PROVO, Utah — The first BYU basketball season under head coach Kevin Young will begin six weeks from Tuesday.
With 42 days until the opening night matchup on November 5 against Central Arkansas, official practices can tip-off.
NCAA men’s basketball teams can complete 30 practices within 42 days before the first game.
BYU basketball is gearing up for one of the most anticipated seasons in program history. The anticipation stems from the work that Kevin Young put into assembling his first BYU team.
Highly anticipated season of BYU basketball
From landing high-profile NBA draft prospects such as Egor Demin to retaining key performers on a BYU squad that finished in the top five of the Big 12 season ago in Dallin Hall, Fousseyni Traore, and Richie Saunders, the personnel is there for Kevin Young and BYU hoops to make an instant splash on the court.
“We felt like we didn’t want to get too young, we didn’t want to get too old,” Young said to KSL Sports. “We didn’t want to get too much upside or not enough upside. We were trying to really get a blend. So, hopefully, that means we can win a lot of games. We’ll see. But we do like the blend of guys we have.”
When BYU hired Young away from the Phoenix Suns bench, there were questions about how he would fare on the recruiting trail. He silenced those questions in a hurry.
First, he hired assistant coaches Brandon Dunson, Chris Burgess, and John Linehan, who were well-versed in college recruiting.
He added Tim Fanning and Will Voigt to the staff, bringing impressive credentials with international hoops and connections to Overtime Elite and the NBA G-League.
Roster construction in the NIL era
Since Young was hired, he has landed four prospects from the Top 150 in the 247Sports Composite ratings in the class of 2024. He and his staff added four-star transfers, Mawot Mag from Rutgers and former Utah Ute Keba Keita from the portal.
The moves in the offseason had coaches around the country buzzing that they believe BYU under Young boasts one of the top NIL war chests in college basketball.
“What it’s done is allowed us to be competitive across the country with other schools,” said Young on BYU’s NIL situation. “It’s a competitive era in college basketball with that part of it, and it is a big part of it, but I’m just glad that we’re able to be sort of be in the game and be competitive with some of the other schools that are out there.”
Developing the on-court product under Kevin Young
With roster construction in the rearview mirror, Young’s Xs and Os, a strength of his while working for the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, can begin to take shape as the season draws near.
Young and his staff conducted one-hour practice sessions during the summer in preparation for official practices getting started.
“The thing that stood out, far and away, is just the group’s competitive nature,” said Young. “It’s been very intense; guys are getting after it. I think all the coaches took note of [the competitiveness].”
What BYU’s style of play will be is going to be a fascinating storyline to monitor. Last year’s BYU team under former coach Mark Pope leaned heavily on three-point shooting. They were third in the nation, averaging 11.1 attempts per game.
The three will likely be a key piece to Young’s team, but with the personnel they’ve added to the roster, the potential lineups they can throw at opponents are very versatile.
“I don’t really get caught up in ones, twos, threes and fours, to be quite frank about it,” Young said. “Just get good players that know how to play. That can dribble, pass and shoot, and that’s kind of how our system is sort of constructed.”
BYU basketball will hold an event called “Marriott Madness,” which will be an open event to the public on Thursday, October 3, with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Then, on October 9, at 7 p.m., BYU will hold an annual Blue & White game at 7 p.m., with free admission for fans.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
