at least to me.

I posted yesterday about eating lunch at the same place as Charles Abouo (Abuergine & Company in Orem by University Mall). I didn't speak to him yesterday because he seemed pretty wrapped up in something and I'm sure he has better things to do than chat with a casual fan every time he bumps into one.

Today, I took my wife to the same place because she wanted to try it out (perhaps a little pricey but really good food, by the way). After we sat down with our lunch, Charles walked in. I thought it was a little weird that we would both be at the same place for lunch two days in a row but I took it as a sign that I was supposed to talk with him. So I did.

After he finished eating and was getting up to leave, I walked over and introduced myself. He was very gracious and shook my hand. I told him I loved his energy and love for the game and that I really enjoyed watching him play for the Cougars. He seemed to appreciate that I recognized him and would take the time to let him know that I was glad he played for the Cougars. It probably didn't hurt that my wife and I were both wearing our BYU gear.

I asked him about his pro career (he played in the Spanish league last year) and he told me he is not currently under contract but it looks like he has a few options to go back somewhere in Europe for next season. He also said that he still plays with his national team (Ivory Coast) but they are on break right now. He mentioned that he was in Provo working out with the team to keep in shape during the off season so I asked him how the team was looking.

In general, he seemed pretty upbeat and optimistic about the team in general. His concerns centered around how the bigs were going to shake out (no surprise because I think many of us have had similar thoughts). He also surprised me when he told me who one of the most impressive big men at practice was. Corbin Kaufusi! I had no idea that Corbin was working out with the basketball team so that was news to me. He didn't know if Corbin was angling for a spot on the roster but Charles says Corbin is definitely a baller.

The most encouraging thing he had to say about the team that gave me hope for this coming year was that KC is doing GREAT in rehab. He told me that KC is more impressive than ever and he has really been working on his shooting game and it shows. He also told me that he is lifting, swimming, doing yoga, stretching, eating right, etc. He was impressed by the progress in his game and said the best part was the mental part of his game. He said that KC has really got it together in his mind and Charles expects him to have a very impressive season this year. He said it was kind of ironic but the injury may have been the catalyst to get KC really focused on being the best player he can be. Charles was truly impressed by his work effort and the associated results.

The other guys are mostly doing about as we suspected. Haws is pretty much awesome. The returners bring what they bring and Charles like them all. He said the new guys have some talent but are raw and it will take some time to get things going in the Rose system for some of them.

I asked about Jamal Aytes specifically and Charles said that he was coming along and was very athletic. He also mentioned that Jamal's wingspan is pretty impressive. Charles thinks it will take Jamal a little bit of time to work into it but he thinks Jamal will be a good one because he's so long and athletic.

Bottom line? Charles said he thinks the team will play better this year than last year, mostly because he doesn't think that they will have any 5 game "brain cramps" where they don't play well. He thinks they have a good chance of bettering last years record. He also said that Gonzaga's new guys are going to position them well for a monster year.

All in all, Charles was extremely engaging and very friendly. I excused myself after about 5 minutes because I didn't want to hold him up but he said no problem and was glad to talk about BYU basketball.