BYU NewsNet - Rose, Y Catch Another Big One

BYU men's basketball coach Dave Rose is using two years of championship basketball as powerful bait to allure some of the Utah Lake region's biggest recruits to his program.

Brandon Davies, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Provo High, verbally committed to Rose and the Cougar basketball program Sunday morning and will sign a national letter of intent in November.

Davies, a Scout.com four-star recruit considered one of the top post prospects in the West, joined Tyler Haws and Nate Austin of Lone Peak and Ian Harward of Orem as 2009 verbal commits in what is shaping out to be one of the finest recruiting classes in BYU basketball history.

Provo High basketball coach Craig Drury said BYU was lucky to get Davies.

"Utah State has been after him for more than a year," he said. "He almost committed to Stew Morrill up at Utah State, so BYU is lucky he was still around."

With the high amount of recruits pledging to become Cougars, the team will utilize the players based on their mission plans. Harward and Austin plan on serving missions before enrollment, while Haws plans to play for one season before heading out. Davies, just 17, will play for two seasons before making mission plans.

Recruited by top collegiate basketball programs such as Cal, Utah State and Gonzaga, Davies led Provo to the 2008 4A state championship, averaging 11 points per game and six rebounds despite playing most of the season with shin problems. During summer camps in Las Vegas and southern California, Davies regularly scored double-doubles.

"Provo High is known for big guys in the middle," Drury said. "We've had a lot of guys go to BYU, like the Durrant brothers, Chris Collinsworth, Mekeli Wesley -- and Brandon is as good as they get."

Currently listed at 6-foot-9, Davies has the potential to get up to 6-10 or 6-11, as a growth plate problem was fixed in his knees. Drury sees BYU as a good fit for his big man, who has a seven-foot wingspan and can almost touch the rim standing on his feet.

"He's strong, slender and mobile and plays multiple positions, which will allow coach Rose to get the best players on the floor," he said. "He is a great shooter from 6 to 10 feet out but can also hit the three when needed. He and [current Cougar] Noah Hartsock have similar styles of play and both can rebound and defend well."