Time away hurt BYU’s Bigelow

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 | 9:52 a.m.

NEXT UP

What: UNLV at BYU

When: Thursday, 6 p.m.

Where: Marriott Center, Provo, Utah

TV: Las Vegas ONE, Cox Channels 1 and 39

Radio:KBAD 920-AM

It has long been whispered among college coaches and fans that BYU has an unfair advantage because of its two-year LDS Church mission eligibility exemption.

The theory goes you'd much rather have a 23-year-old junior coming off a mission than a 21-year-old junior who has gone straight through school. Those extra two years figure to prove beneficial in both physical and mental maturity.

There may be some merit to that logic when it comes to football, especially for offensive and defensive linemen who have some extra time to grow into their bodies. But don't try selling Cougar basketball player Mark Bigelow on that premise.

The 6-foot-7 swingman looked like a potential All-American his freshman year in Provo, earning 1999 WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 15 points and 6.3 rebounds. He set a school record with nine steals against Arizona.

But then Bigelow decided to spend the next two years away from BYU on his LDS Church mission in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And although he returned last season to average a solid 14.9 points, he suffered noticeably at times from a lack of conditioning.

"I really didn't feel that good until maybe the last five games of the season," Bigelow said. "I was tired much of the season. It really took me about a year to get to where I felt like I could play like I used to. I think basketball is a more skilled and fine-tuned sport than football. So when you take a couple of years off, it can be hard to get back into the groove again."

The bad news for UNLV fans is that Bigelow, one of the most skilled players in the Mountain West Conference, is back to 100 percent. And the junior from Olympia, Wash., needs just six more 3-pointers to break the school career record of 141 set by current Cougar assistant Andy Toolson.

"I hope he doesn't get it against us," said UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour, whose Rebels open Mountain West Conference play on Thursday night at BYU. "I'm happy for him that he's put himself in that position but I hope that doesn't happen when we're there."

Spoonhour has nothing but praise for Bigelow, who could cause the Rebels some matchup problems with his size, shooting and ball-handling.

"I've always liked him," Spoonhour said. "His contribution to that team extends way past his 3-point shooting. He's 6-foot-7, but he plays out on the floor. He can run curls and get out in the lane. He can post up. He rebounds. He handles the ball fine. He's just a good player."

Bigelow, who is averaging 12.1 points, said he hasn't thought much about breaking the 3-point shooting mark.

"I didn't even think about it until someone brought it up recently to me," he said. "Right now I'm just focused on our team goals and trying to help us do well in conference play. I'm feeling really good now. I'm excited to be playing. I can't wait to get going."