BYU basketball: SLCC guard Skyler Halford signs with Cougars

Provo • Wednesday marked the beginning of the signing period for Division I college basketball, and BYU coach Dave Rose wasted little time in landing a prospect he hopes will give the Cougars better quickness and scoring from the guard position.

Rose announced he has signed guard Skyler Halford, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College, to a National Letter of Intent.

Halford played high school basketball at nearby Timpanogos High and redshirted for one season at Utah State before going on an LDS Church mission to Brazil. He played two years at SLCC, where he earned NJCAA All-America First Team honors this past season and was the Region 18 Most Valuable Player and the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

"We are happy to announce that Skyler will be joining our program," Rose said in a school news release. "He's coming off a superior sophomore season. ... We are excited for the versatility he brings to our guard line."

Halford averaged 17.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Bruins in 2012-13 and shot .461 from the field and .393 from 3-point range.

"He's a great scorer and shooter and also has the ability to run a team," Rose said. "He's a fantastic teammate and someone who has been a proven winner at every level. We feel that his abilities as a basketball player and his attitude will be a perfect fit with our returning group of guys."

Rose has one more scholarship to give out for the 2013-14 season — more if any scholarship players currently on the team opt to not return, or are not invited to return. Rose said Tuesday that he has not conducted end-of-season interviews with his players yet and doesn't know yet whether every player with eligibility remaining will return.

Last November, high schoolers Nick Emery, Jakob Hartsock, Eric Mika, Braiden Shaw and Luke Worthington signed with BYU. Mika and Worthington will join the team this summer and play in 2013-14, while the other three will go on LDS Church missions before enrolling.

Kyle Collinsworth, a combo guard who is currently on a church mission in Russia, will also rejoin the team when he returns next month.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay