Coach Jim Boylen was clearly upset at hearing the news from an assistant coach that counterpart Dave Rose of Brigham Young has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The Cougars announced in a statement that the cancer was discovered by tests Rose had performed when he underwent emergency surgery to remove his spleen and part of his pancreas at a hospital in Las Vegas last week. He's home now, but has been enduring further tests at the Huntsman Cancer Institute just up the hill from the U. campus.

“The biggest thing is I'm shocked and I'm disappointed," Boylen said. "This goes way beyond basketball and the rivalry. It's about a man that I respect and compete against at the highest level. ... It's tough."

Boylen said he had been leaving Rose voice-mail messages since Rose checked into the hospital, teasing him about the lengths to which he would go to avoid summer camps and recruiting. Boylen said the two "have a bond, believe it or not" that has grown out of their shared goal to "make young men into men within this rivalry."

“We wish him the best," Boylen added. "We'll be praying for him down here, my family. And we're expecting him to recover. I know he's a fighter, he's a tough guy, and I'm expecting him to be coaching his team in the fall.”