BYU basketball lands prized recruit

PROVO — The BYU Cougars have landed prized basketball recruit Kyle Collinsworth, the versatile guard/forward from Provo High who had offers from many of the top programs in the country.

"After my visit to BYU (last weekend), I decided on Sunday that I was going to commit there," Collinsworth said. "So today, I just called coach (Dave) Rose and asked him if I could come see him at his office. He was pretty excited. It's good to get this out of the way."

Collinsworth, a 6-foot-6 swingman who can play the point, the two or the three, had narrowed his list of schools recently to BYU and Virginia. Arizona State and Southern California, who both called Collinsworth on Wednesday, were also still hoping to get him.

"When I looked at everything, BYU was just the best fit for me. I like the coaching staff and the style of play they play. It fits my style of play," he said.

Collinsworth, the frontrunner for this coming season's Utah Mr. Basketball, was the 4A MVP for the Bulldogs last season by averaging 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. Before his college days are over, he could grow to 6-foot-7 or taller. He let those schools recruiting him know that he's hoping to get a chance to play point guard.

"I hope to play a lot of minutes early in my career, and I want to handle the basketball a lot," said Collinsworth, who plans to serve an LDS Church mission after his freshman year.

Next season, as a Cougar, he'll have a chance to play one season with his brother Chris Collinsworth, a 6-foot-9 forward who played one year at BYU before leaving on a mission to Australia.

"Playing with Chris is something that's always been important to me," he said.

It will also make things easier for his family.

"He had some pretty good options, but I think he made an excellent choice," his father Jeff Collinsworth said. "For him to be able to play with his brother, and for us to be able to watch him, is a wonderful thing."

At BYU, Collinsworth will not only be playing with his older brother, but he'll be reunited with former Provo High teammate Brandon Davies, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward for the Cougars.

"That's definitely an added bonus, because he's really like a brother to me," Collinsworth said.

The commitment Wednesday afternoon was only verbal, and BYU's coaches cannot comment until Collinsworth officially signs with the team in November.

Almost every recruiting service considers Collinsworth a Top 100 recruit and among the best small forwards/guards in the country.

e-mail: jimr@desnews.com