L.J. Rose

On a team made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars senior guard L.J. Rose will be relied on heavily this year to keep the team grounded and together, especially in close games.

The 6'3" graduate transfer from the University of Houston was sidelined for most of last season while he nursed lingering injuries, but averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 assists as a junior.

Rose had a wealth of transfer options upon leaving Houston, but said he chose to commit to BYU because of the team's potential.

"I knew coming here was a great opportunity," said rose on his decision. "With my experience I hope to be a leader on this team and I like the direction we're going.

"I watched a couple of games last year, and I feel like they were just too close to taking that next step. That was something that I wanted to be a part of."

At the Cougars' media day, Head Coach Dave Rose also said the team lacks experience, but they're trying to work around that.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but this team works really, really hard," he said. "We're trying to reach a really high ceiling, as far as our potential is concerned.

"L.J. will add great experience and talent to our guard line. We're excited about the leadership he will bring on the court and in the locker room. He will make us deeper and more versatile."

Rose played in just two games last season and averaged 3.5 points and two assists.

As a sophomore, he poured in 8.9 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game for Houston.

Rose began his collegiate career at Baylor University where he averaged 1.2 assists in just over seven minutes per game, playing behind the then Big 12 leader in points and assists, Pierre Jackson.

ESPN.com ranked Rose as the ninth best point guard in the class of 2012. He chose Baylor over Arizona, Memphis and Georgetown.

Randy Smith, Guardian Sports Reporter

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