PROVO, Utah (AP) 鈥� Kevin Young wants to turn BYU into a breeding ground for NBA talent.
Young, who was introduced as the Cougars鈥� new head basketball coach on Wednesday night, said he plans to use his NBA experience and player development skills to turn Provo into an NBA pipeline for the players while building a consistently successful program in the Big 12.
It鈥檚 a major selling point Young used when he first met with his current roster that鈥檚 already seen three major contributors 鈥� Dallin Hall, Aly Khalifa and Richie Saunders 鈥� enter the transfer portal .
鈥淭hese guys are all hungry to get better,鈥� Young said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been obvious since I talked to them. They鈥檙e just dying to get better and dying to have a little specificity on what that looks like for each one of them.鈥�
BYU has a coach who has the experience to back up the NBA development talk. He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Suns in 2020. After one season on the Phoenix coaching staff, Young was promoted to associate head coach in 2021.
Joining BYU qualified as an unexpected move. Young had no direct ties to the program before . He never played for or coached the Cougars before this season.
Young admitted he鈥檚 taken on a unique challenge, but it鈥檚 also one he鈥檚 embracing with complete enthusiasm.
鈥淲hat I鈥檝e been doing, I鈥檝e been doing for a long time,鈥� Young said. 鈥淭o shift gears and have to learn a whole new system has really got me charged up.鈥�
Young appeared to be on a much different basketball trajectory before joining BYU.
He has interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Suns, the 76ers, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets in recent seasons. Shedding the assistant coach label seemed inevitable.
Seeing Young do it at BYU instead of with an NBA team came as a surprise. But the Cougars made Young their top target from the start after Pope鈥檚 departure.
鈥淜evin is not someone that just came to us out of the blue,鈥� BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said. 鈥淲e had our eye on him for quite a while. It鈥檚 been remarkable to see all that he has accomplished at the NBA level.鈥�
Young will continue to coach with the Suns during the NBA Playoffs before joining BYU in a full-time capacity. For now, he will split his time between Phoenix and Provo. His immediate priorities with the Cougars are retaining current BYU players, contacting recruits and assembling a coaching staff.
He plans to implement a fast-paced wide-open offense similar to what helped the Cougars finish fifth in the Big 12 in their debut season and earn a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. Getting a chance to build up a program in the Big 12 was an opportunity Young didn鈥檛 want to pass up.
鈥淭hat had a huge part of drawing me, pulling me out of the situation I was in,鈥� Young said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 big time. It鈥檚 the most competitive and best league in college basketball.鈥�
This is Young鈥檚 first head coaching job at the NCAA Division I level. Still, it isn鈥檛 his first time heading up a basketball team.
The Salt Lake City native spent eight seasons coaching in the NBA G-League, with head coaching stints at the Utah Flash, Iowa Energy and Delaware 87ers.
鈥淚 know my voice,鈥� Young said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to find it.鈥�
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