New-look BYU goes inside-out in annual intrasquad exhibition, but what to make of it?


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PROVO — It was only an intrasquad scrimmage, but BYU men’s basketball team showed off a new look Wednesday night in the Marriott Center.

Former Bingham High standout Yoeli Childs had 21 points and 14 rebounds (as well as eight fouls) to lead the White team to an 80-77 win over the Blue squad in the annual event that marks the beginning of the college basketball season in Provo.

“I’ve gone from where this game was really hard for me over the years to where I think I just kind of enjoy the last time you can have fun in a game,” BYU coach Dave Rose said. “Every time the ball is scored, you’re excited and upset at the same time.

“It was a fun game. I thought the White team shot the ball extremely well, but the fact they turned the ball over 15 times is a real issue. It seems like they either made the basket or turned it over. That’s something we’re going to have to work on.”

Former Lone Peak star TJ Haws added 20 points and seven assists, and Kyle Davis supplied 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots for the White team.

Newcomer Colby Leifson drained seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 24 points, and Steven Beo added 20 points and five assists for the Blue squad. Jamal Aytes had 18 points, six rebounds and two assists.

“It was just fun to be back in the Marriott Center and playing with a crowd again,” said Davis, the only senior who played Wednesday night. “It’s been a long summer.

“We did some great things, and we’ll have some good film now to know what we need to work on this next week. But overall I think we had a great night.”

Five players on the White squad scored in double-figures, with Nick Emery supplying 13 points and five assists and Davin Guinn chipping in 11 points and six rebounds.

Here are three quick thoughts from the Cougars’ annual exhibition scrimmage, which featured two evenly divided teams that did not change jerseys at halftime.

BYU wants to go inside more

Every team in America wants to play inside-out.

This year, though, BYU has the inside presence to do it.

With a frontline that counts three players at 6-foot-10 (when Corbin Kaufusi returns from the football team), as well as three more that measure 6-foot-8 or taller, the Cougars will have significant depth — or height — in the post.

Jamal Aytes looked fit and healthy and put up a strong 10 points and three rebounds in the first half for the Blue team, while Childs led the White team with 11 points and nine rebounds (he also had four fouls in 20 minutes).

“The great thing is we’ve got post guys that can make moves, but another luxury to throw it out to a guy who can make threes like Colby, TJ, Nick or whoever it might be,” Davis said. “It’s going to be really fun because we’ll have two-threat options out there.”

Brigham Young Cougars forward Payton Dastrup (15) and Brigham Young Cougars forward Yoeli Childs (23) laugh as they talk during a free throw during the Cougar Tipoff at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Brigham Young Cougars forward Payton Dastrup (15) and Brigham Young Cougars forward Yoeli Childs (23) laugh as they talk during a free throw during the Cougar Tipoff at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

They can shoot, too

The Cougars didn’t lose their identity they’ve built up under Rose, though.

Leifson made 4 of 6 3-pointers in the first half and finished with a game-high 24 points that included seven 3-pointers for the Blue team, which shot 64 percent from the field and 73 percent in the second half.

“These guys make it pretty easy, especially the bigs,” Leifson said. “I missed my first two (shots), but they were always telling me to keep shooting and giving me confidence. I couldn’t put my head down, and I think that’s big.”

Both teams combined for 19 3-pointers, with Haws leading the White squad with four and Nick Emery adding a 3-of-7 effort from deep.

The teams combined for 14 points in transition and attempted 46 3-pointers.

“I always enjoyed AAU-speed more than high school, because high school would slow it down,” Leifson said. “I think I’m just more comfortable getting to my spot in transition.

“I am comfortable in a half-court set, but it’s easier to get open in transition — especially the way these guys move the ball. Beo and Frampton were driving and finding me very well, and the bigs are very fun to play with.”

New faces, fresh places

We already knew the BYU basketball team was going to look brand-new to start the season. Former Lone Peak standouts TJ Haws, Zach Frampton and Eric Mika are among the headliners of a group that didn’t suit up last year, along with Bingham’s Yoeli Childs and one-time Ohio State commit Payton Dastrup from Mesa, Arizona.

But there were even more new faces Wednesday. Freshmen Leifson (Suwanee, Georgia) and Beo (Richland, Washington) were joined on the Blue team by Hunter Kent, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard who averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. His newcomer counterpart on the White team was Evan Troy, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Longview, Washington who previously considered pseudo-LDS school Southern Virginia and Linfield College.

In all, nine players on this year’s roster didn’t even practice for BYU a year ago. Mika, Elon transfer Elijah Bryant and Houston graduate transfer LJ Rose did not participate in Wednesday night’s scrimmage because of minor issues. Mika is expected to play in at least one of the Cougars’ two exhibition games against Seattle-Pacific and BYU-Hawaii, while Rose and Bryant are more likely to remain inactive until the Cougars’ regular-season opener Nov. 14 against Princeton.

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Sean Walker

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