I realize this post is for a select few special souls on this board who can't grasp Coach Norman Dale's advice for the people of Hickory "I would hope you would support who we are. Not, who we are not." and feel the need to bring up Emery and Mika after what seems to be every freakin' game.

Let's look at TJ first. Is his shooting down? Of course! Everything else is up across the board from last year though for TJ. Rebounds? Check. Assists? Yep. Blocks are up too. Steals are the same. He is fouling at a smaller rate this year and he has less TO/game. It is fairly obvious that his defense is getting better too. But his shooting is down. The bottom line is that of everyone on this team, the style of play is effecting TJ more than anyone, IMO. A style of offense that he has played for a long time is gone. Gunning from anywhere, good looks or bad looks, shoot early in the clock..... The looks and shoots he has been conditioned to take for years are being changed. Giving extra effort on the defensive side is being asked too and he is answering. He is being asked and challenged to play a different brand of basketball and he is doing it. He is playing team basketball. There is a reason he is playing 33 minutes a game (more than anyone but Childs). This coaching staff is holding players accountable and the minutes played are a reward for his play despite his shot being pretty bad at times.

Now switch to Mika and Emery. Last year was not a Mika and Emery problem. It was a team problem that started with Rose and went all the way down through every seat on the bench. It was a coaches and players problem. Haws was one part of that problem. TJ has bought into this new culture and he is delivering what the coaches want. Are their some warts still in his game that he is trying to get rid of? Of course! It's he trying to adapt and play this new brand? Yep. So if TJ is doing it, why wouldn't emery and mika? Why wouldn't they be held accountable? Nick was apart of this team until the season started. He bought into this new face of basketball. He bought into being accountable. Would there have been some lingering habits? Of course! Would nick have struggled to find his spot in the offense? At times, yes. But he bought in.

This is a the '17-'18 cougs. We are not better because nick and mika are gone. We are better because Rose saw a culture problem (even with Mika leaving) and made changes. This is a new brand set forth by the coaches and the players are answering. We are 11 games into a completely different basketball scheme and culture on both ends of the court. It has nothing to do with mika leaving and emery sitting out and everything to do with coaching and the players respecting and being accountable to the expectations.

So if you like TJ making 30 foot 3's 5 seconds into the shot clock with a defender in front of him, go watch games from last year on demand with BYUtv. If you want to watch TJ play team ball and play within an offense and put forth effort on defense, watch the games this year. Is it a work in progress? Yes. But it is causing him to be a much more rounded player and the coaches see that. The shot will come as he gets more comfortable.