BYU scoring mark might need asterisk

It's been six days since Jimmer Fredette lit up Arizona with a school-record 49 points, busting BYU's 48-year-old, single-game scoring record.

It was a phenomenal display of shooting, especially when one considers Fredette didn't take his first shot, a baseline jumper, until 16:34 of the first half. At the 13-minute mark, he had just eight points and six assists. But by halftime, the junior had scored 24 of his 49 and wound up leaving the game with 2:55 remaining.

What about this BYU record Fredette busted? It was 47 points, accomplished by forward Bob Skousen on the opening weekend of the 1961 season during a doubleheader against UCLA.

This entire week, I've tried to contact Skousen to get his take on the new and old records, but it's been tough to track down this Arizona native. BYU alumni and basketball office records show he lives in Payson, Ariz. E-mails sent to his address and those of his friends brought no helpful contact in a week when many are visiting relatives.

So I called Pete Witbeck, a former BYU athletic administrator who's now retired. Witbeck worked as the freshman coach on that 1961 team under the late Stan Watts.

"Bob was a pure shooter," said Witbeck. "He had a high release and arch to his shot, and it was a beauty to watch. He wasn't very quick on his feet, but he could shoot the ball."

Skousen was the son of a very successful highway contractor in Mesa, and Witbeck said he took over his father's business and also did very well after he left BYU.

"He played one year for us and then went on an LDS mission," Witbeck said. "When he came back, the UCLA games were his first action for us."

Back in the day, BYU deployed two point guards and loved to run.

"We'd average 90 points a game and fast break all the time," said Witbeck.

Skousen and Jim Kelson were BYU's starting forwards. The center was Bruce Burton, and the guards were Gary Batchelor and Ron Stienke.

Witbeck praises Fredette and his new record, calling the New York native "a phenomenal talent" who has an "outstanding shot with perfect form."

Fredette, the preseason MWC player of the year, leads the league in scoring with a 21.6-point average, a decent margin over the league's No. 2 scorer, Wyoming's Afam Muojeke (17.3).

"Fredette is fun to watch, and he's a tremendous talent," said Witbeck.