NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Utah of last decade
By Joey Loose
10. Eric Mika – BYU
A top 40 prospect among the 2013 recruits, Mika made his way to BYU to play for coach Dave Rose. A 6’10 forward from Alpine, Mika served his Mormon mission in the middle of his basketball career, but still had a pretty phenomenal effort on the court before and after that journey. He only played two seasons for the Cougars, but he did more than enough to quality for today’s list.
He made an impact as a freshman, averaging 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds on a BYU squad that won 23 games and appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Mika scored 15 points in their season-ending loss to Oregon in the Big Dance. After spending the next two years on his mission, Mika returned to the Cougars and became their top offensive weapon. He’d average 20.3 points and 9.2 rebounds a game during that sophomore season, with a career-high 31 points in a win over San Francisco.
One of the WCC’s best freshmen, Mika came back three years later without missing a beat and was named First Team All-WCC for that phenomenal second season. He led the conference in points, offensive rebounds, blocks, and free throws, becoming an all-around offensive threat for the Cougars, who finished 3rd in a tough conference race. Mika declared for the NBA Draft after that season but was not drafted; he’s spent the last five years playing basketball overseas.