How Kevin Young spent his first 3 months at BYU

BYU’s new men’s head basketball coach Kevin Young makes a few remarks during an announcement event in the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Three months ago this week, a new era began at BYU.

It was ushered in by a “Woj bomb” — a social media report from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski — and made official by BYU just minutes later.

Amid the vast uncertainty surrounding Cougar basketball following Mark Pope’s move to Kentucky and a number of key players entering the transfer portal, Kevin Young arrived in Provo to restore hope to the Marriott Center.

Though he has yet to coach a game at BYU, Young’s tenure with the Cougars has already generated more excitement than any other offseason in recent memory, and perhaps even in program history.

The highly-regarded former NBA assistant has done things no one else in his position has ever done before, and in rather rapid fashion.

Three months in, here’s a recap of the Kevin Young era at BYU.

(Note that the dates indicate when news of each event became public. Many events likely occurred earlier behind the scenes.)

April 16: Kevin Young is hired by BYU

Just four days after Mark Pope’s official hiring at Kentucky, BYU announced Phoenix Suns assistant Kevin Young as its new head coach.

Young was the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coach and in the running for a number of head coaching jobs around the league at the time of his hiring in Provo. While his impressive professional credentials made him a rather surprising hire for BYU, Cougar fans were thrilled to have him at the helm of their program.

“Kevin is someone we have had our eye on for a while,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a statement following the hire. “He has risen to the top of NBA assistant coaching ranks. He has been a lead candidate for NBA head coaching jobs and has been instrumental in developing top-level NBA talent. Kevin will bring a new perspective, with an extensive NBA background…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kevin-young-spent-first-3-210646286.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-07-17 21:06:46

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.