Courtesy BYU Photo

The internet is helpful for all kinds of things including, apparently, how to make a Christmas Wish List.

Giftwhale.com provided the following guidelines.

1. Start early

2. Think of wants … and needs

3. Try to replace old and outdated belongings

4. Consider luxury items

5. Don’t forget about experiences

6. Consider budget

7. Narrow it down

8. Make your list and check it twice

Hmm. I usually just go to Amazon and find out what they want me to buy.

With those helpful hints in mind, here is a list of probable Christmas Wish List items for some of BYU’s athletic programs.

Men’s basketball

I’m sure Mark Pope would love to have an entirely heathy roster at some point during the season. He’s close with newcomers Dawson Baker and Marcus Adams Jr. now available. Fousseyni Traore is still nursing a hamstring injury and the Cougars really need him back for Big 12 play.

Wishing big, the Cougars are eyeing an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2021. No one would have thought that possible after last season, but here we are. I asked Pope on Thursday what was on the Christmas Wish List for his team, and he just said, “A victory.” His needs are simple.

Women’s basketball

One wish will come true at some point during this season: Lauren Gustin snagging the school’s career rebounding record. Gustin has 1,379 and the record, held by Tina Gunn Robison, is 1,482. At her current rate, Gustin should break the record in the next six or seven games.

Coach Amber Whiting currently has another wish, and that’s for her young backcourt to start taking care of the ball better. In the past three games, the Cougars have coughed the ball up a whopping 68 times. Two of those games were wins, but this late in the preseason, that’s pretty alarming. Turnovers at that rate would lead to a lot of losses in the Big 12. It’s a tough situation for the Cougars, which had their returning starting point guard, junior Nani Faletea, bail on them last week when she left the team. BYU is also missing veteran guard Ari Mackey-Williams, who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Women’s soccer

Coach Jennifer Rockwood and her coaching staff always do a marvelous job replacing talent and that’s the wish after so many great seniors have moved on from this year’s Final Four team. Since Rockwood has accomplished so much in her career, why not wish for a national championship sometime soon? Then she could “Peace, out” into retirement as a champion. Until then, she’s on the job.

Women’s volleyball

The first year for the Cougars in the Big 12 was very challenging and Heather Olmstead’s crew performed well. For a 2023 Christmas wish, Olmstead is hoping a consistent setter emerges from a crowded group of replacements for Whitney Bower, one of the all-time greats. Between Bower’s younger sister (freshman Alex), former Timpview standout Silina Damuni and redshirt transfer Kalia Thunstrom, someone will emerge.

Baseball

Last year’s Christmas Wish List for new coach Trent Pratt was a pitching staff with an ERA under 5.00. In their last year in the West Coast Conference, the Cougars ERA was 7.47.

Yikes.

Maybe what I wished for was a “luxury item,” or something. So this year, the first in the rugged Big 12, perhaps the wish should be for an ERA under 6.00.

Softball

The Fighting Gordon Eakins will find the Big 12 schedule as difficult as they’ve ever faced. Instead of cushy road trips to the West Coast, BYU will find itself traveling East on a variety of long road trips. The Christmas Wish List should include comfy airplane seats, lots of soft pillows and great wi-fi connections for homework on those long road trips.

Track and field

The Cougars have had some great individual performances over the past few years, so how about a wish for a Top 10 finish in the team standings at the national meet? Also, let’s wish for great spring weather. They deserve it.

Cross country

Wouldn’t it be great to have the cross country national finals in Utah one year? I guess fall weather is difficult to predict in the Beehive State, but the Cougars, one of the top cross country programs in the country, could use just a little bit of a home field advantage.

Gymnastics

For Guard Young’s team, I wish for a sellout at the Marriott Center when Ohio State comes to Provo on March 8. Wouldn’t it be cool to have 19,000 fans cheering on the Cougars?

Golf

The wish is for Top 25 finishes for both the men’s and women’s golf teams. Same for Cougar tennis. Those kids work just as hard as the more high profile sports and deserve some success.

Everybody have a Merry Christmas, OK?

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