There are one, maybe two juniors (I'll get to the Chris Collinsworth situation) on the 2012-2013 team. I actually like that. Four seniors, two juniors is good upper-class leadership, but it leaves a wealth of youth around which BYU can build this program.
These two guys, Raul Delgado and Chris Collinsworth, are pretty difficult to analyze as one is a JuCo transfer and the other has been injured basically since he returned home from his mission, but I'll give it a shot based on my research and impressions from what little I have seen.
Raul Delgado, G:
I have never seen him play, I can't find a single highlight video of him anywhere, and I really don't know much about him, so this will be a challenge. Here's what I do know: he's a 6-2 shooting guard with the ability to run the point when called upon. He averaged 18.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 turnovers per game last season at Western Nebraska Community College. He shot 49 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three point range. That kind of consistent shooting as he steps up to Division-I ball will be key for him to get playing time in a guard-laden BYU lineup.
Delgado's assist-to-turnover ratio is also a positive for him, and if that remains a constant he may be asked to shoulder a part of Craig Cusick's role and protect the ball when things get sloppy. I imagine him coming off the bench to add an additional scoring threat, particularly when Tyler Haws needs a breather. Delgado will likely be competing with Anson Winder for minutes in that role, and they may split time depending on the situation. If the Cougars need a scoring boost, I would give the nod to Delgado due to Winder's inconsistencies in that department. But if the Cougars need a lock-down defender, I would guess Winder will fill that role this year (it was Jackson Emery for three years, then Charles Abouo last year, now I think it's Winder's turn.) I cannot find Delgado's minutes per game anywhere, but I would imagine he played at least twice as many minutes as Winder, so his 1.8 steals versus Winder's 1.0 may not indicate better defense.
Raul Delgado will add an intriguing option off the bench for Coach Rose, and it will be interesting to see Delgado play. If he can take his skill to the next level and work D-I opponents like he did NJCAA defenders, he may have the potential to challenge Tyler Haws' mission legs for significant playing time, however, I foresee he will come off the bench to play point guard, shooting guard, or even a little small forward depending on the situation and who needs a breather.
Agustin Ambrosino, F:
Forgive me if I don't sound overly ecstatic at the signing of Agustin Ambrosino. He seems like a really talented player and a good kid, but I simply don't see an incredible future in a Cougar uniform for him. Will he get playing time? Almost definitely. I mean, he's a 6-8 forward, and that is where this team needs more depth, however, he is still going to have a fair bit of competition.
He only started 21 of 31 games this year for Salt Lake Community College, so he does not seem to be the typical JuCo recruit this coaching staff goes after. It may be a little unfair to say this, but he "only" averaged 9.6 points per game. I say that might be unfair to say because he was the second leading scorer on a team that had all twelve guys average between 3.4 and 10.6 points a game. He was sixth on his team in minutes per game. Now in his defense it seems that SLCC's coaching philosophy is focused on team ball, player development, and playing time for all, so let the optimism begin!
From the sounds of it, Ambrosino seems to be an interesting hybrid between Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock with his own special twist. Coach Rose said, "Agustin's an athletic big man who can really get up and down the floor," which reminds me of Brandon Davies who runs the floor rather well. He is also supposed to be rather crafty around the basket, but more of a face up post player like Noah was, particularly his junior year. He has range like Noah, but Ambrosino may be a bigger threat from the outside that Hartsock. Ambrosino shot 43.8 percent from the outside, 49.8 percent overall, and 77.8 percent from the free throw line. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in playing less than half of each game. So given the chance it seems he can be very efficient. It still worries me that there really are not any other statistical categories I can excitedly mention regarding him.
Where will he fit in? Well, if Chris Collinsworth gets healthy (see below) it will come down to Ambrosino and Ian Harward to battle it out for some playing time, so there is a chance he will get hardly any. However, Brandon Davies, and especially Nate Austin have a tendency to get into foul trouble, and Collinsworth is no guarantee, and Harward will be coming off a redshirt year and has never played college ball, so Ambrosino needs to come ready to play. If he can work hard and possibly develop some back to the basket moves, he could become a key piece of the rotation down low. He is a necessary addition due to the lack of depth in the Cougar frontcourt, but it will be interesting to see what kind of playing time he gets and what he is able to do with it playing against bigger, better opponents.
Chris Collinsworth, F:
Chris Collinsworth is an interesting case. He used a medical redshirt in 2010-2011 after playing in nine games, averaging 16.3 minutes, 5.9 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game. In 2012-2013 he played just two games, totaling twelve minutes, two shots, and zero points before aggravating his injured knee and being sidelined the remainder of the season. It would seem logical that the NCAA grant him another redshirt year, making him a sophomore entering the 2012-2013 season, so let's hope that happens. But just so Raul Delgado doesn't stand alone as the only Cougar junior, let's look at Chris Collinsworth's game in this post.
Collinsworth's freshman year provides a couple of insights into his talents as a player, but we certainly cannot judge his offensive productivity based on those statistics. As a freshman he played 15.9 minutes per game (2.6 shy of Jimmer Fredette's freshman minutes per game that same season) and averaged 3.2 points per game. His shooting percentages were incredibly low (37.5 FG, 18.2 3FG, 43.1 FT) but perhaps we can attribute that to freshman jitters. I would not expect his three point shooting to be much higher, but in his medical redshirt year he did shoot 41 percent from the floor and 74.1 percent from the free throw line, though he was just 1 of 8 from three (12.5 percent.) So he has displayed the ability to put the ball in the basket, but it would seem that his strength lies in being aggressive, which is a nice reflection of his ability to fight through injury starting in his youth and going through high school and the past two college seasons. Like I said, he averaged 5.6 rebounds in the nine games of his medical redshirt year, and 4.8 rebounds per game his freshman year.
First and foremost, Collinsworth needs to get healthy and I wish him the best in that effort. It has to be incredibly frustrating for him to sit on the sideline game after game, and I hope he can get back on the floor this upcoming season. If he can do that, he will add much needed depth in the post for the Cougars, and will see valuable playing time and make some important contributions on the glass and hopefully put some points on the board.
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UPDATE
According to Dick Harmon of Deseret News, Chris Collinsworth was just cleared for daily weight-bearing workouts. That is a nice step in the rehabilitation process for him and I wish him continued luck.
Also, if anyone has an additional information on Raul Delgado or Agustin Ambrosino (or any players for that matter) or a highlight video of him, please let me know.
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