Its hard to imagine a BYU fan that
wasn't happy with Dave Rose in his first season as head coach.
A longtime assistant in Provo, Rose stepped in and led an
unheralded team to a 20 win season and a 12-4 conference record.
***
Shawn
Siegel (CHN) : How will you deal with the loss of impressive
senior Brock Reichner?
Dave Rose (DR): Anytime you replace a senior
captain and starter like we must do with the loss of Brock
Reichner, it changes the dynamics and chemistry of the team. But
we feel comfortable as a coaching staff in that we have very
experienced returning players. We can be a good team if we get
strong leadership and have good chemistry. Shaun Broadus was
All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention, Keena Young was
All-MWC Third Team and Trent Plaisted was All-MWC Second Team
and a Freshman All-American. Lee Cummard and Jimmy Balderson are
both guys who could have very successful seasons for us.
CHN: You have a
bunch of new faces this year. Who will make the biggest impact?
DR: The
staff is pleased with the recruiting class. We have very talented players at
every position that will join the team and increase the competition for the
group. We expect a lot from Vuk Ivanovic, who practiced with us last season
after transferring and should help us in the post. Ben Murdock is a good
addition at the point position, which will give us some more depth there.
Jordan Cameron and Jonathan Tavernari are both very talented wing players
who should push returning players for time in those positions. Luiz de
Toledo is a very athletic player on the front line and we are excited about
him.
CHN: Which of your guys stands out as deserving more credit
than the media or fans give them?
DR: The seniors set the pace with hard work, weight
room workouts, getting along well together and their dedication
to improving in the offseason. There is a lot of good
competition within the group.
CHN: What coaches helped you reach the level of
success you’re at today? Do you still keep in touch with them?
DR: I probably learned the most
from the coaches I played for. Coach Lewis at University of
Houston and two JC coaches, Neil Roberts and Doug Allred. My
philosophy is based mostly on those three coaches, with the
addition of three really good coaches I have worked with: Lynn
Christensen, Ken Wagner and Steve Cleveland. My philosophy of
the game has developed over the 15 years I played and 23 seasons
I've coached.
CHN: What
do you expect the strengths and weaknesses of
this year’s team to be?
DR: We have a good, experienced returning senior
class who we are hoping will build on the past year’s success.
CHN: Have
you set any specific goals for this season?
SH: My expectation for every team I coach is to
prepare to win every game on the schedule. This team will be no
different. We're involved in a lot of different aspects of
trying to execute game plans, but preparation will be very
important to the success of this year’s team.
CHN:
Good luck this season coach.
