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Show Spots SECTION 2008 TUESDAY. JULY 22, SPORTS EDITOR Darnell Dickson ddicksonheraldextra.com 5 MWC FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS J, xJ jtr,OP 2k ; FILEDaily Herald the BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall can find it hard to stay away from the public eye. Even during JUL W 1 , J BYU tabbed to win '08 conference title; Hall leads seven Cougars named to ' All-MW- Spotlight not easy for SS ' v V I ; were high expectations at BYU before a ; 1 HENDERSON, Nev. Despite an effort to get away from it all and have a relaxing summer, Bronco Mendenhall isn't safe even in the wilds of anywhere I I r got here, there will be after I leave and that's . the current 1 L 1 j expectation. This isn't new Montana. BYlFs head man, now entering his fourth year, was busy answering questions about his Cougars at the Green Valley Ranch Resort on Monday, after his team was picked to win the Mountain West Conference in 2008. Mendenhall recapped his summer, which included surfing in Panama and California. Then he told a story about how on a family packing trip in the remote to me or our program. It's just part of being at BYU." 2008 PRESEASON MWC being the BYU football coach. "One morning in camp NOTEBOOK, C3 i OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR f first-plac- gSStS1 TCU(239). "There were high expectations at BYU before I I leave and be after will there here, got that's the current expectation." Mendenhall said. "This isn't new to me or our program. It's just patt of being at BYU." BYU, JR., QUARTERBACK there was a ranger there the outfitters knew," Mendenhall said, "The only radio station he can get out in the back country of Montana is KSL, and he'd listen to the coaches show. Then later that day, about 12 guys come riding over the hill and they're from Bountiful. They yell coming into camp, 'Is Bronco here?' And this is 30 miles into the wilderness. "Holly (his wife) looked at me and said, 'In all times, and in all places, and in all things.' Our intent was to be away from everything, and it's just not possible. It's one of those defining moments. It's just part of the deal of being the BYU football coach. Fortunately, we're winning now. If we See Mendenhall BYU football , first time BYU and Utah have been picked to finish by the league's media. Kind of hard to wait for Nov. 22. huh? - The MWC released the media's predicted order of finish on Monday at the league meetings in the Green Valley Ranch Resort, as well as the preseason selections. BYU was picked to finish first with e 29 of the 34 votes. Utah got the other five. poll, ahead of Utah (274) and Bronco MAX HALL mountains of Montana, he found out how hard it is to get away from NOTEBOOK HERAUD "There HERALD coach See OTHER COUGARS NAMED TO THE 2008 PRESEASON 7n W "vi fWsF ; For the first' HENDERSON, Nev. time since Bronco Mendenhall became head coach of the BYU football team; the Cougars are picked to win the Mountain West Conference, It's also the i to avoid, even DAILY team C DAILY I. - Darnell Dickson ; DarnelJJNckson I Mendenhall in Montana J 1 ALL-MW- V, 4 - H.1. .v 0 " FOOTBALL TEAM C 3m f COUGARS, C3 S - t .V) ::" HARVEY UNGA RUNNING BACK x AUSTIN COLLIE WIDE RECEIVER DENNIS PITTA TIGHT END RAY FEINGA OFFENSIVE LINE DALLAS REYNOLDS OFFENSIVE LINE JAN JORGENSEN DEFENSIVE LINE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVUE UTAH FLASH Utah Flash to host NBDL Showcase Iran puts on good show Jason Franchuk DAILY HERALD The TAYLORSVILLE Utah Flash just finished its first season. Now, it's time to be showcased. The team, with the parent club Utah Jazz, announced Monday that the NBA Development League team will hold the fifth annual "Showcase" in Orem next January. Flash owner Brandt Andersen said he expects the venture to break even for the team, if it's lucky, but said there are a variety of other reasons he put in for a bid that will include all 16 teams playing twice apiece from Jan. 53 at Utah Valley University's McKay Events t Center. Andersen anticipates this being a service event for the community, and a sizable convention that local businesses will benefit from. "We'll do some things that will leave a lasting impact of what the NBA and the D- League are all about," he said. . That will include reading to school-ag- e kids, free basketball clinics and also tickets being distributed to youth. Andersen believes that the event, the largest "exterior convention in Utah County next year," could reap in the neighborhood of $1 million. He said the event headquarters will be the Provo Marriott, at which the equivalent of 2,500 nights have already been booked. That's for NBA officials alone. Andersen estimates that scouts flying in will take up another 1,500 nights. Of course, the core of the and for event is basketball the players, the ongoing hope of advancing to the biggest league. "It's still about the opportunity for the 160 players for our 16 teams to have a shot at making it to the NBA," president Dan Reed said. "They're playing in front of NBA scouts, general managers and coaches." The Showcase has rotated cities each year. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor joked that he was glad to have it in a "warm" climate, com mWAEPSAtirCXTRW pared to Boise, Idaho, last year and an unforgettable trek to South Dakota in 2007, when temperatures dipped to nearly minus-2- degrees. "It's really fun to see the competition that goes on 0 there," O'Connor said. "The Showcase is a great place to scout." The last four years, a total of 10 players have been promoted to the NBA during or immediately after the Showcase. Andersen, part of a short media conference at the Rocky Mountain Revue, said the Showcase will be linked with season-ticke- t packages though other ways will exist to get tickets. mt 375'$T03 TO SUBSCRIBE Jason Franchuk DAILY HERALD TAYLORSVILLE If NBA players ever want to complain about a travel schedule, thev should get ahold of Rajko Toroman's itinerary which starts today. His team from Iran would leave the Rocky Moun tain Revue, going UTAH through Atlanta then Dubai before reaching home 30 hours of airtime. Then two days later it's off to China for some more basketball. "If we want to play the great teams, we have to make sacrifices and we have to travel," Toroman said. Monday, however, offered a small slice of Tehran and beyond. About a quarter of the crowd at Salt Lake Community College mmm turned the event into a soccer-lik- e atmosphere constant cheering, rhythmic instrument noises and flag waving. Hardly like the typi-g- 2 cally stoic NBA atmo-- 5 sphere that persists for most of the nights. Iran lost to the Jazz summer after playleague team, ing more than half the game without its best big man, who 82-5- See REVUE, C4 |