Nov. 30, 2000

By SCOTT BELL
The Daily Herald

SAN FRANCISCO - The road can be a scary place.

On the road, there is no home cooking. Girlfriends are not around. The bed is sometimes springy. The streets are confusing. And some of the locals are downright weird.

The road can be especially intimidating for a freshman college basketball player. BYU's group of youngsters will experience that for the first time tonight when the Cougars (2-0) take on San Francisco (2-3) at 8 p.m. MST.

"When young players travel, the facility, the noise level, sleeping in a different bed -- those are all adjustments you must make," BYU coach Steve Cleveland said. "We try to room some of our seniors with younger guys so, mentally, they're not awestruck."

Four Cougars, in particular, will play their first major college basketball game away from home tonight. Freshmen Daniel Bobik, Jake Chrisman and Derek Dawes, and sophomore Travis Hansen, who transferred from UVSC, are all novices to major college travel.

"This is what college basketball is all about -- learning to win in different environments," Bobik said. "We've been practicing at home the last couple of months, beating up on each other. I'm excited to see somewhere else."

Not that Bobik or any other player will see much of the Bay Area. There just isn't any time.

"We'll see the airport, the hotel and the gym," Cleveland said with only the slightest trace of a smile. "There's no time for any real social experiences. I guess (the players) can check out the sights when we fly in. In college basketball, it doesn't matter if you're playing in Siberia or Hawaii."

No matter the destination, Cleveland and his staff attempt to create the same environment for their players every game. In fact, that's one area Cleveland said has improved immensely since he took over as head coach.

"It's business as usual," Cleveland said. "There is very little free time. Preparation is the key to not being nervous and not having any slippage. You're already fighting the elements. But if everything you do is consistent, it helps the players."

At home, BYU has two large marker boards it uses to prepare for each opponent. One board is devoted to an opponent's personnel, listing each opposing players' strengths and weaknesses. The other board outlines an opponent's offensive sets and defensive schemes.

When the Cougars travel, they rent out a conference room in their hotel and set up paper versions of each board. So, in every way possible, the preparation is the same.

In addition to simulating the home routine, Cleveland and his staff have also talked to their youngsters about the potential pitfalls while playing away from home.

"They say that defense is the only thing that can win it for us," Bobik said. "You can't expect to always shoot well in someone else's gym. That's been (the coaches') main focus the past couple days."

If the Cougars have paid attention and do come out on top, it makes for a good amount of satisfaction. In fact, Cleveland said winning on the road is one of the crowning achievements in basketball.

"If you go on the road and win, it's as good a feeling as you get in this business," Cleveland said. "I'll tell you what, I've had a lot of special moments in hotel rooms after road wins. It's special, because you don't always get a lot of enjoyment in this business during the season."

Scott Bell can be reached at sbell@heraldextra