BYU Basketball: Impact of Nick Emery sitting out the first nine games of 2018-19
Nick Emery is now officially part of the 2018-19 BYU Basketball team. But with him having to sit out nine games, who will the Cougars manage?
BYU Basketball has suffered a pair of key losses this offseason. First came the departure of leading scorer Elijah Bryant to the NBA Draft. That was followed by the transfer of former four-star big man Payton Dastrup. He wasn’t used much but was always viewed as someone with potential.
Bryant’s absence, in particular, will hurt, since both Yoeli Childs and TJ Haws are the only double-digit scorers for next season. With a lack of certain scoring production, the Cougars have no shot at challenging Gonzaga for the WCC crown.
However, it looks like reinforcements have “officially” arrived in Provo.
This isn’t a huge surprise in terms of Emery coming back to the program. After a one-year hiatus, he announced his intentions of returning to BYU earlier this offseason.
It was a welcomed decision for the basketball team. In the two seasons with the Cougars, the 6’2 guard averaged 14.7 ppg on 38% shooting from three-point range and can go off for 30 points on any given night.
But one thing needed to be taken care of. Prior to his withdrawal from the school, Emery was dealing with some off the court issues. One that caught the attention of the NCAA was possible improper benefits he received based on a relationship he had with a “booster”. That investigation was put off to the side while he was gone, but now the NCAA made their decision regarding his status. He’ll be gone for the first nine regular-season games.
On Court Impact
Emery was supposed to replace Bryant at the “wing” position on the court, with Jashire Hardnett and TJ Haws starting alongside on the perimeter. With him gone to start the season, Zac Seljaas is the likely replacement for the time being. The rising junior has started at that spot over the course of two seasons and has the ability to space the floor.
Scheduling Impact
Assuming Gonzaga once again dominates both the regular season and the conference tournament, then the path to the NCAA Tournament for BYU will come through an at-large bid. With few opportunities coming in WCC play for marquee wins, the Cougars will have to get some huge victories in the non-conference.
The new WCC schedule increases the number of preseason games from 13 to 15. Emery will miss nine of them, including against projected top-10 team Nevada to start the season. Since more games will have to be added, it’s not yet known which games exactly he’ll miss. But the margin of error has now gotten even tighter thanks to this decision.
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All things considered, this is a glass-half-full set of news for BYU Basketball. They’ll miss one of their top players to start off the season, yet will have him back for conference play. The Cougars will need every ounce of his scoring if the Big Dance can become an obtainable goal.