Going into the season, BYU walk-on Brock Reichner probably couldn't have imagined having the role he was thrust into Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

During the first couple of weeks of practice last fall, he was the 16th man on the Cougar roster. But as players like Keena Young and Garner Meads began going down to injury as the season wore on, Reichner gradually rose up the depth chart.

In the Cougars' 69-60 loss to No. 13 Utah on Saturday, coach Steve Cleveland asked Reichner to do a little bit of everything. Against the Utes, the scrappy junior played 22 minutes and scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor, including 2-2 from behind the 3-point arc. He also had one assist, one steal and three rebounds before fouling out.

Reichner's role isn't always glamorous, but he's willing to do whatever he's asked. The way Reichner sees it, playing is an opportunity, and he intends to make the most of it.

"It's interesting," he said. "I'm still on the scout team in practice, so when they get me out there, I'm just excited and want to work hard, have fun and try to do whatever I can to help my team win — bring energy and some points, and get some defensive stops."

"He competes and he defends. I need guys that can do that," Cleveland said. "We don't have a four man, so he's a guy, at 6-foot-4, who will be physical and dive on the floor for a loose ball. And we don't have anybody else on this team who can do that. That's why he's playing. He played well. I'm not going to play guys just to be playing guys. I'm trying to find the right guys at the right time. Brock has stepped up and competed. And he's a very competitive young man. That's what we needed."

Reichner is the son-in-law of BYU assistant coach Dave Rose. His wife, Chanell, is Rose's daughter and a former member of the Cougar women's basketball team. But that doesn't mean he's received any special treatment.

"I remember the first couple of weeks of practice, I was the 16th guy," Reichner said. "There was the time Cleveland didn't take me on the trip to USC. I was like, 'What's my role going to be on this team?' I just fought through it. I decided I wanted to play hard. I have confidence in myself, it was a matter of proving it."

Patience and hard work is paying off for Reichner now.

"This summer, I played pretty well with the guys," he said. "You never know. Someone could get hurt. There could be a redshirt. Something could happen and you're going to be given a chance. Luckily, it happened to me."

All in all, Reichner enjoyed playing in his first BYU-Utah game, despite the defeat.

"It was great, especially in the first half, when we were up by seven or 10 or whatever it was (the Cougars actually had an 11-point advantage at one point)," Reichner said. "It was exciting. The crowd was loud and I thought as a team we played really well."

---

E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com