BYU is hiring Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young to fill the men’s basketball head coaching position left by Mark Pope, the university confirmed Tuesday.
Young, 42, is from Salt Lake City. He spent almost his entire 18-year coaching career in the professional ranks, moving from G League assistant to G League head coach to NBA assistant to his current role as head coach. associate head of the NBA. Young is the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA and will remain with the Suns through the playoffs, according to ESPN, which announced the hiring.
Pope spent five years at BYU, going 110-52 overall, making two NCAA Tournament appearances and, most notably, transitioning the program into Big 12 play this season. He took the job at Kentucky, his alma mater, following John Calipari’s abrupt move to Arkansas during Final Four weekend.
Young played a big role during his four years in Phoenix. He joined then-coach Monty Williams’ staff in 2020-21, the year the Suns had a breakout season and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Young was a main voice on offense.
He had the respect of Chris Paul and built a strong relationship with Devin Booker. His roots lie in the NBA’s developmental league, and his former colleagues always insisted it was only a matter of time before Young landed a head coaching job.
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What’s surprising is that this is happening at the college level rather than in the NBA. Young’s only college coaching experience was one season at Utah Valley (2007-08) and one season at Oxford College in Georgia (2008-09).
While Young’s inexperience in the college ranks could pose a challenge, he also comes at a time when college sports are so radically different that they’re not far removed from professional basketball. The NBA’s roster-building mindset is increasingly common, including programs adding general manager positions.
Young’s biggest challenge will be leading BYU through a Big 12 conference that is arguably the most demanding in college basketball, while doing so with roster contours unlike those of any other basketball program major.
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Although BYU is a private school and is not required to disclose contract details, the financial commitment to lure Young from the NBA is undoubtedly significant.
Young’s decision to stay with the Suns until the playoffs comes at a critical time in the college roster construction schedule. The transfer portal is open for two more weeks, and players are moving quickly.
Four key BYU players are currently in the portal: Aly Khalifa, Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders and Marcus Adams Jr.
While Young will likely look to re-recruit some of those pieces, BYU still returns a strong core of veterans with Trevin Knell, Fousseyni Traore, Noah Waterman, Atiki Ally Atiki, Trey Stewart and Dawson Baker, along with sophomore amount Isaac Davis.
We have our guy🤙 pic.twitter.com/fIyZGL0sCX
– BYU Men’s Basketball (@BYUMBB) April 16, 2024
BYU finished 23-11 last season, going 10-8 in its first season of Big 12 play. The Cougars finished in the top 20 in KenPom’s energy efficiency assessments for only the fourth time since 1997, when the assessments began.
Young is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church that owns and operates BYU. According to the university, for head athletic coaches at BYU, it is a practice but not a policy for them to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)