Columnist Steve Carp: BYU coach not afraid of challenge

Steve Carp

Thursday, Oct. 30, 1997 | 9:36 a.m.

THOSE ROLLER COASTER rides college basketball programs periodically take can leave coaches, players and fans -- especially the fans -- feeling a bit queasy.

So imagine the Maalox moments Brigham Young basketball fans have endured the past couple of years.

The Cougars went from participating in the 1995 NCAA Tournament to winning one, count 'it, one game last year. It was a bigger free fall than the drop from the Buffalo Bill's coaster out at Primm.

In the hopes of stopping the slide and settling the stomachs of the many Cougars supporters, former Fresno City College coach Steve Cleveland has been brought in to help return the 1-25 Cougars to the lofty heights their fans are used to seeing.

"We're trying to recapture the magic of the Marriott Center," Cleveland said at Wednesday's Western Athletic Conference basketball media preview at the MGM Grand. "I want to give these young men a chance to win."

The slate has been wiped clean in Provo. Only one player is back and the new coaching staff has been hitting the recruiting trail hard, trying to convince players that the "Y" is where they should play.

And that has never been easy, given the dynamics of the Mormon-run school.

Getting African-American players to come to BYU is a hard sell as well as a sensitive issue. But Cleveland said if the Cougars are to be successful, he must be able to recruit the best players, regardless of their backgrounds.

"There has to be a commitment to diversity in recruiting," he said. "We have to be open to recruiting all peoples."

Two African-American players already have committed to the Cougars. A third, Ron Selleaze, a guard who played for Cleveland at Fresno City, joins the team in mid-December.

"We need to get better players," Cleveland said.

But those already there see the difference from when Roger Reid ran the show.

"He's trying to utilize the players' talents," said Justin Weidauer, BYU's 6-foot-7 senior forward. "I was a scorer in high school but I didn't get the chance to shoot the ball until now.

"He's pushing us to a different level. It may take some time to get back to where we were, but I know we're headed in the right direction."

Cleveland, who is Mormon, knows how much basketball means to the community. He wasn't afraid of the challenge. Instead, he sees himself in a position to help give something back.

"When I took the job, I looked at the tradition and the challenges," he said. "I've tried to talk to as many people as possible -- former BYU players, coaches -- and I've tried to be a good listener.

"You have feelings about things and I know this is where I'm supposed to be."