With the 2019-20 season abruptly over, looking ahead to 2020-21

Trying to get a handle on the roster for next year.



Seniors who are leaving:

F Yoeli Childs

G TJ Haws

G Taylor Maughan (walk-on)

F Dalton Nixon

G Zac Seljaas

G Jake Toolson

G Evan Troy (walk-on)



Returning rotation players:

PG Alex Barcello, Sr

SG

SF Connor Harding, Jr

PF Gavin Baxter, Jr

C Kolby Lee, Jr



Fighting for a spot:

G

Blaze Nield, Jr (walk-on)

Cameron Pearson (walk-on)

Jesse Wade So or Jr depending on medical waiver appeal

Trevin Knell, So

Hunter Erickson, Fr (returning from mission)

Spencer Johnson, So (transfer from SLCC)



F/C

Wyatt Lowell, So (sat out due to transfer rule)

Richard Harward, Jr (sat out due to transfer rule)

Gideon George, So (transfer from New Mexico JC)



This puts the roster size at 13 with 11 of 13 scholarships committed (unless Nield and Pearson are now scholarship?). I wonder how all this will shake out.

I like Blaze a lot. I think he could get the backup PG spot but I'd be real concerned if Barcello goes down injured. I hope Knell can turn into a rotation player but he has a lot of work to do IMO. Even if Wade is healthy I'm not sure he is starter material. I don't know anything about Erickson and Johnson. But it looks like we are lacking in a starting SG to me.



I'm excited about Harward. He will help the big man rotation a lot.

Might want to hold off a bit -- they are going to grant an extra year to players, so we don't 100% know who is leaving or staying (or what this will do to scholarship limitations, etc.)



An extra year puts the career scoring title within reach for Yoeli if he could stay healthy and put up 21+ a game.

I don't see Yoeli staying another year. Maybe Toolson and Haws would stay another year.



If NCAA allows players to stay another year, that puts a lot of schools in a scholarship crunch. Players that you were planning to graduate wouldn't be, so a new incoming recruit wouldn't have a scholarship available.

Gunk wrote:

I don't see Yoeli staying another year.

Players looking to the NBA may actually have incentive to stay an extra year if the NBA starts canceling these postponed games. The salary cap next year may take a huge hit as it is based on previous year salaries, and as games cut the salaries go down.



Everything is in limbo right now.

snoscythe wrote:

I don't see Yoeli staying another year.

Players looking to the NBA may actually have incentive to stay an extra year if the NBA starts canceling these postponed games. The salary cap next year may take a huge hit as it is based on previous year salaries, and as games cut the salaries go down.



Everything is in limbo right now.

Good point. Whole thing is nuts. My state just closed all schools for 6 weeks.

Yes, even if another year is granted I don't see Yoeli coming back since he tested the waters last year and had a good year this year. But yes, wait and see is a good approach. Even recruiting is suspended for the moment while they iron things out.

Yoeli missed a great chance to show himself to the scouts in the tournament. I wonder where he stands in the draft.

The question I have is, does this mean that BYU ends the season as #14 overall? Could be the lone bright side if so.

Is there a poll today?

It looks like ESPN has updated their rankings to say "Postseason rankings" and has BYU at #16. Curious to know how others are going to handle it, and if it's going to mean anything in the preseason rankings for next year.

We were a senior heavy team, I would be surprised to see us ranked next year.



I'm curious to see what magic Pope will conjure during the off season.