GO COUGS!!!

“-How tall is Jimmer?

-6’8” or 6’9” I think?” (mmm try 6’2”)

“-Another missed free throw by Kyle Collinsworth.

-That’s what he doesn’t start.” (uhhh, he does)

“-Why are they even letting Noah shoot?” (because he has the best 3 pt percentage on the team)

“-Why is that not a shooting foul?” (He didn’t have the ball, for one thing.)

That is just a taste of the dim-witted comments and questions I have overheard during the last few BYU basketball games. Were we not so removed from football season, I might remember some of the comments I heard from some fans not so well versed in football (such as “why are we punting? It’s only 4^th and 19. Matt Hall completed that pass that one time to Adam Collie against Utah State on 4^th and 18”).

With so many people so concerned about passing out flyers about how to cheer and when to cheer, I am surprised no one has taken the initiative to write about basic basketball rules, player profiles and just common sense basketball game etiquette. Wait, I can do that.

Here it goes.

1. 1. Know at least the basic facts about the players on your team. i.e. Height, strengths, age, injury reports, favorite color, etc.

2. 2. Understand the rules of basketball before you yell obscenities at referees. Just because Jimmer missed a layup against 3 defenders does not automatically mean he was fouled.

3. 3. Do not make fun BYU players. I won’t repeat what was said about Noah Hartsock, but there is no need to make those sorts of comments even about the opponents.

4. 4. Don’t be so critical about your team. Good heavens, they are past the half point of the season and have only 1 loss. ONE LOSS!!! Look back over the recent years and tell me which teams have won 25-30 games in the regular season. We are talking Duke, UNC, UConn, Syracuse. What do those schools have in common? They all have won tournament titles. We also have an amazing talent that is arguably one of the best players in the nation. I think we can sit back and take a deep breath that they know what they are doing. Do they have deficiencies? Yes. But so does every other team in college basketball. It is just a fact. Teams are built on the fly because players go to the NBA so quickly. BYU hasn’t had a lot of players leave early, but we have a lot of players that play for one or two years, then go on missions. It’s the same thing.

5. 5. Finally, do not get restless if people are saving seats. If you want to sit in the first 20 rows, you have to get there early. Do not get mad that I am saving seats for friends. If we make the effort to get there two or three hours early, I deserve to hold as many seats as I want.

I know I am preaching to the choir here, but maybe this will circulate, get printed and passed around before the game. Then everyone can make paper airplanes with it and throw in on the court, poke Jimmer’s eye out and then we will see what a crappy BYU basketball team really looks like.