Speaker 1: You're listening dot ko v O Provo k U d
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ESPN The Fan, Utah's home of the La Rams. This
is Cougar Sports with Ben Kretel, and it's time for
the Cougar Beat. Getting the dish from the local reporters
that cover Cougar athletics.
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Speaker 2: One of three nine ninety eight point three year is
being the fan. I've been little broadcasting from our Vanderwelth Studios.
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Speaker 2: You need to get out of Utah County, get out
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While you're visiting Bryce Kandan National Park, let's get out
to the hot line.
Speaker 3: Welcome in.
Speaker 2: Baller's shot collar d Sean Walker, beat rider Insider KSL
dot com.
Speaker 3: We got Sean Walker on the line. What's up, Sean?
Speaker 4: I prefer to be known as someone from the same
state that US Women's Hockey Olympic legend Hillary Knight lives in.
Thank you very much, Ben.
Speaker 3: I know we got we got the gold baby.
Speaker 4: Shout out. Shout out to Hillary Knight. Shout it is there.
Has anybody ever had a better seventy two hours in
life like let alone sports but life? Then Hillary Knight,
she gets engaged. Was it like two nights ago? She
scores the game tying goal to become the US women's
talking all time leader in points and goals in the Olympics,
in an Olympics, and then she wins her second gold medal, Like,
come on, man, it's good to be Hill, It's good
to be Hillary.
Speaker 3: Shout out to Hillary.
Speaker 2: Shout out to the women's the women's hockey team getting
that gold medal around their next Congratulations to all the competitors,
all the Olympians out there that are winning at a
high level for the US of a Sean. We've been
talking hoop, We've been talking football. I want to talk
NFL combined with you if you can take a few
moments to discuss Chase Roberts and Jack Kelly right now.
Are you disappointed that more guys weren't invited to the
NFL combined?
Speaker 3: Do you think two was the right number? Who's at
the accurate number?
Speaker 2: Did anyone get slided here from BYU?
Speaker 4: I think, I mean, I think the two no brainers
from b YU will probably Chase Roberts and Jack Hill,
So I don't know if there's necessarily any slights you
can maybe make an argument for a couple of offensive
and defensive linemen, But I also don't really know how
offensive and defensive linemen are judged, quite frankly on the
NFL combine and kind of what they can do, what
they can sell, that sort of thing. I'm not paid
to be in. I know there's a shocking event, but
I'm not paid to be an NFL scout, so I
can't get inside their minds. I know it's weird, it's wild.
But there were two guys I think after Isaiah Bagna,
now not Isaiah Bagna, Isaiah Glaster. Excuse me, I'm getting
years mixed up. After Isaiah Lasker and now I think
he was coming back to BYU for his senior year.
I think there were really two guys that were ultimate
no brainers for BYU that should get drafted, probably will
be drafted, and kind of just needed some eyes, some
tapes and interviews and that kind of thing. And that's
that would say Roberts and Jack Kelly. Again. I throw
they in there a sort of the third guy once
he came back. I think really the noble Aners were
sort of taken up.
Speaker 2: If you are you, how do you think how do
you think these two will test out at the combine.
Do you think they're going to improve their stock, they'll
have their stock drop, or they will they be kind
of neutral.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, ultimately, that's that's the question, right. I
think something like the NFL Combine for a guy, let's
start with Chase. For Chase Roberts, I think the combine
experience has a potential to maybe expose some things that
NFL teams don't like, depending on how he does on
you know, agility drills forty times to speed, that sort
of thing. They're going to look really really heavy at
those things. So Chases needs a goat, he needs he
needs to do what he does best. He needs to
train for sort of non football events, if you will,
things like a forty yard dash, running in underwear, no pads,
that kind of thing. It's different. It's different than playing football.
And I think from people that are close to the
draft and close to hashtag draft season, if you will,
know that this is different than just playing football. But
I you think that Chase has the athleticism, and I
think he can show the speed, and I think he
can show kind of the agility in terms of getting
in and out of routes and that sort of thing
to make him he legitimate and very valuable, maybe even
middle I'll say middle in NFL Draftick. I don't expect
Chase Roberts he selected in the first round, but I
think he could. He could work himself into that position
somewhere in like the two through four, two through five range,
right in there, with a good showing at the draft
com When it comes to Jack Kelly, I think more
eyes on him and more opportunities to show case who he
is and what he is can only help him. I
don't know if there's much he can do to really
hurt his stock knock on blood obviously, hopefully I'm not
chinking him, but I think he just needs people to
see him. He needs, you know, people to see the
kid from Kern who spent most of his college career
we were stayed and then quite his way through a
couple of years in Jay Hill's defensive b YU, to
see who he is and what he's about. I think
people need history, they need to know his story, they
need to see who he is. I think this NFL
graphic experience ultimately should again knock on wood. Hopefully I'm
not thinking anybody, but ultimately it should only help him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like Chase is gonna come out of
this kind of just even it's like he's a productive, big, strong, quick,
good route running wide receiver. I think Jack is gonna
elevate his stock. I really believe that. I think he's
gonna run a really good forty time.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: I'm not talking like he's gonna look like von Miller
at like six three two forty six. I mean, because
he's what I think Jack's like at six one six
two two forty six. But I do think he can
get into that low four to five range, mid four
to five range.
Speaker 3: I remember Von Miller ran like a four four to two.
I think it was. Let me see what was his
four four nine, four four nine.
Speaker 2: So if he gets in I think it was actually
at the combine he ran a four four three, and
then at his pro day run a four four nine.
I would not be surprised if Jack Kelly runs like.
Speaker 3: A four or five to five. Yeah, you know somewhere
right there.
Speaker 2: Like he he has that that explosive get off and speed.
I think he could improve his draft stocks significantly with
a great combine performance. Don't be surprised if he runs
like in the mid four to five range, right, And I.
Speaker 4: Will say this about Chase Roberts as well, is this
is the kind I do think there are experiences at
the draft combine, outside of the underwear Olympics where he
can really kind of make his pay Like this isn't
just this isn't just you know, how fast can you
run a forty how many rescue you put up on
a bench?
Speaker 2: Are?
Speaker 4: What are your agility drills looking like? Like that's what
we focus on, particularly in the media, and then that's
kind of look it's you know, blasted for fourteen hours
a day on NFL network. I think that's all important,
that's all there. But this is also a place where
all where scouts and executive from all thirty two NFL
teams also converts on Indianapolish for a couple of days.
There are interviews, there are tests, they're you know, like
mental aptitude tests. They pull it. They brought you not
only physically but also mentally. And I think Chase Roberts
is the kind of guy who is he can just
sit down in front of some NFL executives, he can
really improve, he can improve his stock just by showing
them who he is. He's the type of guy, uh,
you know, leadership roles, locker room character I think is
sort of some of the cliches that we throw out.
He's the kind of guy that could really sort of
elevate himself by proving that he's not going to be
a head case or a headache if you will, Annie Roster,
that he's just gonna go and do us with us.
He works hard and he's not afraid to show a
little those leadership at times. I think that's where maybe
Chase can really shine if he can just sit down
in front of in front of some NFL teams and
not necessarily stand up and run and the.
Speaker 2: Sean Walker KASELKASL dot com talking some BYU Cougar's in
the Pros and a little Cougar Beat brought you by
Ruby Zen Ruby's dot com. Check out the hot deals
button and stay at Ruby's in right next to Bryce
Canyon National Park. Sean, what have you been working on recently?
What can we find uh as far as your product,
your ridings are concerned at KSL.
Speaker 4: Dot com, I mean it's just where we transition over
to basketball. I think that's what everybody's talking about right
now coming out a game in Tucson over there. What well,
let me let me ask, let me let's let's have
you get started. You are you are the proprietor of
the program, Benja. Then what did you think of that
game last night? Uh? In Tucson? And maybe I'll follow
up in there with something that stood out in the
first game post Richie Saunders for the Cooter Tagers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think both teams were a little bit shorthanded.
I mean, co Pete is their best player arguably, and
Richie Saunders is the most tenured, tried and true and
eighteen points per game one of the more efficient scores
in college basketball. So you can make an argument like, oh, well,
you just you're you're you're even in that regard. And
we saw what happened when they they played at the
Marriage Center with the home court advantage and they got
within one score.
Speaker 3: So the way you did, what they typically do.
Speaker 2: They get down at some point in in the first
half of the second half and they come roaring back and.
Speaker 3: Make it respectable. That's what they did.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: From a baseline standpoint. Some silver linings.
Speaker 2: Cannar Davis looked like he could be more involved offensively,
uh getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line,
not just settling for picking pops and three point shots.
And uh in in Keeba had four blocks and a
couple of putbacks, like he's starting to maybe get back
to his old self.
Speaker 3: Hopefully he can be healthy and strong.
Speaker 2: But other than that, k Y has absolutely no confidence
and no trust in anybody else on the bench. Nobody
else they they have, they have four guys that he likes,
and everybody else is like nah nah. You can tell
by how quickly he'll substitute it out when someone makes
a bad decision, takes a bad shot, looks a little
bit off.
Speaker 3: Those are my thoughts on it.
Speaker 2: It was a respectable loss versus one of the best
teams in college basketball. Our offense is great, our defense
is still a question mark.
Speaker 3: That's my synopsis.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think there's plenty left to be desired on
BYU on the defensive and offensively. This team still runs
through Aj Debonsa and Rob Right, a third to a
little bit less of an extent. No sight to Rob.
It's just comparing him to a top three NBA draft pick.
He's not that like Aj. Is that that's kind of
what the team is offensively, and when you throw Richie
Saunders in there, this felt like a team that had
potential to make it into the second second week and
maybe un Final Fourpere and in the NCAA Tournament. But
you put them up against a team like Arizona, and
Arizona has the depth that I think YU only wishes
it had in a lot of ways. I mean, my
guy like Anthony Dulosa can come off of the bench,
uh and go for whatever you want to finishing with
twenty three, twenty five somewhere in there. I mean, and
this is the guy outside of your starting five minus CoA.
P like Arizona has a legitimate depth. I think CoA
is eventually going to come back. They're not quite saying
telling though, is not quite saying how long he'll be out,
but he's not expected to be out for the entire
season when he gets back. In all of a sudden,
this is Arizona team that's the Dash Hotel contender, and
I think still is BYU. There's no shame in not
being that necessarily, but based off of where the expectations
were for this team at the start of the year,
I mean I think teams are trending towards a little
bit of a disappointment, and I think there are a
lot of reasons for that disappointment. Ritchie Saunder's injury is
is big, but the injury bug has hit them pretty
pretty hard. Not just Saunders, but you've got Dawson Baker,
You've got Stay Pickens before that, You've got Brody Kaslowski
getting hurt, who could have been a reliable stub maybe
see some rotation minutes in there. You add that to
a bench that just hasn't panned out very well. This
is one of the lowest scoring benches in NCAA Division One.
You know, we talked before the game a little bit.
I think that that, you know, guys needed to step
up in the absence of Richie Fonda. I didn't really
see anybody step up to prove that they can fill
Richie's minutes. Like you mentioned Canard Davis, Like, yeah, he
showed a couple of nice things in the second half,
but he's been a starter and still was a starter
last night. I guess that's nice, but I just I
don't see where BYU goes to replace those a minute
for Richie. And I think that is a serious problem
for Kevin Young and his staf.
Speaker 3: Sean.
Speaker 2: It's uh about we're getting down to the to the
wire here in the regular season. What do you think
the win lost record will be in these last what
are we having now five games left in the regular season.
Speaker 4: Uh? Yeah, it's tough because I mean they got a
top ten team and Iowa State coming into their building
on Saturday, right.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 4: And this Big Twelve schedule is unrelenty. It is tough,
it is, it is terrible in some ways. If you're
not ready for you can get really punched in the mouth.
I mean, I don't think there's an automatic win on
this schedule in Big twelve play anymore. We even thought
a team like Utah that only had one Big Twelve
win go on the road and smack West Virginia last night, right, So,
like this this is a conference that is unforgiving. This
is a conference that you can't just sleep walk through
anywhere literally anywhere, but whether that's in Tucson or Waco,
or Manhattan, Kansas, or Morgantown, West Virginia, Orlando, Florida, Cincinnia, Ohio,
where that is like, I think you got to show up.
You got to play your best. Ultimately, I do think
AJ and Rob have enough talent in them to kind
of eat BYU back into sort of its top half
status in the Big twelve tournament. I think they can
win a couple of games, get above that twenty win plateau.
That's really important. Beyond that, I really don't know. I
really don't know where else is team shows a lot
of it. It's gonna depend I think a lot of
it is gonna ride on both two, you know, the
Big three becoming the Big two. And what can the
Big two do to take the b YU into the postseason.
Speaker 2: What what this BAYU basketball team can be to be
to be determined still, but I know, okay, why has
some fight?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 2: And we're still looking for answers from the bench. I thought,
I hoped, I prayed it could be a Lexi Costic.
I'm losing hope. I'm losing faith in Mahilo. I'm I'm
I'm losing faith in just about that entire bench lineup
trying to find their way. Look, give me Jared McGregor,
give me McGregor, give it to him. I'm ready to
see him. Dominique gain cutting it for me. Monde in
a diamond in the rough, Honi, Jared, just Jared, And
as soon as you get a look Jared, I want
you to just huck it up, baby, Just take the shot,
shoot the jay.
Speaker 4: I love me some Jmac. I will always call for
some more Jmac anywhere and everywhere. Jerry McGregor is one
of my favorite people, let alone basketball players ever. But
I don't necessarily totally disagree with you. But one thing
that hasn't been talked about enough with saunders injury was
we know he's a great shooter, we know he's got
an incredibly high motor. We know he's a just a
dogged defender, right He uses his lines very well, can
kind of do a little bit of everything. But it's
it's his heart. And I do think that Kevin Young
touched on this a little bit earlier in the week
where he said, rich Saunders has really kind of been
the heart of this team for the past two years
that he's been there. He's been the face of Deyu
basketball under Kevin Young, and right, when you lose your heart,
I think Yu's lost his heart in a lot of
ways and they need to figure out a way to
get that back. As much as Richie's points. Points can
be replaced, Revents can eventually be replaced. Again, It's not easy.
This can be replaced. All of those stats can eventually
be replaced. And that's something that that they're working on
really hard at the annex, probably even right now as
we speak. But what is maybe what's a little bit
more difficult to replace is heart. It's soul and YU
needs to find the full of its program song Rickie Sonders,
and they probably need to do it pretty quickly.
Speaker 3: K Y said in the post game.
Speaker 2: That that it's gonna be a dog fight.
Speaker 3: Every time you play b YU.
Speaker 2: Kevin Young said that on his team's identity since losing
Richie Saunders. Do you think opponents feel like it's going
to be a dogfight every time they played b YU?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean they've coaches have said so so far
up to this point in the year. Granted most of
that has been with Ritchie, but they know what It's
tough play for Maria Center is to play. I think
the fans are still going to show up. I think
that I can give them a significant advantage for their
last couple of games here at home in Provo. They
know the talent that aj Devonte is they know the
talent that Rob right. The third still is they know
that there is still talent around them. These guys are wanted,
have been recruited to play Division one basketball and arguably
the best conference in America, the second best league in
America outside of the NBA. Again, to borrow one of
breat your Mark's favorite lines, like, these guys all have talent,
and I think coaches know that, but they're also going
to be scheming around that talent and trying to figure
out how to make themselves successful against that YU talent.
So yeah, like I do think this is still a
dogged team. I do think. I do think that there
is still something in them. It's just they're just still
a little bit shell shocked from a pretty significant injury.
And I mean, eventually they're gonna have to get over it.
Speaker 2: Sean Walker, Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls talking BYU basketball,
BA football topics, real quick storylines, beaca storylines of spring
ball that you're you're going to be taking a long,
hard look at during Camp Kilani twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was. I was initially gonna be looking in
the backfield to see what running backs there were to
back up l. J. Martin. We know the Big twelve
rating off of the Player of the Year. He's been
in all everything running back for Kowane team. Do what
you need? More depth in the backfield, though promising signs
Devon Eckas already on campus. You know he's gone to
know the team. He graduated early from Lehigh. This dude
is an absolute dog, and I want to be shocked
if he jumped into the rotation right away. But I
think there are other guys that are definitely gonna get
some opportunities gonext On a moa. Guys like like President
Rex is still back there. We thought good things out
of Stil the moon hanging in the bowl game that
you can't totally go unnoticed. That was my number one storyline.
I think he had it into swing camps. But obviously
with the situation that developed around Parker Kingston and him
no longer being with the team, I think you need
to kind of shift to the wide receiver pool. This
was a group that had now lost its top two targets,
top three targets really in terms of pass catches with
Carson Ryan and Kase Roberts and there from last season
and there there are a lot of reps to replace
right there. So running back, wide receiver, quarterbacks pretty well
settled that. I'm pretty sure we're settled. I don't think
there's any controversy there. Their Boutonnier coming back obviously, and
I really like Nick Watson coming in the potential backup
for him, along with Chasing Bulgey returning as well, So
I think those are fine. But we're going back in
that wide receiver. I think wide receiver is probably the
most present concern for b YU right now, not who's
throwing passes, but who's catching them ultimately from bear Backmeyer.
Speaker 2: Goldie Man, I've been on that train for a while.
The L A l A product Emick Watson, I think
he could possibly overtake the try it and prove Tracon
borgay as QB two. I'm with you on that one, Sean.
I'll ride and die with you on that, and I
think it's very I think it's possible. I think it's feasible.
Speaker 4: Fact he got to campus in like mid November, he
was able to join the team and as soon as
the semester ended in December, so he went through most
of those bull practices with BYU and uh. He's already
receiving very rave reviews from Aaron Rodgers. So that's that's
certainly promising.
Speaker 2: I think I'm gonna tag your baby QB two Cougarnation,
Nick Watson.
Speaker 3: Let's go.
Speaker 2: Let's go to break, guys. But I appreciate you, Sean.
We got to run.
Speaker 3: But always a pleasure past way to support you. What
you do, how you do it?
Speaker 4: Brother, Now, anytime, guys, call me up anytime, kisl dot com,
Kiss dot com, Bush Sports. If you want to bookmarket,
We're getting do the closing days of the Winter Olympics.
So I promise if you're not interested in that stuff,
all of that fluff that some of our advertisers have
paid for will be gone in a couple of weeks.
Here so Kiss dot Comsaw Sports, you want to hit
the book park?
Speaker 3: Wait what? All right, we'll talk all the.
Speaker 4: Yeah, the Olympic, the Olympic stuff. It's all you know.
The Olympics are going away in about a week and
a half.
Speaker 3: That's true, that's true, very true.
Speaker 2: There you go, all right, guys. I appreciate Sean Walker,
thanks so much.
Speaker 4: All right, thanks guys, There you go.
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