On Brandon Davies, the Honor Code, and BYU Basketball

It seems that I have attained the status of everyone’s “Resident BYU Fan.” As such, with the events that have transpired surrounding the BYU Basketball team this past week, many people have asked me what I think of it all. So here you go:

I haven't felt this way since September 19, 2009. Two weeks earlier the BYU football team had pulled off what most thought impossible: beating a ranked Oklahoma football team, who had an eventual Heisman trophy winner and first round NFL draft pick under center, in its own backyard and on a national stage. The next week they cruised to a victory over a quality Tulane team on the road, again on national TV. After both games I stood on the tarmac of the Provo airport to welcome my team home after their stellar performance with hundreds of fellow fans. I was excited for the first home game of the season. BYU was playing against Florida State, there was a nationwide buzz about the teams’ chances, and sports analysts from coast to coast were talking about a bunch of white Mormons who were making waves in college football. Then my Cougars laid an egg. They turned the ball over, produced little offense, and couldn't get a third down stop to save their lives. I walked back to my apartment in silence. It wasn't the loss that bothered me, it was how poorly we played.

Now fast forward to this week. I was just arriving at my apartment Tuesday afternoon. I glanced at my phone as I often do to check my "Tweets" and saw one from Greg Wrubell briefly stating that Brandon Davies had been suspended for the rest of the season due to an honor code violation. The tweets weren't only from Greg, but from reporters at other local papers, and basketball analysts at ESPN and CBS Sports. I ran up the stairs and into my room to read the reports online. I felt sick for a lot of reasons, but mainly because here was a nineteen year old kid who was having his dirty laundry aired for the world to see. I can only imagine how embarrassed, ashamed, and foolish he must feel. Aside from the spiritual ramifications of his decision, his education and basketball career are now in jeopardy. He let his teammates, his coaches, his school, and thousands of fans down. There was no doubt in my mind that if anyone in the world understood the gravity of his decisions, it was Brandon Davies.

This provides one more venue for the age old honor code debate. Is it fair? Is it too harsh? Is it realistic? Is it really what Jesus would do? One thing that most debaters fail to realize is that the Honor Code is not a list of commandments, it is an agreement that you make with the university. You promise to abide by certain rules and the university agrees to provide you with a world class education in a spiritually uplifting environment for a very reasonable price. If you don't hold up your end of the agreement you don't get those benefits. Everyone knows what they are agreeing to when they apply. The honor code office isn't in the business of repentance; they are there to enforce a sort of contract that each student has made with the university. Repentance will happen between Brandon and the Lord, possibly with the help of his bishop. The fact that he violated a commitment that he made will be handled by the honor code office.

Last Saturday I once again found myself standing in the rain and snow on the tarmac of the Provo airport. I was welcoming home a team that had just beaten a top ten team on a national stage. There was once again a national buzz about a bunch of white Mormons in Provo contending for a possible 1-seed in the NCAA basketball tournament. The small group of fans was enthusiastic to congratulate their team for pulling off what most people thought impossible, a regular season sweep of SDSU.

The game on Wednesday was no different from any of the other recent conference games except for one thing. Students camped out for days in a line that almost surrounded the Marriott Center, the arena was packed to capacity, and the eyes of the nation were watching, but there was a tangible sense of apprehension. No one knew exactly how Davies’ shoes would be filled. I reassured my friends that we had a bench full of players that were eager to contribute and that we have an amazing coach who was very capable of making the necessary adjustments, and we had the Jimmer!

At halftime I could believe what I was seeing. I texted my dad saying that there was no way we could continue to shoot as poorly as we did. The offense was out of sync, players were bobbling the ball, and New Mexico couldn’t miss. The second half didn’t turn out to be much better. After the game I stood there in silence. I was stunned. It wasn’t the loss that bothered me, it was how poorly we played.

Now the only thing left to be seen is how the team will react. A week ago BYU was thought of by many as a one man team, the BYU Jimmers. Now those same people are saying that we can’t win because we lost our third leading scorer. The lack of Davies’ presence will surely be noticed, but I have full faith that Coach Rose and the rest of the team still have what it takes to win, and they will find ways to win just like they have all season.

BYU has its final home game of the season tomorrow against Wyoming, and do you know where you’ll find me at 6am? I’ll be in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk outside the Marriott Center counting the hours until tipoff. Go Cougars!