BYU basketball: Depth still a concern for Cougars

PROVO — If there's a question left to be answered about the 10-0 BYU Cougar men's basketball team, there's still some uncertainty about its depth.

After all, with the exception of senior forward Archie Rose, none of the other players off the bench played for the Cougars last season. And Rose has been injured for most of the year. Also, with the exception of Rose, point guard Lamont Morgan Jr. and center Gavin McGregor, all of the others are freshmen.

"There's a lot of firsts for this group in almost every game we play, so we've still got a lot of learning yet to do and things to figure out as we go. But so far I like how the guys have responded," Cougar coach Dave Rose said.

Morgan has been more than adequate at giving starting guards Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery a rest. In fact, he's played outstanding of late and has made 7-of-8 field goals the past two games and is making 40 percent of his 3-point attempts.

The Cougars haven't seemed to lose much at all, especially in rebounding and defense, when McGregor and freshman James Anderson come in for starting center Chris Miles. Anderson had a career-high 10 points and five blocks when Miles got in early foul trouble against Boise State.

For the most part freshmen Charles Abouo — four points, two rebounds and 44 percent shooting in 12 minutes per game — has been called on to give breathers to forwards Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari. But the two captains are playing heavy minutes, about 30 per game, and that's through a stretch of blowouts. Had the games been closer those minutes would likely be higher.

If BYU wants its two veterans to be rested and strong late in the season and for the postseason, it needs a little more help on the front line, especially in the No. 4 spot. The hope is that Archie Rose and freshman Noah Hartsock will team up to fill that role.

Archie Rose, at only 6-foot-5, is a little undersized for the four but spent all of his summer preparing to play that position — mainly because of his strength and aggressive style. Unfortunately, his final season in a Cougar uniform has been delayed by a stress fracture in his left foot. He's only been back on the court for a few weeks. His shot is clearly rusty, but his hustle is not. He expects to play a bigger role the remainder of the season.

"I've watched a lot of film on how Keena Young used to play the position and some of the things he did to make up for his size, and I'm ready for the challenge," Archie Rose said.