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  1. Dribble, jump, swish: men’s basketball is back

    Photo by Andrew Van Wagenen. Charles Abouo picks up an offensive rebound.

    After a seemingly endless wait, the college basketball season will finally begin.

    The BYU men’s basketball team will begin its quest to win a fourth-straight conference title tonight at 7:30 against Bradley. After cruising through two blowout exhibition games, the Cougars will now be playing games that count.

    Bradley finished with a 21-15 record last season and took second place in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. This is the Braves’ first visit to Provo since 1974.

    Bradley will be led by Sam Maniscalco, who averaged 12.6 points and 3.1 assists per game last year. They are also returning Andrew Warren, who averaged 13.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game before injuries caused him to miss all of last season.

    BYU finished 25-8 last year, won a third-consecutive MWC Championship and made a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

  2. Payne poised to break BYU’s PAT record

    In football, the point after touchdown is essentially an afterthought. The only time it seems to get noticed is the rare case that it wins a game or goes awry.

    In that case, BYU kicker Mitch Payne is on his way to providing more afterthoughts than any player in Mountain West Conference history.

    After making all seven of his PATs Saturday against Wyoming, Payne passed former Utah kicker Louie Sakoda for second place in MWC history with 141 career PATs made.
    Payne, a junior from North Ogden, first learned about the record after practice Tuesday.

  3. Locksley, Lobos enduring long season

    When the 2009 season was dubbed as the beginning of a new era in New Mexico football, the results may not be what the Lobo faithful had in mind.

    New Mexico enters Saturday’s game against BYU winless: 0-9 overall and 0-5 in Mountain West Conference play. The Lobos are one of four Football Subdivision Series teams without a win this season, joining Rice, Eastern Michigan and Western Kentucky. The last winless season for UNM came in 1987.

    UNM head coach Mike Locksley, who is in his first year with the Lobos after four years as offensive coordinator at Illinois, continues to praise his players despite the team’s struggles.
    “In my 18 years of coaching I’ve never been part of a team that has displayed so much character and resolve as this team has displayed,” Locksley said in a press conference Tuesday.

  4. It’s official: Kyle Collinsworth signs letter of intent

    On the first available day to sign recruits, the BYU men’s basketball team has landed one of the top prospects in the nation.

    Kyle Collinsworth made his commitment to BYU official by signing a national letter of intent on Nov. 11.

    “We are excited with the addition of Kyle Collinsworth to our program,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “He was a national recruit who is a terrific competitor and an extremely versatile player. An athlete with the skill level to play multiple positions, Kyle is a talented scorer, a productive rebounder and a proficient distributor.”

    Collinsworth is a 6-6 guard who averaged 18.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior last year at Provo High. He led the Bulldogs to a 24-1 record and was named the 4A MVP by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, in addition to earning 4A tournament MVP and All-Valley honors from the Daily Herald.

  5. Nike whiffs with TCU’s new uniforms

    This weekend Nike will introduce a new line of uniforms for a select group of schools across the country, with TCU being one of the chosen ones. I’ve perused the pictures on the Internet, and, as you might expect, the uniforms are outlandish and ridiculous.

    But let’s ignore for a minute the fact that TCU’s new pants look like denim biker shorts, or that the timing for introducing a totally new identity couldn’t be worse for the Horned Frogs, who will play their last challenging game of the year against Utah on Saturday.  

    The most concerning element of the new uniform line is its name: “Pro Combat.”
    Nike’s militaristic misnomer and constant comparison of athletes to soldiers doesn’t just show poor taste, but a total lack of respect to people who are actually involved in meaningful combat.

  6. Cougars prep for final homestand

    Photo by Andrew Van Wagenen. Casey Speredon Thurston, left, and Christina Measom block a kill against UVU earlier this season.

    Looking to show that they are better than their recent road losses, the BYU women’s volleyball team returns today to the Smith Fieldhouse for the season’s final home stand.

    “Our team is ready to finish strong at home and to show our fans that we are a dynamic and talented team,” said head coach Shay Goulding. “We have made some big improvements offensively lately with some girls hitting for some high numbers.”

    The Cougars are set to start the weekend against Wyoming, a team that proved to be a handful in their last meeting. A back and forth match went the distance with the Cougars edging the Cowgirls 15-11 in the fifth set.  

    “Wyoming’s record this year is deceiving,” Goudling said. “They are actually a very persistent team that plays scrappy defense and runs a solid offense. I expect that Thursday’s match will be an exciting one.”

  7. Women’s golf coach Sue Nyhus steps down

    BYU’s women’s head golf coach announced on Wednesday that she is resigning her position at the university.

    Sue Billek Nyhus started as a women’s golf assistant coach in 1998. She has held the position of head coach since July 2001 following the retirement of long-time head coach Gary Howard.
    “I’m grateful for the chance I’ve had to coach at BYU for the past 11 seasons,” said Nyhus in a statement. “I’m honored to be one of a select few who have been fortunate enough to be an athlete, a coach and a BYU Hall of Fame inductee.”

    Nyhus played golf while she was at BYU from 1981-85, being named an Academic All-American in 1985. She went on to play professional golf for five years on the European Tour. She won the Utah State Women’s Amateur in 1985 and 1989 and was named UGA Player of the Year in 1999.

  8. Cougs to kickoff NCAA tournament

    Making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup, BYU’s women’s soccer team will face UC Santa Barbara today at 4:30 p.m. in Palo Alto, Calif.

    The Cougars (17-3-2) have an 8-9-3 all-time record in the NCAA tournament. In 2003 BYU advanced to the Elite Eight after beating Colorado, Idaho State and Villanova. BYU has made 11 appearances in the tournament in school history, and have been invited every year but one since joining the Mountain West Conference.

    “We’re excited to be a part of the NCAA tournament this year,” BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We want to get back out on the field and prepare for Santa Barbara. I think we’re in pretty good shape, preparation wise, but we’re going to have to be at our best.”

  9. Intramurals: Coed Volleyball Power Rankings, Nov. 11

             Team, Power Ranking

    1.    COOL RUNNINGS,    4.75

    2.   WHAT UP,    4.39

    3.    WON HIT ONEDERS,    4.33

    4.   EXCELLENCE,    4.31

    5.    RAGE,    4.23

    6.    LUMBERJACKS,    4.19

    7.    SHOT DOCTORS,    4.06

    8.    MICHAEL BARNEY,    4.06

    9.    YETI'S,    4.00

    10.    NINJAS,    4.00

    11.    JAZZ YOUR FACE,    4.00

    12.    WEST COAST,    4.00

    13.    SCARED,    3.98

    14.    USA,    3.96

    15.    KYLE'S TEAM,    3.89

    16.    THUNDERCATS,    3.89

    17.    TOFU'S KIDS,   3.81

  10. Intramurals: 3 on 3 basketball power rankings, Nov. 11

    Team, Power Ranking
    1. LP, 4.42
    2. Udonis, 4.06
    3. En Fuego, 4.00
    4. G-Funk, 4.00
    5. Andre, 3.88
    6. Skistosity, 3.88
    7. Voltron, 3.75
    8. Magic, 3.75
    9. Romadii, 3.75
    10. Big Numbers, 3.75
    11. Thunder, 3.75
    12. Matadores, 3.75
    13. Nash Daddys, 3.69
    14. Holla, 3.67
    15. Eagles, 3.63
    16. Teamwork, 3.63
    17. Dunk It Zeke!, 3.58
    18. Hammer of Thor, 3.58
    19. Hei Shou Hui, 3.58
    20. Make It Happen, 3.58
    21. Justin Olsen, 3.50
    22. Ballers, 3.50
    23. Fergalicious, 3.50
    24. Goof Troop, 3.50
    25. History in the Making, 3.42
    26. Tigers, 3.42
    27. Section 139, 3.38
    28. Daddy Long Legs, 3.38
    29. MVP, 3.33
    30. School Bus, 3.33
    31. Los Chiquitos, 3.33
    32. 373, 3.25
    33. Discovery Channel, 3.25
    34. Cosmo Kazis, 3.25
    35. Goonies, 3.17

  11. Blogs: Sports as usual

    Don’t talk to strangers. Wash under your fingernails. Don’t talk back. Play nice with the other kids. We have heard these a thousand times. These sayings and many more get drilled into our heads from the time we can walk. New Mexico’s soccer player, Elizabeth Lambert apparently missed the “Don’t try to rip girls’ heads off by their pony tails” or “Don’t grab people’s faces and throw them to the ground” lessons. Or I guess maybe she just forgot. Lambert’s downright viciousness exhibited last Thursday during the Mountain West Conference Semifinals between BYU and New Mexico was inexcusable and probably cost her any soccer career that might have been available for her in the future.

     

    Click here to read the rest of this post at Beyond The Universe.

  12. Cougar team hopes for breakout year from Miles

    Photo by Stephanie Rhodes. Chris Miles goes for the basket during last year’s game against Air Force at the MWC Championships.

    Much has been made about the depth returning to the BYU basketball team for the season. On top of the four returning starters, the Cougars bring back three bench players who averaged over 10 minutes per game last year and two others who have a full season of game experience.

    While Coach Dave Rose’s squad returns playmakers at nearly every guard position, the post position looks to be the biggest question mark entering the season. Chris Miles has proven to be a serviceable big man at the starting position, but the Cougars will need him to elevate his game to accomplish their goals this season.

    It is unclear whether the necessary improvements have been made, but Miles said he has worked hard in the offseason.

  13. Kicker injured on mission, recovering

    Photo by Stephanie Rhodes. Kicker Justin Sorensen practices kicking field goals before a scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

    Another question mark has presented itself for the BYU kicking game. Last year’s freshman kicking sensation, Justin Sorensen, has spent the last five weeks in Utah recovering from surgery to repair an ankle injury, The Daily Universe learned on Monday.

    Sorensen was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Statesboro, Ga. for six months before the injury. It all started with a painful bite he found on his leg, which he showed to his ward mission leader, Steve Miller.

    “He showed us the bite in church,” Miller said. “We showed it to a doctor in our ward who said it looks like a spider bite. We thought it may have been a brown recluse.”

    The bite continued to get worse, and Sorensen eventually went to the emergency room, receiving pain medicine and a heavy antibiotic.

  14. BYU Snowriders land club status

    For those who were frustrated searching in vain for the BYU Snowriders club, be frustrated no more. Wax up the boards and dust off the skis, Snowriders is now an official BYU club and breaking ice with an opening social.

    After months of petitioning, advocating and meeting with BYUSA, the students pushing for a Snowriders club were rewarded with official club status.

    This means the group is now officially aligned with the university and can meet on campus freely and advertise on campus.

    “We are really excited because this is the first event ever,” said Andrew Coleman, one of the students who helped  the club become official. “We hope students would get involved in the Snowriders club. As we form the group for the first time we are interested in building the BYU skiing and snowboarding community.”

    There will be a free opening social tonight at 8:30 in the Varsity Theatre in order to officially get the club moving.