- Ky McKeon

Key Returners: Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Richard Harward, Gideon George, Spencer Johnson, Trevin Knell, Gavin Baxter
Key Losses: Brandon Averette, Matt Haarms, Connor Harding, Kolby Lee
Key Newcomers: Te’Jon Lucas (Milwaukee), Seneca Knight (LSU / San Jose State)

Lineup:

Outlook: Mark Pope is quickly sprinting up the national coach rankings after turning in yet another successful season in 2020-21. His BYU Cougars are 44-15 (23-6) since he took over for Dave Rose two years ago following a brilliant stint at Utah Valley in which he turned the Wolverines into a WAC contender. Last year was particularly impressive, as BYU finished 20th in Kenpom and snagged a 6-seed in the Big Dance after starting the season ranked 88th. Four key pieces walk out the door this offseason, but Pope has at his disposal a roster packed with young talent and led by a veteran backcourt.

By far the biggest development this summer was the return of Alex Barcello, a 1st Team All-WCC performer in 2021 and Honorable Mention All-American. Barcello, a former 4-star recruit and Arizona Wildcat, has been one of the top shooters in the country the past two seasons, knocking down 47.2% of his 3PA in 2020-21 and 49.1% the year prior. The Cougars were decent without Barcello on the floor last season, but when he played BYU was elite:

Barcello’s ability to run the point, facilitate the offense, and knockdown outside shots makes him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the nation in 2021-22.

For reinforcements this offseason, Pope once again turned to the transfer portal, a source he’s exploited for the past several seasons. Te’Jon Lucas, a 6th-year point guard who previously played for Illinois and Milwaukee, will start alongside Barcello in the backcourt, giving the Cougars a dynamic dual-PG look. Lucas surprised many by down-transferring from Illinois after racking up several starts in two seasons in Champaign, but it seems to have served him well. At Milwaukee, Lucas developed into a more poised lead ball-handler, buttoning down prior turnover issues and growing his confidence. He won’t need to be the same high-usage player he was last season with the Panthers and should fit into Pope’s spread PnR motion offense perfectly.

Lucas and Barcello will man nearly all of BYU’s point guard minutes, but the Cougars do have some depth, albeit unproven depth, behind the pair of veteran playmakers. Hunter Erickson returns for what should be his first full season following a 2-year mission trip. Erickson played garbage minutes in essentially a redshirt year in 2020-21. Pope has praised Erickson’s development this offseason, and he has the shooting ability, athleticism, and scoring chops to contribute in 2021-22. Freshmen guards Trey Stewart and Nate Hansen, both class of 2019 recruits fresh off mission trips of their own, round out the backcourt depth chart.

BYU has been one of the nation’s best outside shooting teams the past two seasons under Pope; his spread offense relies on having multiple shooters dotting the perimeter on the floor at the same time. Junior wings Spencer Johnson and Trevin Knell are both lethal outside shooters and potential starters, particularly Knell who shot 50% from deep in WCC play and 46.6% overall.

Up front the Cougars feature a deep forward corps headlined by sophomore Caleb Lohner, a WCC All-Freshman honoree and league leader in eFG% in 2020-21. Lohner, whose hair suggests he’d be more suited for Malibu than Provo, started the last nine games of the season for BYU last year, proving to be an active rebounder, effective drawer of fouls, and reliable floor stretcher. With Haarms out of the picture, Lohner should become more of a focal point on both ends of the floor.

Senior Richard Harward, a 6’11” center who followed Pope over from UVU, will presumably take over Matt Haarms’ starting gig and add to the rebounding and shot-blocking effort. With Lohner’s ability to space the floor, Pope can comfortably play his two primary big men at the same time without worry. Gavin Baxter also returns looking to bounce back from an ACL tear he suffered in November. Baxter has missed most of the past two seasons but can provide rim protection and compete with Harward for 5-man minutes when healthy.

6’6” wing Gideon George, a Nigerian native who came to BYU via New Mexico JC last season, is a player flying under the radar. ESPN’s David Hale wrote a cool story on George’s background, and it appears the senior swingman is just now starting to realize his on-court potential. George can be an excellent defender for the Cougars next season and will look to improve on a so-so 2020-21 offensive campaign. Like so many other Cougars, George brings a valuable combination of shooting, slashing, and rebounding to the fold.

As if George and the aforementioned talent wasn’t enough, Mark Pope went ahead and added another late transfer in San Jose State’s (by way of LSU) Seneca Knight. Knight was committed to LSU this offseason after playing just three games for SJSU but opted to turn his attention to Provo. He was the lone bright spot on two abysmal SJSU squads, earning 3rd Team All-MWC in 2020. Knight will add even more scoring and versatility to the wing.

Two more African imports, Fousseyni Traore (Mali) and Atiki Ally Atiki (Tanzania), likely ride the pine in their first season in Provo, but rest assured that Pope will develop them effectively over the next couple years. Traore stands just 6’7” but has a 7’1” wingspan and already has the strength to do battle with just about any post in the country. Atiki, possessor of a 7’2” wingspan himself, is a raw prospect brimming with potential once he gets more basketball reps under him.

BYU has a top-15 ceiling this season and will almost certainly be one of the best offensive squads in the country. Pope’s offenses are always gorgeous to watch and now he has two tried-and-true ball handlers who can make plays and create for others. The Cougars ran the second-fewest amount of isolation plays last season, a testament to their unselfishness and focus on ball movement. Tempo-wise, it’s likely we see the Cougars skew closer to their quicker pace back in 2019-20 with the addition of another point guard, Haarms’ departure, and Lohner’s ability to pay the 5.

Defense will be an area of focus for a team who just lost last year’s WCC DPOY. Pope’s squads are always tough on the glass and the Cougars have plenty of size to be dominant in that aspect once again in 2021-22. Baxter’s return should also help make up for Haarms’ absence, Lucas has been a gifted swiper his entire career, and don’t be surprised if George develops into one of the better wing defenders in the league.

Bottom Line: Pope has a roster capable of continuing his two-year top-20 KenPom streak and capturing a top-5 seed in March. While Gonzaga still may run away with the WCC, the Cougars should be one of the better teams in the country and a real threat to at least put a tally in the L column of their bitter conference rival.