By Michael Hollingshead
Freshmen were cherishing their last days of childhood.
Some students were tying the knot.
Most kids were on the lake, praying for glass and working on their tan.
And while summer passed by, day in and day out, members on BYU''s basketball team were doing their thing too -- in the weight room and on the pick-up game floor.
Going 23-9, winning the Mountain West Conference and making the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years is by all measures a successful season. But according to this year''s starters, there was a lot to improve on during the vacation.
'Last year we had some nights where we just didn''t show up. We came out, for some reason or another, in some funk,' said senior forward Mark Bigelow, who will be looked to lead the team in wake of Travis Hansen''s departure to the NBA. 'This year I don''t think you''ll see that. We''ll be ready to play every night, and excited to play and hopefully play better at the end of the season.'
Bigelow is joined by Kevin Woodberry, Jared Jensen and Rafael Araujo in filling out four returning starter spots on a Cougar basketball team picked to finish first in the conference.
Woodberry, who passed the summer working on his shooting, strengthening his left hand game and perfecting his relaxing, laid out the 2003-2004 hoops scenario with precision:
'We''re the hunted instead of having to chase everybody and prove something,' he said as he sat comfortably in his Nike BYU shooting shirt and shiny new black Jordans. 'Now that we''ve got the status with what we accomplished last year, we have to defend it.'
The senior point guard is excited to help fill Hansen''s big scoring shoes, but he knows it'' s going to take a lot of help from everyone else on the team.
'This year it''s way different. It''s more of a sense of urgency,' he said. 'We''re way ahead of where we were last year at this time. Everybody knows the plays.'
Bigelow agrees that the team definitely made good use of the off-season, including the stop in Australia for a weeklong tournament where he averaged 21.6 points in five games.
'We played against some good teams and some not so good teams,' the senior said. 'We discovered a few things about ourselves. We were tough and didn''t back down when people gave us shots. That''s going to be big for us this year because people are going to be giving us their best shots.'
Though Bigelow did not want to give details on some of his personal goals for the season, he said he worked a lot on attacking the hoop and becoming a more complete player.
And it''s a good thing he did since the four-year starter will be depended on for leadership, intensity and, most importantly, points.
'I''ll be looked to take the big shots and pick the team up when we''re struggling,' he said with confidence. 'It''s something I enjoy having upon me.'
Though Bigelow will surely be in the spotlight, senior center Rafael Araujo will most likely be taking his fair share of it -- if not more. The 6-11, 290-pound Brazilian has lit up discussion boards the last few months and now ESPN is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, putting him under the national radar for a big year.
But he doesn''t feel the pressure, or at least that''s what he''s saying.
'I''ve had to play good because everyone is looking at me,' said the big guy who woke up at 6 a.m. during the summer to improve his shooting. 'Everybody knows how I play; I just have to do well.'
The bull has made NBA scouts turn their heads full circle this summer, and he hopes to do the same during the season with an improved inside game, expanded shooting range and better versatility going to the hoop.
As far as turning heads goes, BYU already has the full attention of the Mountain West Conference with the coaches picking them to finish No. 1.
Come tip-off, when all the summer tans of the fans wear off, the Cougars will be on the floor showing what they worked on all summer long. And if it''s enough, they''ll be able to prove they belong on top.