This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Just a week or so after receiving a scholarship offer from BYU basketball coach Dave Rose, Jake Toolson accepted on Tuesday before the Cougars beat Utah State 70-68 on Craig Cusick's buzzer-beater. Toolson is a 6-foot-5 wing from Highland High in Gilbert, Ariz. He is the nephew of former BYU standout Danny Ainge, currently the general manager of the Boston Celtics. Jake Toolson's father is former BYU star Andy Toolson's cousin. A junior, Toolson is expected to sign next November along with Orem High's Dalton Nixon and Lone Peak Highs T.J. Haws (Tyler's brother). Utah State, Arizona State, Boston College, UC Davis and Saint Mary's had also offered Toolson a scholarship. Rose watched Toolson play on Feb. 12, then called him the next day with the offer. The prospect is averaging 18.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, according to his profile on MaxPreps.com. The Cougars are also heavily pursuing another junior from the Phoenix area, 6-foot-9 Payton Dastrup, who is also LDS. Jake Toolson has said he plans on going on an LDS Church mission, but is not sure whether he will go immediately out of high school in 2014 or play a year at BYU first. Scout.com posted this evaluation of Toolson last summer: "A very good shooter, Toolson is confident in his pull-up game and a good percentage of the shots he hit against Pump N'Run Elite were off the dribble. A strong kid for a sophomore, Toolson plays with a high basketball IQ and doesn't make too many mistakes on the floor. His biggest weapon is definitely his jumper."