BYU to hire Kevin Young as coach: Phoenix Suns assistant to lead Cougars after Mark Pope takes over Kentucky

[ad_1]

USATSI

Phoenix Suns top assistant Kevin Young will be the next coach at BYU, sources told CBS Sports on Tuesday. The deal is not yet finalized, but one source said that BYU has put forth an offer that is for seven years and in the neighborhood of $30 million over the life of a contract.

Young will replace Mark Pope, who left late last week to take the Kentucky job after five seasons running BYU.

The 42-year-old Young, who was a finalist for the Brooklyn Nets coaching vacancy , has a well-regarded NBA reputation and has been tracking toward being an eventual NBA coach in recent years. There was speculation over whether he’d pass on his NBA track to take over a college program; Young never played for nor coached for BYU. However, he is from Salt Lake City and has longstanding ties to BYU alum and Utah Jazz top basketball executive Danny Ainge and billionaire and BYU alum Ryan Smith. Sources said both men played a pivotal role in making the arrangement possible.

In taking the job, Young will be getting a sizable raise — but would also eventually leave his post with the Phoenix Suns. He’s the highest-paid assistant in the pros. The Suns are seeded sixth in the Western Conference, with the NBA Playoffs starting this week.

BYU’s hiring process is different from most schools. The head men’s basketball coach, as with many other positions, must be of Mormon faith and actively practicing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which Young does. He previously was a head coach in the G League (Utah Flash, Iowa Energy, Delaware 87ers) before rising higher in the NBA ranks over the past half-decade as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Suns. Young spent one season coaching in college, in 2007-08, as an assistant at Utah…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/byu-to-hire-kevin-young-as-coach-phoenix-suns-assistant-to-lead-cougars-after-mark-pope-takes-over-kentucky/

Author : Matt Norlander

Publish date : 2024-04-16 17:12:05

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.