PROVO - Eric Mika’s BYU career is now over. The Cougar basketball standout made it official on Tuesday night that he would be hiring an agent and staying in the NBA Draft, foregoing his final two years in Provo.
Mika was a dominant force in his two seasons for the Cougars and he goes down as one of the best big men to ever play at BYU.
But that begs the question, how high does Mika rank among the all-time great big men that have played at BYU?
I put together my list of the 10 best big men (power forwards and centers) in BYU basketball history.
Let the debate begin.
1. Shawn Bradley | Height: 7-6 | Year at BYU: 1990-1991
At 7’6”, 210 pounds, Bradley was an instant force for the Cougars on the defensive end in his one season in Provo. Bradley ended the season with 5.2 blocks per game in 1991 for a total of 177 swats in the season. Good touch around the hoop led to Bradley returning from his LDS mission and becoming the number two overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft to the Philadelphia Sixers.
2. Kresimir Cosic | 6-11 | Years at BYU: 1969-1973
Cosic was Dirk Nowitzki of the basketball world decades before anyone knew who the bleached hair German was.
Cosic is the only player in BYU basketball history to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cosic was a fan favorite for his passionate play and high scoring performances. He averaged 20-plus points in his final two seasons at BYU.
3. Rafael Araujo | 6-11 | Years at BYU: 2002-2004
Rafael Araujo moved from Brazil to the United States with $50 and dreams of basketball glory.
Araujo first attended Arizona Western College before signing with BYU over UNLV. Araujo was an Honorable Mention All-American selection in his final season with the Cougars. We can still hear his smacks on the glass after a thunderous dunk in the Marriott Center.
Araujo went on to become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft to the Toronto Raptors.
4. Michael Smith | 6-11 | Years at BYU: 1983-1984; 1986-1989
Had recruiting rankings been around when Michael Smith was playing high school ball in Hacienda Heights, California, Smith would have been a five-star recruit. BYU beat out the hometown UCLA Bruins to land Smith who went on to a career that ended up with 2,319 points and a spot in the BYU Sports Hall of Fame.
Smith was a first-round selection to the Boston Celtics in the 1989 NBA Draft.
5. Fred Roberts | 6-10 | Years at BYU: 1978-1982
A hometown product from Bingham High, Roberts was one of the first freshmen in program history to become a key contributor. A 30-point game against Don Haskins’ UTEP squad in 1979, made Roberts a household name for Cougar fans.
Roberts along with Alan Taylor formed one of the best front courts in program history his first two seasons.
Roberts averaged nearly 20 points per game in BYU’s Elite 8 season in 1981, which is still the deepest the program has ever reached in the NCAA Tournament.
After four years as a starter at BYU, Roberts was selected in the 2nd round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Roberts went on to have a 14-year NBA career.
6. Jeff Chatman | 6-6 | Years at BYU: 1984-1988
The biggest hands you’ll ever see come through the halls of the BYU Basketball program, Jeff Chatman out of Talladega, Alabama.
The Cougars lived life in the fast lane with Chatman being paired up with Michael Smith. In Chatman’s senior season, the Cougars were ranked as high as #2 in the polls before falling to UAB, in Chatman’s home state of Alabama of all places.
Chatman could score with the best of the players in the country and was a star in a Western Athletic Conference that boasted it’s share of talented front court players.
7. Eric Mika | 6-10 | Years at BYU: 2013-2014; 2016-2017
This feels like the right landing spot for Mika who goes down as one of the best big men to ever play at BYU.
Once a water boy at Waterford Academy, Mika’s ascension in the basketball world has even caught him off guard.
Mika was dominant in his senior season and was the lone bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming 2016-17 season.
Of the players on this list, Mika might be the best overall athlete that BYU has ever produced in the front court.
8. Mekeli Wesley | 6-9 | Years at BYU: 1996-2001
The cornerstone piece to BYU’s rebuild after going 1-25 in 1997, behind the leadership of Wesley, the Cougars went from one of the worst teams in college hoops to a NCAA Tournament squad in four years.
Wesley was the MWC Tournament MVP in 2001, scoring 30 points in the MWC Championship against New Mexico in the Cougars last conference tournament championship.
9. Greg Kite | 6-11 | Years at BYU: 1979-1983
Kite was part of the great Danny Ainge teams and was a defensive force.
Kite is number one in career blocks at BYU with 208 blocks and is top five all-time in rebounds. Kite was an enforcer surrounded by stars in Danny Ainge and Fred Roberts.
Kite’s physical play on the defensive end led to him being selected by the Boston Celtics where he went on to have an 11-year career in the league.
10. Keena Young | 6-6 | Years at BYU: 2004-2007
Of all the players on this list, Keena Young’s journey to BYU stardom was unexpected. Passed around by the likes of Memphis and Texas Tech because those schools wanted to land Young’s teammates at either high school or JUCO ball. "KT" found his way to BYU and was part of Steve Cleveland’s last recruiting class in Provo.
Young went on to be the Mountain West player of the year in his senior season where he was near automatic from the field inside 10 feet. Young helped lead BYU to their first regular season title of the Dave Rose era.
Honorable Mentions: Alan Taylor, Gary Trost, Brandon Davies, Trent Plaisted, Russell Larson, Kenneth Roberts
Mitch Harper is the Publisher of Cougar Nation and is the host of the Cougar Center Podcast available on iTunes & Google Play. Follow Mitch on Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
