Busting Brackets
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BYU Basketball: What does the roster look like for 2018-19 without Elijah Bryant?

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars yells to his players during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars yells to his players during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 17: Ryan Andrus
DAYTON, OH – MARCH 17: Ryan Andrus /

Five guys competing for one spot

After barely playing before his mission, Luke Worthington returned to play more than anyone expected. He started 29 games, playing 15 minutes a night at the center position. The other big was Payton Dastrup, a former top-100 high school prospect whose overall development has been at best inconsistent.

He hasn’t cracked double-digit minutes yet, and while the talent is certainly there, the sophomore makes just as many mistakes as he does good plays.

Three more bigs will be coming into the fold. Ryan Andrus and Braiden Shaw were both injured this past year. And although both are useable bodies, neither are guys who warrant double-digit minutes, especially on a team trying to make the Big Dance.

A wildcard will be Kolby Lee, a 6’9 and 260-pound center that was himself a four-star commit out of high school. He actually joined the team in the second half of the season, opting to red-shirt. The reality is that this team needs another post scorer, and if Lee can show that he can do it early on he might get the nod out of this group.

Next: Best coaching performances of the 2017-18 season

While Worthington doesn’t do anything special, he has the trust of the coaching staff, something that Dastrup can’t say right now. But whether it’s these two or the others, this production from the position needs to be shored up if BYU wants to have a chance at getting back into the NCAA Tournament.