Most college basketball teams don’t have two-a-days during the fall practice period.

BYU does.

Men’s coach Mark Pope has a young team this season with 12 players new to the roster. He figures this is the best way to build team chemistry.

“Well, it’s really old school,” Pope said after his team’s second practice on Monday. “I don’t know anybody who does it anymore. I think everyone has kind of run away from it. We talk about sacrifice all the time and about making things sacred. These guys are going to get to bed at 11 o’clock tonight and then get up at five o’clock in the morning and be back in the gym to run this thing back again tomorrow and the next day, and the next day and the next day.

“Things just aren’t sacred, you make them sacred by sacrifice, by putting in the work. This team wants to make this season sacred. We honor this game by putting in this work and focusing on getting better every single day.”

The Cougars are still more than a month away from its first contest, an exhibition game on November 2 against Ottawa (Ariz.). The adjustment period for the players getting to know each other on and off the floor is perhaps the biggest challenge facing Pope and his coaching staff, and it starts with the two-a-day practices.

“I think it’s an unbelievable way to to measure your own personal investment in his team and your team’s investment in the season,” Pope said. “I think it’s an unbelievable way for us to get better, to become more cohesive, which we need to do. I think it’s a great way for our guys to learn that they have to lean on each other because they just can’t make it through without doing it. So it’s an invaluable part of the process of what we do here at BYU.”

The learning process is accelerated for a large freshman class (including returned missionary guards Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders and Tanner Toolson) because of shoulder surgery for senior guard Trevin Knell. His return is unknown at this point, with a focal point for sometime during the West Coast Conference season or later.

“It’s putting a lot of pressure on those guys, but they’re ready,” Pope said. “Interestingly enough, Richie came off his mission and was within a standard deviation of having one of the top combine scores, so he’s done an unbelievable job being really careful about ramping up. He plays so hard and that’s a challenge, but he’s a rugged player. Dallin got home a little bit later and so we’ve tried to keep his progress a little bit slow, but he’s ultra-talented. He’s got unbelievable leadership skills and vision.

“We have a lot of freshmen and they’re going to have fun with this. We don’t have a veteran team like we’ve had the past three years but have a nucleus of guys that could grow into a real problem on a national level.”

Pope said the Cougars are still awaiting word on waivers for transfers Jaxson Robinson (Arkansas) and Noah Watterman (Detroit Mercy). The other major transfer is Rudi Williams (Coastal Carolina), who is expected to take over the point guard position.

“Rudi is a little bit different than Alex (Barcello),” Pope said. “I don’t know if you can ever replace an Alex Barcello. He was one of the all-time greats here but Rudi brings some really special things and some skills that are really fun. I think he should be really fun to coach. He’s excited to take a leadership role on this team. He’s really physical like Alex and he can really shoot the ball. He’s got a little bit different feel off the bounce in terms of being a playmaker. But he’s a really, really important piece of this team.”

There are some veterans returning, including forwards Fousseyni Traore and Atiki Ally Atiki, along with guards Gideon George, Spencer Johnson and Trey Stewart. Still, Pope will be relying heavily on youngsters and players new to the program in 2022-23.

“I think we’ve got an interesting young nucleus,” Pope said. “You think about what Atiki and what he’s done, and then these young kids who have come in and all these guys have a chance to be together for a while. It’s super exciting.

“I don’t like having a young team. I would prefer to never have a young team because young teams don’t win very often. But I’m super excited to work with this team. We’ve got no niches and we’ve got no side guys, everybody is in this right now. One of the special things about our teams here at BYU is we have a bunch of guys who are really excited to connect with each other and so it makes it a really fun team to be around.”

Monday night’s practice was played at a high tempo, something Pope is emphasizing this season. During one time out in play, he told the players, “I don’t want to be a ‘stand in space’ team anymore.”

“We’re trying to find a way to play with some real pace, with some explosive pace,” Pope added. “We’re trying to turn into a much more disruptive team. That’s going to be really important for us to be able to kind of survive. I know they’re willing and they are going to be fully invested in what we’re trying to do.”

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