By: Jay Yeomans

Published: July 11, 2018

Despite some struggles at the free-throw line, Kyle Collinsworth had by far his best performance so far in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

The former BYU triple-double machine came off the bench to lead the Mavericks in both scoring and rebounding in a 95-83 loss to the Chicago Bulls. He totaled 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including a make on his only attempt from 3-point land and 3-for-7 from the foul line. He also showed off some fantastic skills on the glass, collecting 10 rebounds (seven on the offensive end) to finish with a double-double. He also added two assists and a steal in 21 minutes of work.

It was an important outing for Collinsworth who had struggled with his shot to this point in Las Vegas. Not only did he show that he could score when needed, but he also showed off the knack to be able to get to the offensive backboard and create extra possessions. That was something that the Mavericks were already well aware of, but definitely a good thing to display with so many other teams around.

Through four games, Collinsworth is averaging 5.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 18 minutes.

Wade coming home

The BYU Basketball team got some good news on Wednesday when 2014-15 Utah Mr. Basketball and Gonzaga transfer Jesse Wade announced on Twitter that he would be continuing his college basketball career back home, committing to play for the Cougars.

Wade spent his freshman campaign at BYU rival, Gonzaga, but saw very little action in his first season after returning home from a mission in France. While he saw time in 20 games, he got double figures in minutes just three times for the deep and talented Bulldogs.

His best game of the season came early on in a 106-69 win over Howard when he registered nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range while collecting a rebound in 12 minutes.

On the season. he averaged 1.3 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 5.2 minutes.

While those numbers don’t jump off the page, it is important to remember that he was an absolute beast during his time at Davis High School. As a senior, he carried the Darts to a 20-4 record while averaging 26.8 points on 52 percent shooting from the floor including 45 percent from distance. He also chipped in with 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals in 29.6 minutes a game, according to MaxPreps.com.

Wade will have to sit out the 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer rule before he can take the floor for the Cougars.