PROVO ? Fresh off of the best performance of his collegiate career, BYU's Derek Dawes may be staring at his toughest test.
If he and the Cougars have any hope of knocking off No. 25 Utah tonight (10 p.m., ESPN) at the Marriott Center, they will have to find a way to slow down Ute star Andrew Bogut.
"It's going to be a huge challenge," Dawes said. "He's a great player."
The contrast between Dawes and Bogut is as stark as, well, the contrast between the Beehive State and the Land Down Under. True, both players are sophomores and the starting centers for their respective teams. But that's where the similarities end.
Dawes, a 6-foot-11, 275-pounder, is from Salt Lake City, having prepped at Cottonwood High. He grew up a diehard Ute fan but chose to play at BYU. Bogut, a 7-foot, 245-pounder who hails from Melbourne, Australia, journeyed thousands of miles to play at Utah.
Dawes, 23, took a two-year layoff from basketball to serve an LDS Church mission to New Hampshire, then redshirted last season. Bogut, 20, honed his game while playing on Australia's Junior National Team. He started for the Australian National Team in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Dawes plays in relative obscurity for a team with a 7-13 record. Bogut stars on a team with a 17-3 record and a 12-game winning streak.
Dawes has been in and out of the Cougar lineup this season, dealing with a variety of injuries, including a broken thumb, a bad back and a bruised shoulder. He shoots 46.7 percent from the floor and averages 5.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. He recorded the first double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) of his career in last Monday's victory over New Mexico.
Bogut averages a double-double (20 points and 12 rebounds per game) and leads the nation in double-doubles, with 14. He shoots 64.7 percent from the floor. He's a candidate for both the Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards. Draft experts project him as a lottery pick in next summer's NBA draft. He may even be the No. 1 pick overall.
BYU coach Steve Cleveland's game plan for tonight includes keeping Bogut from scoring easy baskets. "What you try to do is make him not just take two-foot shots all night," he said. "If he's taking two-foot shots all night, it's pretty hard to stop him."
Of course, the Cougars are wary of the Utes' vast array of weapons. "This is not a one-man team," Cleveland said, then listed Utah's supporting cast ? Marc Jackson, Bryant Markson, Justin Hawkins, Tim Drisdom, Richard Chaney and Jonas Langvad. "They've got a lot of guys that can play," he added. "We've got to guard all of them."
Still, Bogut is the priority. "When a guy's going for 20 (points) and 12 (rebounds) every night, he's got to be your first order of attention," Cleveland said. "You're talking about an experienced, seasoned group of guys that are playing with, arguably, the first or second pick in the (NBA) draft." Bogut's play this season has impressed Dawes. "He rebounds. He's everywhere on the glass," he said. "He finishes every shot that he takes. One thing I've noticed is, he's emotional about the game. From a fan's standpoint, it's cool to see."
Is Dawes up to the challenge?
"Our whole team has a great amount of respect for (Bogut) and their whole team," he said. "We're not intimidated or scared, but we respect them a lot. We know we have our hands full with Bogut. But we're ready for it." Cleveland was encouraged by Dawes' effort against New Mexico and hopes to see more solid play from him in the future.
"It was good for him and for his confidence. It just tells him that he has the potential to play well," Cleveland said. "Realistically, he might have played 10 minutes his freshman year, so that's really a year out; then he had two years on a mission and a redshirt. The young man has not played in four years. That's a long time not to be in a competitive situation. So he just needs to keep playing. I hope he has some more good games. I'm sure there will be some that won't be what they were (against New Mexico), but he just needs to play. He needs to stay on the floor and keep playing."
If he and the Cougars have any hope of knocking off No. 25 Utah tonight (10 p.m., ESPN) at the Marriott Center, they will have to find a way to slow down Ute star Andrew Bogut.
"It's going to be a huge challenge," Dawes said. "He's a great player."
The contrast between Dawes and Bogut is as stark as, well, the contrast between the Beehive State and the Land Down Under. True, both players are sophomores and the starting centers for their respective teams. But that's where the similarities end.
Dawes, a 6-foot-11, 275-pounder, is from Salt Lake City, having prepped at Cottonwood High. He grew up a diehard Ute fan but chose to play at BYU. Bogut, a 7-foot, 245-pounder who hails from Melbourne, Australia, journeyed thousands of miles to play at Utah.
Dawes, 23, took a two-year layoff from basketball to serve an LDS Church mission to New Hampshire, then redshirted last season. Bogut, 20, honed his game while playing on Australia's Junior National Team. He started for the Australian National Team in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Dawes plays in relative obscurity for a team with a 7-13 record. Bogut stars on a team with a 17-3 record and a 12-game winning streak.
Dawes has been in and out of the Cougar lineup this season, dealing with a variety of injuries, including a broken thumb, a bad back and a bruised shoulder. He shoots 46.7 percent from the floor and averages 5.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. He recorded the first double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) of his career in last Monday's victory over New Mexico.
Bogut averages a double-double (20 points and 12 rebounds per game) and leads the nation in double-doubles, with 14. He shoots 64.7 percent from the floor. He's a candidate for both the Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards. Draft experts project him as a lottery pick in next summer's NBA draft. He may even be the No. 1 pick overall.
BYU coach Steve Cleveland's game plan for tonight includes keeping Bogut from scoring easy baskets. "What you try to do is make him not just take two-foot shots all night," he said. "If he's taking two-foot shots all night, it's pretty hard to stop him."
Of course, the Cougars are wary of the Utes' vast array of weapons. "This is not a one-man team," Cleveland said, then listed Utah's supporting cast ? Marc Jackson, Bryant Markson, Justin Hawkins, Tim Drisdom, Richard Chaney and Jonas Langvad. "They've got a lot of guys that can play," he added. "We've got to guard all of them."
Still, Bogut is the priority. "When a guy's going for 20 (points) and 12 (rebounds) every night, he's got to be your first order of attention," Cleveland said. "You're talking about an experienced, seasoned group of guys that are playing with, arguably, the first or second pick in the (NBA) draft." Bogut's play this season has impressed Dawes. "He rebounds. He's everywhere on the glass," he said. "He finishes every shot that he takes. One thing I've noticed is, he's emotional about the game. From a fan's standpoint, it's cool to see."
Is Dawes up to the challenge?
"Our whole team has a great amount of respect for (Bogut) and their whole team," he said. "We're not intimidated or scared, but we respect them a lot. We know we have our hands full with Bogut. But we're ready for it." Cleveland was encouraged by Dawes' effort against New Mexico and hopes to see more solid play from him in the future.
"It was good for him and for his confidence. It just tells him that he has the potential to play well," Cleveland said. "Realistically, he might have played 10 minutes his freshman year, so that's really a year out; then he had two years on a mission and a redshirt. The young man has not played in four years. That's a long time not to be in a competitive situation. So he just needs to keep playing. I hope he has some more good games. I'm sure there will be some that won't be what they were (against New Mexico), but he just needs to play. He needs to stay on the floor and keep playing."
