BYU BASKETBALL: FEET OF CLAY

The history of BYU Sports pain is a very special type of pain: the splendid agony of blowing it big time just when it looks like the team is finally bound for nationally recognized greatness.

Brandon Davies came as a bolt out of the blue, but the timing of his dereliction hardly comes as a real surprise.

Dick Harmon tried to justify BYU's official reaction to the Davies situation, but wound up making it sound as if Brandon had been caught wearing explosive underwear at an airport:


News of Brandon Davies' dismissal comes at dramatic time for Cougars

Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700114716/News-of-Brandon-Davies-dismissal-comes-at-dramatic-time-for-Cougars.html
Published: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 12:41 a.m. MST
Dick Harmon, Deseret News

PROVO — Brandon Davies and BYU basketball separated for the season Tuesday.

And it has been a dandy of a season.

The shocking news couldn't have come at a more dramatic time for Dave Rose and his basketball program. It came one day after the Cougars attained a lofty No. 3 national ranking and the week BYU could win the Mountain West Conference title outright. It comes just when the national media declared the Cougars are in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — the Davies news landed like a bomb.

Tonight, when the Cougars host the only league team that has defeated them, New Mexico, we will see how Rose, his staff and the team respond, both emotionally and strategically.

Make no mistake about it; the loss of Davies is a huge blow. His skill set, the tremendous impact he's had this late in the season in rebounding, blocks and scoring points will be missed.

The quickness to which BYU officials reacted to its investigation of Davies and his issue with the school's honor code means this wasn't a trivial issue. It wasn't probation; it was not an item that could be put off for a few weeks; it was a violation that required decisive and immediate action.



Yet again, the Honor Code Office has taken a major public stand against sloppy morals at BYU at the worst possible moment for all concerned.

The Cougar boys found themselves playing a major game on the very day the bombshell dropped. They rose to the occasion by falling apart. Completely. Even the Deseret News had trouble gilding the fast fading lily:



BYU basketball:
Lobos thrash Cougars, 82-64

Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700115004/BYU-basketball-Lobos-thrash-Cougars-82-64.html
Jeff Call Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 10:05 p.m. MST

BYU-UNM boxscore

PROVO — This wasn't the way BYU wanted to show the NCAA Selection Committee how it plays without Brandon Davies.

In the No. 3 Cougars' first game without their sophomore forward, who was suspended for the remainder of the season on Tuesday, they were trounced by New Mexico, 82-64, Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.

PROVO — This wasn't the way BYU wanted to show the NCAA Selection Committee how it could play without Brandon Davies.

In the No. 3 Cougars' first game without their sophomore forward, who was suspended for the remainder of the season on Tuesday for violating the University's Honor Code, they were trounced by New Mexico, 82-64, Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.

BYU (27-3, 13-2) opened the week as a strong contender to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament while earning its highest ranking in 23 years.

Since losing Davies for the season, BYU is 0-1. Against the hot-shooting Lobos, the Cougars looked nothing like a third-ranked team in the nation and nothing like a No. 1 seed.

The Cougars, who have lost for straight to the Lobos, also squandered an opportunity to clinch a share of the Mountain West Conference championship.

BYU and San Diego State, which defeated Wyoming Tuesday, are tied for first-place once again in the league standings, just days after the Cougars knocked off the Aztecs in San Diego.

BYU was never really in the game Wednesday, shooting a miserable 26 percent in the first half. The Lobos came out on fire, grabbing an early 15-4 advantage. They led by as many as 19 in the first half and took a 42-26 lead at the half.

In the second half, UNM didn't let up and built a 24-point lead.

Jimmer Fredette scored a game-high 33 points for BYU, while UNM's Phillip McDonald poured in a team-high 26 points.

© 2011 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved



As a result of the 2 March developments, the coaches, the boosters, the dyed-in-the-wool Cougars will now heap up more pressure on The Jimmer's broad shoulders. He must uphold the image of clean-cut, virtuous Mormon youth and to restore the Cougar-brand winning streak. Now. It will be fascinating to see what will happen first.

Will the Cougar season end first?

Or will The Jimmer snap emotionally and start ranting -- Charlie-Sheen-like -- on radio talk shows that he is a an F-15E?

The BYU Honor Code claims another victim. The Cougar Basketball Community -- not so much Brandon -- will suffer the most in the final analysis.

I suspect BYU authorities and administration believe it is in the best interest of their power for the BYU teams to have losing seasons. After all, BYU administrators, coaches, bishops, and stake presidents cannot exhort us that sterling character comes from enduring tribulation and losing gracefully like gentlemen --- if we win consistently and to the triumphant end.

Speculation for a stormy night: if Jimmer had warned his coaches and his team that he would resign from the team if the Honor bureaucracy removed any of his basketball star teammates -- Brandon's troubles would have been miraculously discovered after the season. If at all. However, that sort of determination and honor hardly gets a mention in the BYU Honor Code.