West Coast Convo’s Preseason Individual Awards
By Josh Horton
Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Brigham Young Cougars players react during the second half of the NIT Tournament semifinal against the Baylor Bears at Madison Square Garden. Baylor won the game 76-70. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Freshman of the Year – Eric Mika (BYU)
By Andrew Perkins
The freshman center will have all the opportunity in the world to garner conference and national recognition this year. He comes in as a highly touted recruit from a nationally ranked high school team. He’ll see a large chunk of minutes in the frontcourt, and most would be surprised if he didn’t start every game. Granted, it will take time for him to adjust to the speed and skill of college basketball. He’ll need to realize that his elite athleticism will not cover as many mistakes as it did at Lone Peak High. But the opportunity for success is imminent. He can jump out of the gym. He has a bevy of low post moves at his disposal. And he has assistant coach Mark Pope to school him in the ways of the college big man. The quicker Mika adjusts to the college game, the scarier BYU will be to conference opponents.