Jonathan Tavernari voluntarily changes role for 'glory of team'

Five guys playing hoops are harder to defend than one ball hog.

And six guys playing as an unselfish clan is extremely tough to overcome.

Sixth Man-itis: It's definitely working at BYU, a team that's found it's own "Hondo" John Havlicek, a sixth man delivery guy along the lines of the legendary Celtic guard.

Senior Jonathan Tavernari isn't exactly a Toni Kukoc or Manu Ginobili off the bench for the Bulls and Spurs, but at the table the Cougars belly up to, his version of Leandro Barbosa is working like a charm for coach Dave Rose.

It's gotta be satisfying for the volatile Tavernari to come off the bench and earn Mountain West Conference player of the week honors Monday for his work in BYU's last two wins.

Since Tavernari moved from starter to reserve, the Cougars have carved out an 11-game win streak and achieved it's highest poll ranking (17th) in two and a half decades.

To make this type of switch for a confident, high-energy shooter like Tavernari, it took eating a chunk of humble pie as big as the rim on a semi truck. He says it was his idea.

This is quite an adjustment for a star, who hovered among the top five scorers in the MWC most of last season but struggled when he tried to fill the go-to role vacated by Lee Cummard.

It is Phoenix Sun 2006-07 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Leandro Barbosa — not Havlicek — who inspires Tavernari. Barbosa, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has advised Tavernari and mentored him to embrace this kind of role.

Tavernari had his epiphany right after he went 1 for 11 in BYU's only loss of the season at Utah State. He says he went to the coaching staff and told them Noah Hartsock was playing better than he was and he should come off the bench.

Done.

BYU then won every game including wins over UNLV and UTEP in which he was definitely the hero from his perch off pine.

In that stretch, his triumph hasn't come without noticeable growing pains. Tavernari's bold use of a hair trigger sometimes brings words and looks from his mates.

He's adjusted, relinquished, toned it down and played more in the flow ad is taking far better shots.