I went to HS with a 10 year NBA player who was mormon. He spurned BYU for a bigger name and caused a lot of turmoil amoung the few BYU fans I knew at that time.  Some said he let down mormons around the world and seemed to many of us close to the situation "shamed". BYU only looked at me b/c of a close mormon athlete friend who was on the fence & I brought it up during my recruiting conversations with J. Judkins (he knew the situation and was saddened by it he handled it perfectly which changed my view of BYU forever for the positive.

Over the last 10 years or so of reading this board it has taken a turn for the cynical & also a weird obsession with the utes that seems to be getting worse and more little brotherish. Just so those of you in Utah know, you don't run into Ute fans in other parts of the country... literally NEVER known a ute fan outside of a couple I've met in Utah who were nice.  With that said...The way SOME byu fans treat LDS HS athletes that don't choose BYU or think that they should all choose BYU is one of the most off putting trains of thought I have ever seen with a fan base. If your catholic you don't get shamed for not choosing BC, ND or GU, if your baptist you don't get shamed for not going to Baylor etc.  Why do BYU fans do it to mormon athletes? 

I love mormons, was a scholorshiped athlete and attended BYU for a time &  still bleed blue. I argue I travel to more BYU bball games around the country than anyone on here and prob to more fball than most, more than crazy coug fanatic, more than 5lb trout and I know this b/c I know what part of the country which die hards come to... To put it bluntly, many byu fans make it hard to like BYU d/t the fans only, harder and nearly impossible for the not mormon population to BEGIN liking BYU b/c of the excusionary language and actions that mormons have sticking only with each other & it's pervassive on here. I feel its easier to be a BYU fan & more fun outside of that state as I alwasy get a "go cougs" in return instead of wierd looks and crickets, people know what to wear on game day etc. 

I want the best of the best to all come to BYU and I don't care about what religoen they are b/c it doesn't matter. Please realize your words and actions on here and in public effet the attitude of how outsiders view BYU and it will push the best athletes away more than it will attract them. Thanks for reading my rant and I hope it give you a diff perspective on others views.