and that will give him more opportunities, and could be a veritable star his senior year.

10. Next year we are looking at Carlito, Abuou, Rogers, Hartsock, Davies. I think we have the potential to be good. Depends on how the new guards do.

11. We aren't always going to shoot the rock like we did today. So, I'm really hoping that the team can play well in the NCAA tourney. I doubt we end up as a No. 1 seed, even if we win out. But that would be huge if we were. Help that little bit more. But no doubt, we would be the upset choice among the nation's bracket-filler-outers.

12. It's just too damn bad that Jimmer is a senior. Imagine if he were coming back next year, with the ESPN contract and all that. It would be huge. I think either way, BYU basketball gets a ton of exposure next year.

13. These are heady days to be a BYU basketball fan. We've all seen a lot of disappointment, just this one time, it would mean so much to do well. THings are going almost too well to really believe.

This team has a bunch of things and it will take only the right combination to defeat it. We have senior guard leadership, some athleticism, good shooters and decent rebounding. I think the team will be successful in March Madness by BYU standards and we should enjoy the ride.

[MikeWaters]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...der/index.html

[MikeWaters]

Those of you that are fans of mine (yes, I'm talking to you, and yes, I am really all that), may recall that I speculated about Emery's chances to play in the NBA. I posed the question of whether it was so beyond the pale to imagine that as good as he is on defense, with his quickness and athleticism, why couldn't he potentially make a roster?

I was gratified when Steve Kerr remarked near the end of the game about Emery's "underrated athleticism." That's code words for "that white boy is quick." Completely shuts down SDSU's 2nd leading scorer. I also imagine that the same question was playing out in Kerr's mind. Is Emery potentially someone that could play at the next level?

Do I think Emery will be drafted? No. Should he be drafted? No. Should he try like hell ot make a squad through the summer leagues, ala Jeremy Lin from Harvard, who was picked up by Golden State and made their team? Yes, he should. Is he a guy who might work his way up from the d-league? Maybe. Could he play in Europe? Sure. But who wants to disappear into that black hole? Play with Trent "peanut-brain" Plaisted? [puke].

Emery's game is far from perfect. He does not have great handles. He is definitely NOT a combo guard for that reason. He can't put the ball on the floor and effectively go to the rim. He doesn't have a wide range of shots. He only has one shot--the jump shot, and he basically only takes it from the 3. But he's fairly effective at doing it, and one could imagine that part of his game improving.

The nature of these things is that they dont' work out. Things rarely end up being the best case scenario. I'm just saying that I think there is a potential scenario where Emery logs NBA time.