Mook vs BYU

Last week BYU put their hopes for basketball national championship in jeopardy by kicking one of their best players off the team.

… because he … broke…

the honor code…

well…

… because he got his girlfriend pregnant.

Interesting enough, though there are a lot of people joking about how they could never live up to the honor code… none of the sports journalists out there seem to be mocking BYU, instead they are praising them.

And rightly so.

In an age where most universities are hiring coaches who knowingly cheat – an paying them handsomely- BYU has decided to live up to their honor code.

In both professional & college sports, an athlete seems to get away with anything- if their good enough. I could use the phrase murder  there- and it would be correct… Players have carried guns, shot people, killed people… no problem. They have caught drink driving- multiple times. They boast of their sexual conquests in most cases, cheat on their wives, suffer divorce, and even commit rape- and there are no consequences.

They cheat, lie, steal… no problem – if you help us win.

The movie “The Program” came out 15+ years ago, and the stuff is still happening- and getting worse.

So, when BYU decided to honor their honor code and put a limit on how far they would let a student go… it was a breath of fresh air.

More than that, it was a stand against wrong. It was holding to standards. IT was holding young men to standards. It was a move that others should emultate.

Now, the BYU coach said “It’s not a matter of right and wrong, but of commitment”

And I think this is why people are rallying behind them.

Davies made a commitment. He knew what he was committing too. He should have known better.

Mistakes are forgivable. His teammates still support him as a person, but they will not have him as a teammate.

As for BYU…

I think they still have a shot at the Final Four.

Before this, who knew of Brandon Davies?

Sure, he was there only good big man, and good big man is pretty essential… but the hopes and dreams of this team was and is riding on a guy named Jimmer.

Jimmer Fredette is a baller. He can shoot, he can score, he can run the point, he can lead. He is a Senior. He is a playmaker. He is a superstar who can carry a team.

When I think of potential Final Four teams,  I look in this order

1.     Coach

2.     Guard-play, esp point guard

3.     Super Star who can carry a team

4.     Match-ups (see 5 vs 12 seeds & 7 vs 10 seeds)

5.     3 point shooting/ shooters (kinda goes with #4)

6.     Team Defense

7.     Senior Leadership

8.     MidWest is Best (see Big10 and Indiana schools)

9.     Record

10. Win-streak

Jimmer is a superstar, guard, senior, shooter… they have a great record, and still can go out on top… we’ll see what match-ups are, but I still got them going pretty far.