This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lost in last night's bombshell that Cougar sophomore center Brandon Davies has been dismissed from the basketball team for an undisclosed honor code violation was a report that all of the other Cougars hit by the injury bug were able to practice on Tuesday in preparation for tonight's game against New Mexico. Noah Hartsock (sore foot), James Anderson (eye discomfort) and Jackson Emery (sore foot) were all able to participate in all the drills and are good to go tonight. I figured BYU fans could use a glimmer of good news this morning. ——————————- Most of you have probably already ready The Tribune's report on the Davies' dismissal, as well as columnist Kurt Kragthorpe's take that BYU's Final Four dreams are dead. But here they are, just in case. Here's video of a debate on ESPN's First Take this morning regarding BYU's Honor Code that some of you will find interesting. Obviously, Davies did something more egregious in respect to the Honor Code than sip coffee or utter profanity for school officials to boot him off the team that quickly. So far, nothing pops up in a routine search of Utah district and justice court records. Also, a search of the Utah County Jail/Sheriff's Office web site turns up nothing. Likewise, Paulette Jerome, records specialist at the Provo Police Department, in responding to a FOIA request, says she found no reports of criminal activity or recent contact with police regarding Davies in that jurisdiction.——————————- How much will Davies be missed? The next three games will obviously give some indication, beginning tonight when the Cougars try to slow down New Mexico's Drew Gordon, who torched them with 15 points and 12 rebounds in that 86-77 Lobos win at The Pit on Jan. 29. Davies' scoring, rebounding and defensive presence inside will be missed, but don't forget one aspect of his game that also helps the Cougars' click — his passing. The sophomore was averaging almost four assists per game in BYU's last five games. He was getting very, very good at finding an open wing for a three-pointer when he was doubled in the post. Davies was also a much-improved free-throw shooter this season, especially in the last eight games.