BYU Basketball Lands Commitment From Arizona Transfer Alex Barcello
Aug 1, 2019, 2:38 PM | Updated: 2:44 pm
TUCSON, AZ - NOVEMBER 29: Alex Barcello #23 of the Arizona Wildcats attempts a three-point shot against the Georgia Southern Eagles during the first half of the college basketball game at McKale Center on November 29, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – We now know where BYU’s last scholarship will go on the 2019-20 roster. BYU head basketball coach Mark Pope had one more ace up his sleeve.
The Cougars on Thursday received a commitment from former Arizona Wildcats point guard Alex Barcello.
Barcello was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2017 coming out of Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona.
Unless he receives a waiver from the NCAA granting him eligibility to play this season, Barcello will have to redshirt during the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Barcello will have the opportunity in the 2020-21 season to replace T.J. Haws as BYU’s starting point guard after Haws graduates.
In two seasons with the Wildcats, Barcello averaged 2.9 points per game and shot 39.2-percent from the field in nine minutes of play a night.
BYU had one scholarship available for this upcoming season after Nick Emery announced he was retiring from basketball.
Coming out of high school, besides Arizona, Barcello was being pursued by Virginia, Indiana, Butler, and Stanford. Barcello averaged 24.2 points per game in his senior year of high school.
Since Mark Pope took over as BYU’s head coach in April, Pope and his staff have received commitments from eight players. Six of those eight student-athletes will be on the 2019-20 roster.
With Barcello expected to be part of the 2019-20 roster, the Cougars projected scholarship players for Mark Pope’s first season as head coach will consist of the following.
Yoeli Childs, Senior; Jake Toolson, Senior; T.J. Haws, Senior; Zac Seljaas, Senior; Dalton Nixon, Senior; Alex Barcello, Junior; Richard Harward, Junior; Kolby Lee, Sophomore; Gavin Baxter, Sophomore; Connor Harding, Sophomore; Jesse Wade, Sophomore; Wyatt Lowell, Sophomore; Trevin Knell, Freshman.
The Cougars also have Blaze Nield and Colby Leifson on the roster as preferred walk-ons.
BYU Basketball will leave for a summer trip to Italy coming up later this month on August 17th.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
