When Jimmer Fredette exhausted the last of his college eligibility and headed to the NBA, fans must have wondered if the BYU basketball program would ever be the same.
Moreover, would Jimmer -- who was literally a social icon in the state of Utah and beyond -- and his popularity ever carry over to some other time, and some other name?
The answer, as we all found out Saturday, is yes.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet guard Matt Carlino, your new Jimmer.
The freshman guard from Bloomington, Indiana and a transfer from UCLA is like a godsend to a program that not only lost Jimmer to graduation, it doesn’t have Jackson Emery, the school’s all time steals leader, either.
Nobody knew exactly how Carlino would turn out. You had a feeling he was good; heck, you might even think he had potential to be another Jimmer.
But nobody had a clue in the college basketball zoo that Carlino -- who sat out all of fall semester due to NCAA rules -- would be this good.
Like his basketball idol, he’s John Stockton-esque in his slashes to the basket and his no-look passes. He’s also Jimmer-like, in that he’s willing to shoot it from the parking lot if necessary.
Above all he is a leader who hates to lose, and if that isn’t Jimmer then you don’t know much about Cougar basketball -- or the Sacramento Kings star.
When it came down to determining who would foul players on the sixth-ranked team in the country -- or Baylor this past Saturday in the Marriott Center-- it was Carlino who helped himself.
He reached his 6-foot-2-inch, 175 pound frame in the key, preventing Bears players from reaching the hoop.
In the end Carlino’s magical moments, as inspiring as it must have been for Cougar fans to witness, just weren’t enough.
BYU lost 86-83 but gained a ton of national respect for a program that many thought would struggle in 2011-12 -- now that Jimmer is not around.
“It was a great atmosphere. The fans were amazing. It was a good game, but I play to win so it was disappointing,” said Carlino, who scored 18 points and nailed four three-pointers in his first game in a BYU uniform.
He also racked up four fouls, committed four turnovers and had two assists. Again, Jimmer numbers.
Did the new superstar make head coach Dave Rose all too happy with his play? Maybe, maybe not.
“[Carlino] played well but he just needs to get some experience. He needs to be in those situations,” said Rose. “You want players to experience the moment and when it's a positive thing it gives them a lot of confidence and when it doesn't work out then it makes them work harder.”
But what might make Carlino just as special as Jimmer when it's all said and done is that he’s still so young.
He’s just a freshman at a big-time program that proved -- provided that Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock and he stay healthy -- that another trip to the Big Dance is not out of reach, after all.
If you wondered whether the Cougars would be able to compete with teams like St. Mary's, USF and even mighty Gonzaga in the upcoming West Coast Conference season that answer is yes.
After one game, BYU fans have plenty to be excited about with their new Jimmer.
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