BYU’s Dallin Corridor drives throughout sport in opposition to Saint Mary’s throughout 2023 WCC tourney play in Las Vegas. Corridor and his teammates have been working and bonding this summer time because the Cougars put together for his or her first season within the Large 12. Nate Edwards, BYU Photograph
BYU’s Dallin Corridor drives throughout sport in opposition to Saint Mary’s throughout 2023 WCC tourney play in Las Vegas. Nate Edwards, BYU Photograph
Not solely is the BYU basketball program becoming a member of a brand new convention this season — the Large 12 — however it has welcomed some new, key gamers to the roster.
“I believe it helps us to get away from basketball, to see what we’re like off the ground. To have the ability to study extra about one another, have enjoyable, chortle collectively, strengthen these relationships and to have the ability to chill out just a little bit.” — BYU guard Dallin Corridor
Summer time exercises are in full swing, and transfers Dawson Baker, Aly Khalifa and Ques Glover are in Provo, practising with the Cougars as coach Mark Pope and his workers work out tips on how to mix the returnees and newcomers and foster an setting the place chemistry and confidence could be established.
“It’s been actually enjoyable to get to know these new guys. They’ve been nice thus far and we’ve cherished having them,” mentioned guard Spencer Johnson. “They’re working exhausting and doing every little thing coaches ask of them. We’ve had a while to know them off the court docket.
“They’re fairly good dudes. We’re excited to have them right here. I’m excited to play with them, too. Because the summer time progresses and as we maintain working collectively, it’s going to be enjoyable to see how this roster continues to form up.”
“The very first thing I might say is, all three of them are extraordinarily expert. All of them have a number of expertise beneath their belts,” mentioned guard Dallin Corridor. “They’re studying what we’re making an attempt to do at BYU and shortly adapt. All three of them love the sport of basketball they usually’re anxious to get higher.
“They every convey a singular ability set to the workforce that we want and we worth. They’re all excellent dudes, which is tremendous enjoyable. They’re guys that I can belief on the court docket and off the court docket and look to as brothers. Excellent character and excellent basketball gamers.”
Whereas Baker, Khalifa and Glover have disparate backgrounds, every looks like an excellent slot in BYU’s program, in response to Johnson.
“It’s cool as a result of none of them are from Utah. Dawson is the one one from the West. Aly is a brilliant humorous man. He’s fairly quiet however when you discuss to him and also you get him speaking, he’s fairly hilarious. Ques, you possibly can inform that he’s been round and he’s mature. He is available in and he is aware of what to do. He will get his work executed effectively. It’s fairly cool to have all of them right here.”
Moreover Johnson and Corridor, the Cougars return key gamers like Fousseyni Traore, Jaxson Robinson, Richie Saunders, Trevin Knell, Trey Stewart, Atiki Ally Atiki and Noah Waterman.
“The nice factor is, we've got a number of the identical guys from this previous yr,” mentioned Johnson. “Bringing these new guys in, they’re skilled, they’ve been round faculty basketball. It’s about how we do issues at BYU and the way are the nuances right here and what does coach like and doesn't like.”
Corridor has confidence within the roster the teaching workers has put collectively.
“I belief the coaches and their imaginative and prescient and what they've deliberate for us. Proper now, I can see the items coming collectively. It’s a piece in progress,” he mentioned. “Fortunately, we’ve received a while to determine issues out. However I believe we've got all the fitting items we want for this upcoming yr.
“Now it’s a matter of gelling collectively, enjoying collectively so it’s all instinctive and we all know how one another performs and we’re capable of play as one and compete and push one another. That’s a part of the summer time. I really feel like this can be a nice group. There’s no different group I’d slightly go to struggle with. I’m excited to see what we’re going to do that yr.”
NBA Summer time League; Fourth of July pool occasion
Not solely are the Cougars figuring out and practising collectively, however they’re additionally bonding off the court docket.
Final week, they attended a few NBA Summer time League video games in Salt Lake Metropolis collectively.
“We took a bus up there and watched each video games,” mentioned Johnson. “We received to hang around with everybody and soak in these video games.”
On the Fourth of July, the workforce received collectively for “an enormous ol’ Fourth of July pool occasion” at Pope’s home, Johnson mentioned. “We performed a bunch of video games. It was fairly enjoyable.”
“I believe it helps us to get away from basketball, to see what we’re like off the ground,” mentioned Corridor. “To have the ability to study extra about one another, have enjoyable, chortle collectively, strengthen these relationships and to have the ability to chill out just a little bit. That’s one thing we’ve tried to do extra as a workforce this offseason — spend time collectively, have enjoyable collectively. We look ahead to seeing it repay this yr.”
European journey
In late August, the workforce will journey to Europe to play some video games in opposition to skilled groups in Italy and Croatia. The NCAA permits faculty basketball groups to do a global journey each 4 years.
The final time the Cougars traveled to Europe, a couple of months after Pope was employed, they visited Italy and performed a handful of video games there.
“It’s going to be nice. It’s at all times good to play video games in opposition to somebody apart from ourselves,” mentioned Johnson. “That’s going to be actually enjoyable. And it’s going to be over there with the blokes. One other team-building exercise.”
For Johnson, this journey will likely be notably significant since he served his Latter-day Saint mission to Italy.
“I’ll return to a few the cities that I served in,” he mentioned. “It is going to be my first time again since coming dwelling. So it’s fairly cool.”
Corridor can be trying ahead to this chance.
“I’m stoked. It is going to be my first time going to a distinct continent. I’m actually excited. I’ve heard nice issues from a few of the previous guys that went on this journey,” he mentioned. “They’ve instructed me how enjoyable it's to be along with your teammates in these locations. I really feel extraordinarily blessed and grateful to have the chance and have basketball tied into it. It’s a dream come true, actually.”
The hope is that this European journey accelerates the method of this workforce coming collectively.
“I believe it would assist us quite a bit to have the ability to play in these video games. It is going to be useful to spend that a lot time collectively, having enjoyable, enjoying hoops,” mentioned Corridor. “I don’t know tips on how to measure how a lot it would assist us however I really feel like it would have a brilliant optimistic influence on our progress as a workforce.”
Summer time exercises
To open the season final yr, BYU struggled mightily by way of turnovers. The Cougars coughed up turnovers in bunches earlier than settling down because the season went on.
Not surprisingly, one level of emphasis this summer time from Pope is avoiding turnovers.
“He’s been actually adamant about defending the ball,” Johnson mentioned. “Any time we’re doing stay play, any time somebody has a turnover, it’s working sprints on the sideline, which all of us love. He’s been tremendous adamant about that. And simply competing.”
The gamers have been pushed exhausting within the weight room and of their particular person exercises as effectively.
“(The coaches have) been tremendous detail-oriented with how we’re going to method this factor. We’re working actually exhausting within the weight room. We’re getting our photographs up,” mentioned Johnson. “We’ll have a number of particular person work, whether or not that’s ballhandling or ending on the rim, contact. We’ll additionally do a number of workforce issues — three-on-three or five-on-five. … It’s been enjoyable what every man is specializing in and the way he’s bringing that into stay play.”
Corridor mentioned Pope has harassed a couple of themes through the offseason.
“So far as on court docket stuff, it’s shield the ball; make photographs; and become old. We’re doing these three issues. So far as the long-term image, I’d say, we’re not simply going into the Large 12 to be within the Large 12. Our purpose is to win and to try this on the highest degree. We’re not going to accept something much less.”
Corridor’s progress
After serving a two-year mission to Fresno, California, Corridor returned dwelling final summer time. He’s loved having a full offseason to arrange for the upcoming marketing campaign.
“That first summer time feels tremendous quick. The whole lot feels prefer it’s being thrown at you. This summer time, issues have sort of slowed down,” he mentioned. “Now that my physique’s again, I really feel like I’ve been capable of dial in on my sport and work on the issues that the coaches have requested of me. I’ve seen a number of progress.”
A number of video games into the season, as a real freshman, he was inserted into the beginning lineup. How does Corridor describe his first season of school basketball?
“I might describe it as an enormous studying curve. This final yr, coming in, you don’t actually know what to anticipate as a freshman and particularly as a returned missionary,” he mentioned. “However I used to be grateful for the alternatives I used to be given. I realized quite a bit. There have been veteran guys that mentored me like Rudi (Williams) and Gideon (George). It was a relentless studying season for me and I’m excited to take that into subsequent yr. I've just a little bit extra expertise beneath my belt. I do know what to anticipate. Clearly, we’re becoming a member of a brand new convention and there’s new with that side however this final yr was actually enjoyable for me. Lots of ups and downs. However I adore it. I really like enjoying basketball, I really like being right here at BYU and I really like getting higher.”
This offseason, Corridor has particular parts of his sport that he’s been working to enhance.
“A few issues that I’ve been specializing in is extending my vary for my 3-point shot and defending the basketball. That’s going to be tremendous huge,” he mentioned. “That’s one thing that final yr we struggled with, particularly in the direction of the start of the season. We’re emphasizing it and a number of that’s on me. It’s my duty as some extent guard.
“Defensively, simply engaged on spot-up protection, getting my ft faster. We’re going to be enjoying in opposition to some actually fast guards within the Large 12. These are a few of the issues I’ve been engaged on, making an attempt to get myself prepared and including some instruments to the instrument belt.”
Sure, the duty of making ready for Large 12 competitors is underway.
BYU’s Dallin Corridor drives throughout sport in opposition to Saint Mary’s throughout 2023 WCC tourney play in Las Vegas.
Nate Edwards, BYU Photograph