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Provo • Jordan Chatman says he feels no pressure to follow in his father's footsteps at BYU.
For one reason, Jeff Chatman's feet are considerably larger than his son's, as is the rest of his frame.
Also, Jordan Chatman often reminds people, they play totally different positions. Jeff, an honorable mention All-American for the Cougars when he played from 1984-88, was a 6-foot-6 forward known for his post-up ability and sweet mid-range jump shot.
Jordan, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, plays guard and is more of a slasher and defensive ace.
"My dad just told me to have fun and not worrying about [being as good as he was]," Jordan Chatman said. "So, I don't feel too much pressure. It's more about being as good as I can be."
BYU coach Dave Rose said Jordan Chatman will continue to see more and more playing time — an ankle injury in the intrasquad scrimmage curtailed his November minutes — as the season goes along, including Thursday night when the Cougars (1-1, 10-5) play host to Santa Clara at the Marriott Center (9 p.m. MST, ESPNU).
"Jordan has played well," Rose said. "That's the most important thing. He sprained his ankle at the beginning of the year, a couple games in, and that slowed him down for awhile. Now that he's been back for awhile, he's been really consistent in practice and shoots the ball really well, at a high rate, in practice."
Chatman played 12 minutes in the 85-74 loss at Saint Mary's last week and was 3-for-6 from the floor in tying his season-high of eight points. More importantly, he played some decent defense on the Gaels' vast array of 3-point shooters.
"He came in and helped us on the road trip this weekend, and so I look forward to getting him back in the Marriott Center and seeing exactly how that group works," Rose said, recalling how former BYU guards Anson Winder and Skyler Halford started their seasons and careers off slowly but became key contributors toward the ends of each.
"It is a long season," Chatman said. "I am just ready to play when coach calls on me. … I would say [playing time] just kinda depends on who we are playing and what the coaches are looking for. I think the important thing is to focus on being ready."
Last season, Chatman had just returned from an LDS mission to Taipei, Taiwan, and was pumped to finally show Cougar fans what he could do. But he suffered a knee injury before the season started, had minor knee surgery, and then chose to redshirt.
Chatman got just three minutes in the 81-67 win over Pacific last Saturday, but drilled a big shot to thwart a Pacific rally.
"Jordan has been consistent, and he's been, for the minutes played, probably the best player on the team the last few games," said guard Kyle Collinsworth. "He's been great for us. He's looked good in practice, and he keeps working hard, and he is consistent every day. That's why he gets called to play in games, because his attitude has been good."
Another player who has given the Cougars a lift the past five games, forward Nate Austin, said Chatman is the kind of "glue" player that every team needs.
"Jordan is a great defender, and he knows his role," Austin said. "He knows his skill set. He knows how he can guard guys and he knows how much space he needs to give certain guys, with his quickness and with his length. So he does a really good job of bothering guys with his length and his quickness. He's always in the right spot. So Jordan does a good job with that."
The Cougars will need all their guards Thursday night to stop Santa Clara's Jared Brownridge, who is averaging 20.4 points per game, second in the league behind Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer.
"He makes me really nervous," Rose said. "You can do everything right, and he can still score. That's a good guy to have on your team."
Santa Clara at BYU
O Thursday, 9 p.m. Marriott Center
TV • ESPNU
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM and Sirius XM 143
Records • BYU 10-5, 1-1 WCC; Santa Clara 5-11, 1-3 WCC
Series record • BYU, 24-5
Last meeting • BYU 78, Santa Clara 76 (March 7, 2015)
About the Cougars • They are undefeated (6-0) at home this season and have won …. Senior G Chase Fischer has scored 20-plus points in four straight games for the first time in his career.
About the Broncos • They are the only WCC team without a win over BYU since the Cougars joined the WCC in 2011. … They are led in scoring by G Jared Brownridge, who is averaging 20.4 points per game.