BYU basketball honored seniors L.J. Rose and Kyle Davis on Saturday night before the final home game of the season against No. 22 St. Mary’s.
Both Davis and Rose suffered knee injuries and didn’t play Saturday, but they were recognized for their time with the Cougars.
“It’s unfortunate that L.J. and I are both going to be on the sideline for this game,” Davis said. “Overall, my experience was awesome at BYU. It’s been a pleasure to play for coach Rose and I know L.J. feels the same way.”
Davis suffered his knee injury against Utah Valley University and underwent season-ending surgery in December.
He transferred to BYU from Utah State before his sophomore year and sat out a year, per NCAA transfer rules. Davis started all 37 games of the 2015-16 season for the Cougars. He played in 10 games before injury cut his senior season short.
“Davis was a big part of that NCAA team as far as practice and getting guys ready,” coach Dave Rose said, referring to the 2014-15 team that made an NCAA Tournament appearance. “He started every game when he was healthy.”
Davis averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per game over his two seasons with BYU, helping the Cougars win 33 games.
L.J. Rose had dealt with knee discomfort for weeks before an MRI revealed a tear in his meniscus on Feb. 4. He had surgery on Feb. 10 and does not have a timetable for a return.
He came to BYU this season as a graduate transfer student from Houston, adding experience to a locker room that featured six freshmen, four sophomores and three juniors.
“L.J. was a guy that put a lot of confidence in us,” Dave Rose said. “He helped us a ton. He started 25 games for us.”
Rose averaged almost six points, five assists and five rebounds per game while shooting 85 percent from the free throw line.
Despite the loss of both seniors, the Cougars are pushing forward to finish the season on a high note.
“Everyone is taking a part in the leadership role,” said forward Elijah Bryant. “I think this is a good time for us to grow and be able to build off of these big games coming up.”
The Cougars will head to Portland and Gonzaga this week to finish up WCC play.
