I once again have to apologize, but I simply do not know enough about these players to give an entirely accurate guess as to what role they will play for BYU this upcoming season. Overall my guess is that none of these players will see a tremendous amount of playing time because of the amount of depth that the Cougars are looking at this year. However, I do love surprises, so let me share what I've learned about these guys as to their strengths and weaknesses and then maybe I'll speculate a bit as to how they might be used in 2012-2013.
Cooper Ainge, G
Analysis on Cooper is pretty much what you would expect out of an Ainge: a good stroke, the ability to finish at the rim, creates for himself and others, great defensive instincts, and an overall intelligent player. He averaged 4 assists per game his senior year, and factoring in that high school games are eight minutes shorter than college and teammates' shooting percentages are typically lower, that number is great. He also averaged 1.8 steals per game and 4.8 rebounds per game (as a guard!) so he is a very well rounded player that will likely fill whatever role he is asked to. And this is all without mentioning his 13.8 points per game.
His three point shooting percentage (32) is low, but he has confidence from deep, and is not afraid to take a a big shot, but his game seems better suited as a drive-and-dish type guard, and he seems well equipped to hit the occasional pull-up jumper.
Ainge is a preferred walk-on, so while he is assured a spot on the team, it will still be an uphill battle for him, especially on this team that is loaded with talented guards. In 2012-2013 I would expect Ainge to redshirt and then leave for his mission, providing him an opportunity to learn from this talented guard lineup, particularly Carlino and Cusick.
Despite not being widely recruited and not even being offered a scholarship at BYU, I would expect in the years after his mission that Cooper will make an impact for the Cougars, though I don't believe we have the spittin' image of Danny.
Cory Calvert, G
Not to take away from a talented Cooper Ainge, but Cory Calvert is about to upstage him.
The Colorado state player of the year averaged 22.3 points, 5.1 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game his senior year, leading his team in each of those categories.
Interestingly, I haven't been able to find much on Calvert with regards to his playing style. In fact, most sources list him as a point guard but there have been a couple that have listed him as a shooting guard. From what I can tell, he is a combo guard with tremendous court vision. His coach said that Calvert has the ability to execute passing angles before anyone else sees them, a very useful asset, particularly in a transition offense such as the one BYU runs.
It will be interesting to see how Coach Rose uses Calvert this upcoming year. Obviously he will want to play, but again the Cougars are very deep at the guard position, so it may make more sense to redshirt him along with Ainge before they both embark on their missions. Having said that, Rose manages his guards very well, so if he feels that Calvert can step in and fill a role right away at either the point or shooting guard positions, he may see some playing time.
Ian Harward, F
Unfortunately for Harward, it is tough to see a situation in which he contributes much this upcoming season. He will likely start the year buried in the depth charts, and it will take some work to jump ahead of the guys above him. There isn't much out there on Harward, but here is what I know based on ESPN's scouting report and the little else I could find.
Harward is tall, but this as a rail. He really needs to bulk up so that he can develop an ability to post up strong and avoid getting pushed out of position, particularly when rebounding. He was recruited to come to BYU because he has an ability to run the floor, which is a staple of Coach Rose's offense. Again, the biggest thing for him will be to either bulk up, or learn to be strong and dominant in the paint in spite of his size. As ESPN says, he has a solid upside, so as the Cougars lose Brandon Davies, Chris Collinsworth, and Agustin Ambrosino to graduation over the next couple of years, Harward has a shot to become an impact player.
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