Skyler Halford, DPT, C-PS

BYU Basketball Analyst Jonathan Tavernari joined @espnthefan to break down how this thing finds success without Richie Saunders: Q: These are generational talents for BYU. We’ve never seen a point guard like Rob Wright III in BYU basketball history. We’ve had unique guys like Jimmer Fredette and Danny Ainge, but no one quite like Rob in how he gets buckets. So without that third musketeer, who steps up? Jonathan Tavernari: There are two possibilities in my mind. Option 1: You start Tyler Mrus or Aleksej Kostic and tell them they’re the greatest shooters in basketball history. Steph Curry has nothing on them. They shoot everything. You forget defense. It’s a race to 140 points. Every time they score 10+ and BYU wins, a booster gives them $10,000. Just buckets. Pure offense. Option 2: You start Khadim and say, “You’re Kawhi Leonard on defense and Dennis Rodman on offense.” This is the AJ-and-Rob show. They combine for 80 a night. Khadim screens and rolls like his life depends on it. He gets 10 rebounds. Then you play zone all game because AJ and Rob have to save their legs. Those are the two options. Q: I lean offense. More shooters, more spacing, mix in a 2-3 or 1-3-1 zone. Put AJ at the top with his length. Let those shooters manifest confidence. You’re Mr. Three-You, JT — this team’s best identity is shooting. Jonathan Tavernari: (Laughs) Alright, let’s flip this. Welcome back to ESPN The Fan — I’m Jonathan Tavernari, and Ben Criddle is my guest! But seriously — what other options are there? You can’t play Abdullah and Keba Keita together for long stretches. You could play Mihailo Boskovic, but neither he, Tyler, nor Aleksej have shown consistent three-point shooting all year. And I agree with you — that could be confidence or volume. But Kevin Young hasn’t shown trust in them. I actually like Alexei. I like his mechanics, his length at 6-foot-4, his frame. I think there’s potential there. But the trust hasn’t been consistent. The reality is this: Rob and AJ are going to have to play 38-40 minutes. They’ll need hyperbaric chambers in American Fork. Cold tubs. Yoga. Whatever it takes. Call me skeptical or radical — I don’t see another way. It’s either race-to-200 offense or buckle down defensively and grind. Q: So what’s the ceiling and floor right now? Jonathan Tavernari: Things have changed drastically. If they get to the Sweet 16, that’s a huge accomplishment — probably the most significant since Danny Ainge’s Elite Eight run. It would trump Jimmer’s senior year in terms of tournament success, even if it doesn’t trump “Jimmermania.” But realistically? If they win a Round of 32 game, that might be the ceiling. Because AJ is good enough to win a game by himself. Rob is good enough to win a game by himself. That gets you to the Sweet 16. But that’s a tall order. Full interview: spreaker.com/episode/2-17-2… 📸: @BYUMBB @BYUphoto