BYU Basketball Assistant Breaks Down 2019-20 Roster As Practices Begin

PROVO, Utah – Football might be in full swing but college basketball is just around the corner.

The BYU basketball program begins practicing Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Marriott Center in what will be the first practice of the season in the first year of the Mark Pope era.

🏀 is back!

Two-a-days begin tomorrow 👊#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/xjfKQ9Syot

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) September 24, 2019

Pope and his staff have brought a relentless 24/7 attitude to the BYU basketball program that they hope will help lead the Cougars back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Had the chance to sit down with BYU assistant coach Cody Fueger to discuss each of the players on BYU’s roster as practices tip-off.

Yoeli Childs

BYU’s star player and one of the top forwards in the country surprised everyone by deciding to come back for his senior year.

Story on @kslsports: Yoeli Childs suspended for first nine games of 2019-20 season. https://t.co/sYACQNtjWC

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 9, 2019

“It was amazing having him come back, believe in us, and believe that we can help him, and believe in this team,” said Fueger. “He got to talk to Jake (Toolson), Kyle Collinsworth, Skyler Halford, and he could talk to all the guys out there and be like, what are these guys (coaching staff) like, are these guys for real, and what do these guys do? Because it’s hard. It’s hard to gain trust and get to know someone really fast. He put it on us to help him get better and we’re really excited to take that challenge on.”

Jake Toolson

BYU basketball welcomes back Utah Valley University transfer and WAC Player of the Year back to BYU.

Guess whose back. Welcome back ⁦@jtoolgoinham⁩ ⁦@BYUbasketball⁩ #gocougs pic.twitter.com/3KjZNgZluW

— Cody Fueger (@Cody_Fueger) May 25, 2019

“I have a close relationship with Jake … Love it every single day being able to coach that kid and being around that guy. Obviously he has an incredible relationship with Coach Pope and believes in him and Coach Pope figures out how to push these players every single day and that’s something that Jake wants to be part of still when he could have gone to other schools. I’m just lucky to be around kids like him,” Fueger said.

T.J. Haws

Haws enters his senior year with hopes of getting to his first NCAA Tournament of his career.

“T.J. has really changed his leadership style, from what he has told me. He’s talking a little bit more. He’s not a big talker, but he’s getting better at that. That’s something that has helped him grow a bit. He is an incredible kid and an incredible player every single day. He makes this team go … and at the end of the day, he just wants this team to win. He’s all in and he’s been awesome,” said Fueger.

Dalton Nixon

BYU head coach Mark Pope has referred to senior Nixon as a “glue guy” in the program and someone that BYU can win with. Fueger has similar comments.

“Dalton Nixon has been incredible,” said Fueger. “Dalton just works. Whatever it is, he just works. He’s been amazing that way.”

Zac Seljaas

Seljaas, a former Utah Player of the Year out of Bountiful High School heads into his final year at BYU recovering for a foot injury he suffered while in Italy.

BYU basketball forward Zac Seljaas could be back in time for the Cougars season opener in November. https://t.co/9Ffzi9fN9A

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 3, 2019

“Coach Pope, as soon as we got here, kind of challenged Zac to have the biggest change of anyone in the program this summer and I think he did that, he filled that role,” said Fueger. “He had a minor setback for him (foot injury), but he’s been working so hard.”

Gavin Baxter

On the importance of Baxter in the first nine games without Yoeli Childs being available due to an NCAA suspension.

First try. 144”. Maxed Out.

🐰🐰🐰#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/1sZoJt0eor

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) September 23, 2019

“He’s got a big role. He’s another guy as soon as Coach (Pope) got here, Coach put him to the test. He challenged him right away and he stepped up to the challenge big time. Because we expect him to affect both sides of the court, every possession. Because this is something that he can do,” said Fueger.

Connor Harding

One of the more versatile players on BYU’s roster, Harding heads into his sophomore season looking to do whatever it takes to help the team.

“He’s kind of similar to T.J. (Haws) in some ways, where he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Fueger said. “But he’s just got a different kind of duty where he wants to guard the best offensive player on the opposing team.”

Kolby Lee

Without Yoeli Childs in the first nine games, sophomore Kolby Lee will likely see more minutes in the Cougars rotation.

“He was basically a double-double guy every night in Italy. He’s been working his tail off trying to put great weight on. So he’s eating right and he’s working really hard. He had surgery on his feet right before Italy and he’s someone that can really help us this year,” said Fueger.

Jesse Wade

Former Gonzaga Bulldog is now eligible to play this season for BYU.

“What he (Jesse) brings to the table, he can really shoot the ball. He can really shoot the ball,” Fueger said. “Defensively, he’s trying to get better at trying to change the game.”

Richard Harward

Along with Pope, Fueger, and assistant coach Chris Burgess, Harward make the trek down University Ave. to Provo.

“We put Yoeli on Harward and Yoeli’s like, ‘man, I’m sick of guarding this dude just because he’s so big and strong,'” said Fueger. “Harward’s the type of kid that everybody wants on their team because he doesn’t care. He’ll grab every rebound and he’ll screen you … he’s got a chance to be really special.”

Wyatt Lowell

Lowell, a former three-star recruit out of Arizona, has a lot of upside.

“He’s somebody that’s working hard on his motor, because he’s got a big-time stroke,” said Fueger.

New BYU Basketball transfer Wyatt Lowell joins #BYUSN and shares what brought him to BYU. pic.twitter.com/42hlCzylQZ

— BYU Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) May 16, 2019

For more conversation on the rest of the BYU Basketball roster with assistant coach Cody Fueger listen to the Cougar Tracks Podcast powered by KSL Sports. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Google Play, and all other major podcasting platforms.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.