More BYU Basketball Buzz

Stories continue to flood the internet about BYU Basketball, the BYU Honor Code, and now, BYU’s win on Saturday that led them to a Mountain West Conference championship title.

First of all, we wanted to let our readers know that a one-hour special about BYU basketball star, Jimmer Fredette, will air tonight on BYU-TV (byu.tv) at 7:00 p.m., MST. It will be rebroadcast at 10:00 p.m. It can also be seen on Wednesday at 1:00 a.m., 6:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m., and on Thursday at 12:30 a.m. (See more information: BYUtv Gets Jimmered.) You can also see another interview by Kathy Aiken with Jimmer, where he talks about basketball and about his faith and life goals: “Jimmer Mania” on Mormon Times. A previous True Blue story on Jimmer can be found here.

As to BYU and its honor code, of course, not all the attention is positive, but there are people who have found this decision by BYU — at the time where BYU was poised to make a mark during NCAA March Madness — “refreshing” (as Chris Broussard said on ESPN). Following are some stories with a similar feel. (p.s. Be sure to watch the video at the end of this post and see the support of the fans for Brandon Davies at Saturday’s game — Davies was part of the net-cutting ceremony after the game.)

ESPN: BYU Puts Principle Over Performance: Pat Forde says: “I can’t relate to the Brigham Young University honor code. But I can respect it…. [T]oday I am impressed by the school’s commitment to its rules, even at a potentially tremendous cost to its basketball team.”

Sean Gregory of Time Magazine quotes Steve Young, Shawn Bradley and other former BYU athletes about the standards BYU upholds. Gregory says, “[Y]ou have to admire an institution that sticks by its principles.”

This story from ABC News includes videos that explains and explores the BYU Honor Code. Hear from a former BYU football player, Reno Mahe, who went through something similar during his time at BYU. The article’s author, Ellen Tumposky, notes: “The tough action by the school is in stark contrast to the anything-goes attitude among much of top ranked college athletics as well as the social attitudes on most college campuses.”

Vai Sikahema, former BYU athlete and current Sports Director and Anchor at NBC10 Philadelphia, as well as host of the “Vai & Gonzo Show” on ESPN Philadelphia Radio, is interviewed in this NBC10 Philadelphia story.

Sikahema shares a little about an experience he had with the Honor Code at BYU. After getting into a fight, he was evicted from on-campus housing. Sikahema says, “This was the first time I was ever held accountable and suffered consequences. It was a seminal moment for me and helped change the trajectory of my life. If BYU had not done that, I’m certain I would’ve been in a dozen more fights or worse. But I was well served by the BYU Honor Code.”

At the Huffington Post, Rabbi Joshua Hess says this: “As collegiate athletic teams around the country are violating significant NCAA rules without punishment or penalty from their universities, except when they need to save face, it’s great to see BYU restore some integrity and morality to its broken system. These types of decisions give us hope that Athletic Directors can choose right over wrong, in a field that so often chooses wrong over right.” He also brings a religious perspective into the conversation, drawing parallels to his own Jewish faith about how difficulties in life can draw us closer to God.

Read “On Faith” panelist Michael Otterson’s thoughts at the Washington Post website. Otterson directs public affairs for the LDS Church. He supports BYU’s decision to stand on principles and also makes it clear that people at BYU and elsewhere will be standing by Brandon Davies to support him through this difficult time.

You can see that support in this video taken at the end of the game on Saturday.