Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — After an 82-64 win in their first exhibition game of the 2014-15 season over the Colorado School of Mines, the BYU basketball team continues its preseason preparation this Saturday night hosting the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
The big news heading into this week’s game is guard Kyle Collinsworth has been cleared to play following his recovery from an ACL injury he sustained towards the end of last season.
Head coach Dave Rose is excited to have Collinsworth back in the lineup, and Rose praised Collinsworth’s efforts that have led him to a quicker recovery than many initially anticipated at the time he suffered the injury.
“He’s put so much time and effort into his rehab that this is what he’s been waiting for, so we’re excited for him,” Rose said of Collinsworth’s return.
Rose was quick to point out that Collinsworth isn’t expected to play a lot in the exhibition game verse Seattle Pacific and knows that the recovery is still a work in progress.
Senior guard Tyler Hawes, who led the Cougars with 29 points in last week’s win, also shared his excitement of having his teammate healthy and back on the court playing beside him.
“It changes it a lot, guys have to feel like they have to guard me different, (and) they have to guard Chase (Fischer) different because Kyle’s such a good scorer,” he explained.
A positive attitude is one of the key factors Rose pointed out as a factor in Collinsworth’s recovery. Rose has also been pleased with his ability to continue to be a leader for the team despite being held out of practices.
“He’s a great leader, and I’ve seen a lot of guys recover from injuries, but I haven’t seen one as good as far as staying with the group of guys,” explained Rose. “It’s easy for him to step in and be a captain on this year’s team because of how he went about his work in the summer. He was always with the guys even when he wasn’t playing.”
Collinsworth said that this was possible by self-implementing a sort of baby-sitter in a team manager to make sure he didn’t push it too far and find himself on the court risking injury while spending time with his teammates. He also believes that his can-do mindset and ability to recognize what he could control instead of focusing on what he couldn’t has made all the difference in his recovery.
“It’s been a hard process, but it’s been worth it. I feel like I’ve benefited from it, so it’s been a positive experience overall so far,” he said.
One of the benefits that he has pulled out of the experience has been his ability to work on what he called the little things. The little things include working on his shot, which he said has improved significantly, as well as his diet in order to keep in shape while he couldn’t fully participate in full-on physical activity. All of which will hopefully result in a stronger, more all-around player, perfect for pairing with Hawes.
Reflecting on last week’s game and what the Cougars can continue to fine-tune heading into the beginning of the season, Hawes feels the team needs to come out with a quicker start this week but also wants to continue the teamwork and ball movement he recognized in last week’s game.
“Overall I thought we shared the ball really well as an unselfish group so we can build on that, and I thought our guys battled and played really well together,” he said.
Hawes compared Seattle Pacific to many of the teams BYU faces week-in and week-out in the WCC and is excited for another new challenge and chance to grow as a team early in this new season.
“They're a tough physical team and an opponent similar to who we’ll face in our conference,” Hawes said. “It’ll be a good test for us.”
****
Injury notes heading into this Saturday’s game include the return of center Corbin Kaufusi, who was dealing with breathing issues that kept him out last week.
Forward Ryan Andrus will be evaluated after being hit in the head during practice, but the hope is that he too will be ready come Saturday night.
Guard Jordan Chatman was held out of practice with additional injuries to the opposite knee than the one that has held him out previously.
Forward Nate Austin was able to practice a little this week as he continues to nurse his back, and Rose sounded positive that he will be ready to go next week for the first game against Long Beach State.
Rose was asked about the possibility of Jamal Aytes redshirting this season, due to his recent surgery on his ankle, and the timetable around the injury. While Rose acknowledged the possibility, he was quick to turn down any notion that that is the direction that has been decided upon.
As the preseason goes on, Rose likes what he’s seeing from the players on the court but admits the nagging injuries this early in the season are something weighing on his mind.
“I haven’t been displeased with anyone,” he said. "The only thing I’ve been unsettled with is we’ve had a lot of guys miss.”
