Nate Pickens waited a long time to have a game like he did on Tuesday.
More than 18 months after originally committing to the Cougars, the senior guard finally enjoyed a breakout performance at BYU, scoring 15 points and hitting three 3-pointers against Queens.
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No BYU player recorded a better plus/minus than Pickens’ mark of +23 in 19 minutes off the bench.
It was 19 minutes more than he played all of last season, as an ankle injury sidelined him for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign.
Now, Pickens is quickly emerging as a superb sixth man for Kevin Young’s Cougars, with his presence in the rotation helping to highlight BYU’s much-improved depth.
“I’m just blessed to be out here, sitting out so long from injury was tough, but I just trusted my work every day and it showed tonight,” Pickens said postgame on Tuesday. “I’m just happy for the team and myself to be just having fun and just playing with the guys finally.”
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In addition to his scoring, Pickens provided two rebounds, an assist and two steals.
While BYU may have allowed 82 points to the upstart Queens squad, the Cougars’ overall defensive effort thus far has come a long way from that of last year. Pickens’ intensity and disposition on that end of the floor is a prime reason why, and it should continue to influence his teammates as BYU continues to discover its identity on defense.
“I feel like ever since I’ve been in college it’s always been my thing, just hanging my hat on defense and that stuff,” Pickens said.
“(Defense) just jump-starts everything else for me, so just being a defensive anchor on the team has always been my role, I take pride in it.”
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Through three games, Pickens has averaged 7.7 points across less than 15 minutes per game, shooting 58% from the field and 50% from deep.
Prior to landing in Provo, the former UC Riverside talent posted 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Highlanders while netting nearly 40% of his 3-pointers, even scoring 18 points in a matchup against BYU at the Marriott Center in 2024.
“I’m only going to say this one time, but (Tuesday’s performance) makes you wish you would have had him last year, honestly,” Young said of Pickens. “That’s why we brought him here. He can guard guys at our level, and he can make open 3s.”
Perhaps Pickens would have helped change the narrative last season for BYU, as the Cougars proved far too inconsistent in getting stops and hitting shots.
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But as he told the Deseret News during the summer, not playing last year lit a fire under him to be even better when he returned to full health. The early returns speak for themselves, and maintaining such momentum will go a long way in impacting winning for the Cougars.
“He’s a guy that we trust,” Young said. “… He’s solid. He’s an adult. You can trust him, and I think he has earned the trust of his teammates as well.”
BYU’s Nate Pickens (2) grabs a ball from falling out of bounds during a game against Nebraska at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
