BYU's basketball team won't make any of the preseason rankings, not anyone's top 25, and not even among "others receiving votes." Respect for their winning tradition and for Tyler Haws might land them on a few top 50 lists. But betting odds for BYU's chances in the 2015 NCAA tournament have settled at a steady 300-1, compared to Arizona at 9-1, Gonzaga at 25-1, San Diego State and SMU at 40-1 and Pitt at 75-1.

So it will be a ton of great fun if the Cougars fashion a major upside surprise and win close to 30 games as a few CBers have been been suggesting this summer. And if a big season does come to pass, the Marriott Center crowds will be among the first stupefied by the "plethora" of new exceptional athletes whom Coach Dave Rose has managed to cobble into his fold.

Perhaps the two most game ready among the nine newbies join the roster without a meaningful portfolio. Who are these guys who came from nowhere to BYU basketball unto impending major minutes? New faces include a pair of 6'10" redshirt freshmen bigs, RMs Corbin Kaufusi and Issac Neilson, neither of whom have played for three years and neither of whom stimulated much interest from D-1 coaches while in high school.

Nevertheless, the prospect of Corbinsanity at the Marriott Center looks on track. Kaufusi continues to look stronger, quicker and more physically dominant than any player on the roster. None of the former Cougar bigs who have worked out against him, including Hartsock, Davies, Miles, and Plaisted, have been able to stop him from dunking, rebounding and blocking shots (as KC stated publicly). Corbin still has much to learn about the game, including finishing at the rim and defensive schemes and judgement. But more and more, watchers think that he will force his way into the starting line-up by February. I'm not yet persuaded that he will start ahead of the senior Austin, but i have more regard for Nate's game than most.

However, major minutes for Kaufusi seem only dependent on his good health and avoiding foul trouble. For those who haven't seen him, his inclination to foul is not because he plays like his brother Bronson; Corbin has the heart of a basketball player. Expect him to play more like a typical center with more size, speed, strength, hops, and energy than almost all opponent bigs he is likely to face. His weakness seems to be his knowledge; so if he has the passion and the brains, he should improve to a very high level rather quickly. His vertical is reported at "37", second on the team to Bartley's mindboggling "41." Don't know for certain, but have assumed those are running measurements, as those standing vertical numbers seem implausible.

Neilson was a masterful shot blocker and a good rebounder in San Diego before his mission and led his HS team to the CIF championship game. But he was asked to keep one of his superb talents hidden in those days--his 3-point shot! Liberated to launch at BYU, Neilson can stretch the opposing defenses at PF and also serve capably at center.

Several more new players on the roster could make the regular game rotation, with two transfers most likely to log double digit minutes.

Chase Fischer is a prolific shooting guard transfer from Wake Forrest and a former HS Parade All-American; his outside shot is Carlinoesque, only more accurate, but frequently launched, sometimes wisely, sometimes not so much; but his handles are good, his passing off the drive often pretty, his judgement is usually good. Talented as Fischer is, it is not so certain that he can stay in front of familiar faces Anson Winder and Frank Bartley at SG.

Jamal Aytes will finish his mandatory redshirt year on December 19. A regrettable last minute reversal steered him away from BYU to UNLV last year. It took him next to no time to recognize his mistake but it still cost him a year of eligibility. Aytes looks like he will serve as a solid major D-1 PF who simply knows how to rebound and how to power his way to the bucket against taller defenders.

Then there are the four more intensely recruited true freshmen who have one exceptional talent in common that Dave Rose has had in short supply since the age of Jimmer: They all shoot absolutely lights out from the arc. Their names were well known among top D-1 coaches while in high school: Jordan Chatman, Ryan Andrus, Dalton Nixon, and Jake Toolson! These kids are so good that it stands as a good bet that at least one of them will step up this year in a big way. Which one?

The ninth newbie added by Coach Rose is the complete unknown, Jordan Ellis, who has been brought up from the practice squad because he is a rare certified pure point guard, and PG is the only spot on the team that was not 3 deep with legit D-1 talent. His resume is decidedly unimpressive and so when i continue to report that Ellis looks decidedly impressive to me, i know that makes no sense at all. He looks completely in charge on the floor, like a strong respected leader, and seems to do everything well with consistently good judgement. Ellis is an RM and a junior. Nevertheless, he is strictly with the team in a deep backup role.

These nine new additions are eligible to play this season. Some of them are going to play at a surprisingly high level, joining eight solid-to-great returning players. One among the eight, Kyle Collinsworth, who could look like a new player himself in several ways, has repeatedly asserted that a reasonable goal on which he and fellow captain Haws have settled, is to exceed BYU's 2011 dream team and advance to the Elite 8 in 2015.

Regardless of how the season ends, in November and surely by December, some onlookers might scratch their heads while others are blown away with amazement at the explosive new talent on the Marriott Center court; and most are likely to recall the words of Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy:

"Who are those guys?"