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Bring on the tears. The brilliant BYU Cougars’ 2010-2011 basketball campaign has come to an end. You already know that BYU enjoyed its most wins ever, the Sweet Sixteen and nearly a trip to the Elite Eight.

But even more historic just might be the program’s unprecedented national press coverage. Jimmer, the most famous one-named star since Prince, appeared on ESPN so often he’s now a registered voter in Bristol, Conn.

Late in the season, when the media wasn’t showing Jimmer dropping 3-pointers from the International Space Station, it was debating and dissecting the suspension of Brandon Davies for violating the university’s honor code. Only Lindsay Lohan has been forced to endure such decision-making scrutiny on the national stage.

I wonder how the Davies’ chapter will read when history’s dust settles and the story of this season is less clouded by emotion, near-misses, post-season awards and the odd rants of national sportswriters. Will the sophomore from Provo, Utah, ever get the credit he deserves?

Remember, this was a year when Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel admitted to covering up NCAA violations but kept his job.

Remember, this was a year when Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl finally admitted to lying to NCAA investigators but kept his job all the way until the buzzer sounded on a 30-point NCAA Tournament loss. You don’t have to be a Volunteer to know he’d still be coaching if the team had danced its way to the Final Four in Houston.

The Davies-BYU situation is different.

There’s no need to repeat the unconfirmed reports of the specific honor code violation. You’ve heard all the rumors.

But Davies has also reportedly taken accountability for his misstep. How easy would it have been for everyone involved to address the matter after the players cleared out their lockers for the summer?

Positive stories about Davies usually end with him taking responsibility with his coach, athletic director and teammates. But Davies’ honorable actions in the aftermath don’t end with locker room apologies. How much less embarrassing could it have been if, after taking his dose of discipline, he’d stepped away from the team? If I were Brandon Davies, could I have traveled with the guys? Could I have sat on the bench at the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas knowing the things I’d hear from the crowd behind me? Could you?

What about the Big Dance? Could I have traveled with the Cougars, knowing how my actions affected the entire program? Could I have sat in street clothes and cheered on my teammates knowing that at every opportunity TV cameras would find me and that my story would be retold to millions of viewers?

Honestly, I enjoyed watching Jimmer light up Wofford and Gonzaga, but what I loved most was seeing Davies on the bench in his shirt and tie pumping up his teammates. I was glued to the Florida Gators rematch in the Sweet Sixteen, and my heart raced as the seconds ticked down in regulation. But the image that stuck was seeing Davies, once again with the nation tuned in, watching from the bench when so many of us in his gigantic shoes would have opted for the privacy of our living rooms.

Brandon Davies may have disappointed his teammates, his coaches, his family and himself by violating the honor code. But his choices and courage ever since have been nothing but honorable. I hope he feels that way, too.

So as we close the book on the 2010-2011 BYU men’s basketball team, let us remember the team as one that fought hard when challenged, bonded when it could have fractured, won when it could have lost and taught Cougar Nation a little something about what honor really means.