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Jeff Call
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Former Florida guard Ques Glover will play his final year of college basketball for the Cougars as they head into the Big 12.
Matt Stamey, Associated Press
It appears that BYU has its point guard as it enters the Big 12 era.
Ques Glover, a 6-foot, 180-pound grad transfer from Samford University, fills several big needs for the Cougars — he’s a lightning-quick, proven three-level scorer that can create his own shot, attack the rim, get to the free-throw line and take care of the basketball. His experience is expected to pay dividends for BYU as well.
Glover has one year of eligibility remaining and he’s hoping to make the most of his final season of college basketball.
When he entered the transfer portal after the 2022-23 campaign, he was seeking an opportunity to play at a high level. Programs like LSU, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Florida pursued him.
The fact that the Cougars are joining the Big 12 this season played “a little bit of a role” in his decision.
“I was trying to get back on this biggest stage and try to help lead a team to winning and try to make a run to March Madness,” he said.
What does Glover bring to BYU?
“Some of my strengths are playing with pace and speed and slowing the game down sometimes. My midrange game is one of the best. I feel like I can get to the rim and get my teammates involved by kicking it out to open shooters,” he said. “I’m trying to become more consistent from catch-and-shoot 3s.
“I did a pretty good job of that this year. I increased my 3-point percentage by 9%-10%,” he continued. “I feel like I can bring a lot of energy and I play with a lot of passion. I’m a good leader, trying to get my teammates involved and rally behind one another.”
Those are qualities BYU needs as it heads into its first season competing in the nation’s toughest basketball conference.
At Bearden High in Knoxville, Tennessee, Glover averaged 21 points per game and led the Bulldogs to their first TSSAA Class AAA state championship. Glover was named the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Player of the Year in 2018 and he was Tennessee’s Class AAA Mr. Basketball.
Glover began his collegiate career at the University of Florida of the SEC. In two seasons and 51 games with the Gators, he averaged 3.6 points per game, including a career-high 10 points against No. 6 Tennessee.
In Gainesville, he played with future NBA players Tre Mann and Andrew Nembhard.
“At Florida, it was really a learning experience. Coming from Knoxville and going to Gainesville, moving away — I was nine or 10 hours away from home — I was on my own,” Glover said. “I had to learn a lot just becoming a young man. On the court, just learning from a lot of guys that are playing in the NBA today. I stayed in the gym with them and learned from them and how they attack the game in practices and workouts.”
After his time in Gainesville, Glover transferred to Samford, located in Homewood, Alabama, of the Southern Conference.
As a sophomore, he started 28 games and averaged a team-high 19.2 points per game. Glover was also ranked No. 2 in the conference in assists (4.4 per game) while shooting 47% from the field, including 31% on 3-pointers and 79% from the line. He earned All-SoCon first-team honors.
That season, Glover recorded 16 20-point performances, including a 30-point outing at The Citadel. He also posted a season-best 10 assists against VMI to go along with 26 points.
Last season, as a junior, Glover played in only 19 games because he suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in November. He finished with a 14.7 scoring average, shooting 48% from the floor. His 3-point shooting improved to 38% last season.
Glover helped lead the Bulldogs to a 21-11 record in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.
“When I transferred to Samford, I just took the things I learned from the pros from Florida and tried to implement it into my lifestyle at Samford,” Glover said. “I tried to teach my teammates what I learned from Florida and I tried to go from there. I feel like I did a pretty good job of helping Samford win. I had a lot of good teammates around me that contributed in a major way at Samford to help us have a lot of success.”
Glover’s experience in the transfer portal this year “was a little crazy” because he didn’t know what to expect.
“I had an injury this year and that kind of set me back from a lot of things. But when I entered the portal, I was getting a lot of calls from high majors,” he said. “That was kind of a blessing because I wanted to play at the highest level. Some other coaching staffs believed I could play at the highest level. It was a good experience.”
Glover has been rehabbing his knee and he’s “making progress every day,” he said.
At the conclusion of the season, Glover entered the transfer portal. BYU was one of the programs that reached out to him. At first, he didn’t know much about the Cougars.
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“One thing that I did know was Jimmer Fredette,” he said. “I grew up watching him play in March Madness and some of his games. That’s pretty much all I knew about BYU.”
Another school that made a strong push for Glover was his former school, Florida.
When Cougars coach Mark Pope and his staff started recruiting Glover, he was impressed.
“They did a phenomenal job in building a relationship in such a short time. I felt like I knew those guys like family,” he said. “We talked almost every day. When I went on my visit, it felt like home. My family fell in love with it; I fell in love with it. It was just a no-brainer for us when we decided to commit to BYU.
“It was just a short amount of time but they made it feel like they had been recruiting me for two or three years. They did a really good job of including my family in the process and building a relationship with them. A lot of the head coaches when you’re recruited call, but coach Pope called a lot. He called almost every day on FaceTime. I got a good feel for him as a person. That helped me fall in love with the situation.”
Glover spent time on his recruiting visit to Provo with BYU players Fousseyni Traore and Trey Stewart. He’s looking forward to getting to know his other new teammates.
“I felt like we bonded well. I should fit in really good,” he said. “I like those guys a lot. I’m really looking forward to meeting the rest of the guys and building those relationships as well.”
The addition of Glover provides BYU with added depth and experience at the point guard position, which also features sophomore-to-be Dallin Hall.
Glover has felt the support from BYU fans via social media and he can’t wait to play at the Marriott Center.
“A lot of people reached out to me on Twitter to say hello and welcome. On Instagram, I got 200-300 new followers. That was pretty good,” he said. “I’m looking forward to interacting with the fans once I get down there and meeting a lot of people.”
While in Provo, he knows what he wants to accomplish in his final season of eligibility.
“My main goal is to make it to March Madness and build relationships in the Provo area,” he said. “I really want to be the best player I can be for BYU.”
Former Florida guard Ques Glover transferred to Samford University after two seasons in Gainesville. He’ll be competing for BYU in 2023-24.
Matt Stamey, Associated Press
Full Story from the Deseret News...
Matt Stamey, Associated Press
It appears that BYU has its point guard as it enters the Big 12 era.
Ques Glover, a 6-foot, 180-pound grad transfer from Samford University, fills several big needs for the Cougars — he’s a lightning-quick, proven three-level scorer that can create his own shot, attack the rim, get to the free-throw line and take care of the basketball. His experience is expected to pay dividends for BYU as well.
Glover has one year of eligibility remaining and he’s hoping to make the most of his final season of college basketball.
When he entered the transfer portal after the 2022-23 campaign, he was seeking an opportunity to play at a high level. Programs like LSU, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Florida pursued him.
The fact that the Cougars are joining the Big 12 this season played “a little bit of a role” in his decision.
“I was trying to get back on this biggest stage and try to help lead a team to winning and try to make a run to March Madness,” he said.
What does Glover bring to BYU?
“Some of my strengths are playing with pace and speed and slowing the game down sometimes. My midrange game is one of the best. I feel like I can get to the rim and get my teammates involved by kicking it out to open shooters,” he said. “I’m trying to become more consistent from catch-and-shoot 3s.
“I did a pretty good job of that this year. I increased my 3-point percentage by 9%-10%,” he continued. “I feel like I can bring a lot of energy and I play with a lot of passion. I’m a good leader, trying to get my teammates involved and rally behind one another.”
Those are qualities BYU needs as it heads into its first season competing in the nation’s toughest basketball conference.
From Knoxville to Gainesville to Homewood, Alabama
At Bearden High in Knoxville, Tennessee, Glover averaged 21 points per game and led the Bulldogs to their first TSSAA Class AAA state championship. Glover was named the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Player of the Year in 2018 and he was Tennessee’s Class AAA Mr. Basketball.
Glover began his collegiate career at the University of Florida of the SEC. In two seasons and 51 games with the Gators, he averaged 3.6 points per game, including a career-high 10 points against No. 6 Tennessee.
In Gainesville, he played with future NBA players Tre Mann and Andrew Nembhard.
“At Florida, it was really a learning experience. Coming from Knoxville and going to Gainesville, moving away — I was nine or 10 hours away from home — I was on my own,” Glover said. “I had to learn a lot just becoming a young man. On the court, just learning from a lot of guys that are playing in the NBA today. I stayed in the gym with them and learned from them and how they attack the game in practices and workouts.”
After his time in Gainesville, Glover transferred to Samford, located in Homewood, Alabama, of the Southern Conference.
As a sophomore, he started 28 games and averaged a team-high 19.2 points per game. Glover was also ranked No. 2 in the conference in assists (4.4 per game) while shooting 47% from the field, including 31% on 3-pointers and 79% from the line. He earned All-SoCon first-team honors.
That season, Glover recorded 16 20-point performances, including a 30-point outing at The Citadel. He also posted a season-best 10 assists against VMI to go along with 26 points.
Last season, as a junior, Glover played in only 19 games because he suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in November. He finished with a 14.7 scoring average, shooting 48% from the floor. His 3-point shooting improved to 38% last season.
Glover helped lead the Bulldogs to a 21-11 record in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.
“When I transferred to Samford, I just took the things I learned from the pros from Florida and tried to implement it into my lifestyle at Samford,” Glover said. “I tried to teach my teammates what I learned from Florida and I tried to go from there. I feel like I did a pretty good job of helping Samford win. I had a lot of good teammates around me that contributed in a major way at Samford to help us have a lot of success.”
Connecting with the Cougars
Glover’s experience in the transfer portal this year “was a little crazy” because he didn’t know what to expect.
“I had an injury this year and that kind of set me back from a lot of things. But when I entered the portal, I was getting a lot of calls from high majors,” he said. “That was kind of a blessing because I wanted to play at the highest level. Some other coaching staffs believed I could play at the highest level. It was a good experience.”
Glover has been rehabbing his knee and he’s “making progress every day,” he said.
At the conclusion of the season, Glover entered the transfer portal. BYU was one of the programs that reached out to him. At first, he didn’t know much about the Cougars.
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“One thing that I did know was Jimmer Fredette,” he said. “I grew up watching him play in March Madness and some of his games. That’s pretty much all I knew about BYU.”
Another school that made a strong push for Glover was his former school, Florida.
When Cougars coach Mark Pope and his staff started recruiting Glover, he was impressed.
“They did a phenomenal job in building a relationship in such a short time. I felt like I knew those guys like family,” he said. “We talked almost every day. When I went on my visit, it felt like home. My family fell in love with it; I fell in love with it. It was just a no-brainer for us when we decided to commit to BYU.
“It was just a short amount of time but they made it feel like they had been recruiting me for two or three years. They did a really good job of including my family in the process and building a relationship with them. A lot of the head coaches when you’re recruited call, but coach Pope called a lot. He called almost every day on FaceTime. I got a good feel for him as a person. That helped me fall in love with the situation.”
Glover spent time on his recruiting visit to Provo with BYU players Fousseyni Traore and Trey Stewart. He’s looking forward to getting to know his other new teammates.
“I felt like we bonded well. I should fit in really good,” he said. “I like those guys a lot. I’m really looking forward to meeting the rest of the guys and building those relationships as well.”
The addition of Glover provides BYU with added depth and experience at the point guard position, which also features sophomore-to-be Dallin Hall.
Glover has felt the support from BYU fans via social media and he can’t wait to play at the Marriott Center.
“A lot of people reached out to me on Twitter to say hello and welcome. On Instagram, I got 200-300 new followers. That was pretty good,” he said. “I’m looking forward to interacting with the fans once I get down there and meeting a lot of people.”
While in Provo, he knows what he wants to accomplish in his final season of eligibility.
“My main goal is to make it to March Madness and build relationships in the Provo area,” he said. “I really want to be the best player I can be for BYU.”
Former Florida guard Ques Glover transferred to Samford University after two seasons in Gainesville. He’ll be competing for BYU in 2023-24.
Matt Stamey, Associated Press
Full Story from the Deseret News...