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In BYU’s 82-71 home loss to No.1 Gonzaga on February 8, senior Matt Haarms was held scoreless and had just one rebound in 16 minutes of play.
During the Cougars’ 10-day layoff following that setback, the coaching staff challenged him to be more physical.
Well, Haarms responded.
In BYU’s road sweep in California this weekend, including Saturday’s 88-71 victory over Loyola Marymount, Purdue’s 7-foot-3 transfer showed a much more physical side of himself.
Against LMU, Haarms scored a high 21 points – on 7 of 8 shots from the floor – grabbed two rebounds, had three assists and blocked five shots, a career high for BYU.
“Matt was at the forefront in one of our three keys during this 10-day break,” said coach Mark Pope. “No. 1 was getting more physical and bringing more physicality to the game. Matt took some responsibility for that. He got called up a bit and it was a struggle, but he really kissed it.
“Obviously he can improve physically, but if you compare his physicality tonight and against Pacific to the physicality he’s displayed against Gonzaga, he’s light years different. I am so proud of him. He took this idea of getting better every day seriously. He was humble enough to say, “I have to do this,” and he was brave and courageous enough to face the problem. Dude, he had an amazing road trip.
In this week’s two games, Haarms scored 29 points and reduced nine rebounds.
Pope also praised how Haarms set the tone early for BYU from a defensive standpoint and how he limited LMU star Eli Scott.
“His rim protection changed the whole game in the first five minutes,” Pope said. “He made it very difficult for Eli from the start.
Haarms gave credit to the coaching staff, including assistant Chris Burgess.
“He really worked with me to keep Eli Scott not as the main defender but as the guy who comes out of the dribble,” said Haarms. “We really worked on my timing. … Coach Burgess did a great job preparing me for this game.
Haarms scored 23 points, a season-high against Portland, and was a perfect 9 of 9 off floor on Jan.21.
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