Underachievers and Washouts

I will forget a few names and faces - but here goes.



Davies underachieved relative to fan expectations. But that was partly due to expectations being very high. Some fans predicted a NBA 1st round pick. He was actually a keeper and had a very good season.



Tyler Haws exceeded fan expectations - which were tempered a bit by RM leg concerns. Huge over achievement and a terrific season.



I guess you could say Cusick and our other unpopular guard - Zylstra - met or exceeded expectations - since fans expected virtually nothing from them.





The good news relative to meeting expectations stops there.



Carlino is only now beginning to resemble what most fans expected from the highly recruited UCLA transfer.



Sharp - injury prone.

Austin - just starting to show promise.

Delgado - bust.

Ambrosino - bust.

Harward - bust.



Winder - has not shown much yet.



Go back a year



C. Collinsworth - injury prone

Rodgers - injury prone



And who was the highly touted African American from back East that bailed and transferred closer to home after a season of disappointment - Damarcus Harrison.



Who did I leave out?



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I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

SpiffCoug wrote:
I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

During Jimmer's senior year there was a little talk about it but no predictions as far as I know.

SpiffCoug wrote:
I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

They did and I called them on it at the time. IDK how to move the quote here, so I resurrected the earlier thread where SKPope and one other poster taljed about Davies in the first rounder context. It is the NCAA Tourney thread pulled up from the past.



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Cougarbib wrote:

I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

They did and I called them on it at the time.



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Should be easy to find the proof of it then.

hawkwing wrote:

SpiffCoug wrote:
I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

They did and I called them on it at the time.



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Should be easy to find the proof of it then.

It was. Maybe you should have looked. See my above edited comment and the resurrected thread. I just do not know how to move it here. SK Pope and one other poster in that thread.



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Cougarbib wrote:

I don't recall anyone predicting a first round draft selection for Davies.

They did and I called them on it at the time. IDK how to move the quote here, so I resurrected the earlier thread where SKPope and one other poster - QMan - talked about Davies in the first rounder context. It is the NCAA Tourney thread pulled up from the past.



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This edited post.



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I would add zylstra to the under achievers category. He was a senior starter. He should have been more Consistent/Productive and he didn't live up to a minimum standard for a senior starter. Cusick gets a pass since no one really expected much out of him and he always has the walk on status to fall back on.

BYULV wrote:
I would add zylstra to the under achievers category. He was a senior starter. He should have been more Consistent/Productive and he didn't live up to a minimum standard for a senior starter. Cusick gets a pass since no one really expected much out of him and he always has the walk on status to fall back on.

Wasn't Zylstra a walk-on his first year too?

Qman wrote:

I would add zylstra to the under achievers category. He was a senior starter. He should have been more Consistent/Productive and he didn't live up to a minimum standard for a senior starter. Cusick gets a pass since no one really expected much out of him and he always has the walk on status to fall back on.

Wasn't Zylstra a walk-on his first year too?

I agree that Z was inconsistent at best. I agree he unerachievedrelative to what a starter should produce and especially relative to what a senior starter should produce. I only called him overachiever because he was never heralded, was written off by most fans long before this season, and never should have been a starter but for the lack of talent on this team. Like Cusick, he overachieved relative to fan expectations only - and many fans questioned whether C and Z should have even been on the team. I felt they deserved a place on the team - considering the alternatives.



Ambrosino and Delgado failed to surpass these two players and that was the really big disappointment.



Davies and Haws clearly deserved to be starters and would have started for almost any, if not any, team in the western US. Carlino played like a starter a little more than half of the time. Other than that - BYU had no other players that met my expectations for a starter at BYU.



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Agree with Bib about Z. He appeared to be our only offensive threat when they played in Europe during the summer. However, he never picked up the mantle despite having breakout games when he stroked 6 three-pointers and led us to victory at So Miss with his timely 3 pointers. Same can be said about his defense - one game he'd be a liability and the next a nemesis for the shooting guard. Had he and Carlino just a averaged double figures in scoring, the team would have been more difficult to beat(see NIT for example). Hopefully, they develop :bug: several players who show up each and every game and consistently address the weaknesses shown for many years: excellent 3-pt shooting, good perimeter defense, fast-paced offense and a low turnover margin.



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byucougar1 wrote:
Agree with Bib about Z. He appeared to be our only offensive threat when they played in Europe during the summer. However, he never picked up the mantle despite having breakout games when he stroked 6 three-pointers and led us to victory at So Miss with his timely 3 pointers. Same can be said about his defense - one game he'd be a liability and the next a nemesis for the shooting guard. Had he and Carlino just a averaged double figures in scoring, the team would have been more difficult to beat(see NIT for example). Hopefully, they develop :bug: several players who show up each and every game and consistently address the weaknesses shown for many years: excellent 3-pt shooting, good perimeter defense, fast-paced offense and a low turnover margin.



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Amen

Considering the loss of Collingsworth, sharp and Rogers I think the team's performance was amazing. They had potential that didn't get used. Instead of being off the bench players Z and C had to play much more than was planned for. From that viewpoint they overachieved. I hope this year's team has much better health.

Talk is meaningless. Anyone who ever said Davies had first round potential was under the influence--he never had that potential. Anyone who is a basketball player (and not just a fan) knows that Davies was mediocre at best, some good games, always in foul trouble, terrible free throw shooter, couldn't shoot beyond about 8 feet, pretty good rebounder, always in foul trouble. I'm unconvinced he will get drafted at all, but he could I suppose.



Zylstra was definitely an underachiever, big disappointment, mostly worthless, had a handful of good games.



I believe Chris Collinsworth had great potential and had he been healthy and able to play would have made a world of difference on last year's team...and next year's team.



Mika must grow up in a hurry, and I believe he will. Austin must improve significantly over the summer to be of much help to the team.

golong wrote:
Talk is meaningless. Anyone who ever said Davies had first round potential was under the influence--he never had that potential. Anyone who is a basketball player (and not just a fan) knows that Davies was mediocre at best, some good games, always in foul trouble, terrible free throw shooter, couldn't shoot beyond about 8 feet, pretty good rebounder, always in foul trouble. I'm unconvinced he will get drafted at all, but he could I suppose.



Zylstra was definitely an underachiever, big disappointment, mostly worthless, had a handful of good games.



I believe Chris Collinsworth had great potential and had he been healthy and able to play would have made a world of difference on last year's team...and next year's team.



Mika must grow up in a hurry, and I believe he will. Austin must improve significantly over the summer to be of much help to the team.

I seriously doubt your ability to evaluate College players as NBA prospects. Any big man what rebound, pass the ball and finish around the hoop has a real chance at the NBA.



Yes Davies has weaknesses- if he didn't he would be a top ten pick. Personally I believe he will be a second round pick.

Golong is right, most projected draft picks and tournament MVPs are mediocre. If only the rest of you were "players," you could understand :roll:

I was never impressed by Chris Collinsworth. Slow, no hops, and no back to basket moves.



Davies impressed me from the get go. Long arms, runs the floor, great post-up moves and a ton of confidence.

I would have a difficult time saying that arguably the best big man to ever play at BYU is mediocre at best.



I guess it does depend on your scale though.

hawkwing wrote:
I would have a difficult time saying that arguably the best big man to ever play at BYU is mediocre at best.



I guess it does depend on your scale though.

WOW! Best big man at BYU? I think Cresmir, Devin, Greg, Mike, Russ, Rafael, and a few others would take exception with that. Now, top ten, probably. But best ever?

Cougs_Rule wrote:

I would have a difficult time saying that arguably the best big man to ever play at BYU is mediocre at best.



I guess it does depend on your scale though.

WOW! Best big man at BYU? I think Cresmir, Devin, Greg, Mike, Russ, Rafael, and a few others would take exception with that. Now, top ten, probably. But best ever?

You left out 1 year wonder Shawn Bradley.



Davies is certainly Top 10 and probably better than a few on your list. His postseason play undicates he was held back by a weak supporting cast at BYU his last two seasons and especially his last season. Sadly - BYU has not had a lot of big or little men move on to become dominant NBA stars. Davies probably will not either. But he probably will be a role player, get some PT, and prove to be clearly in the Top 10 BYU bigs and possibly Top 5.



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