PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kevin Young wants to turn BYU into a breeding ground for NBA talent.
Young, who was introduced as the Cougars’ 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’s a major selling point Young used when he first met with his current roster that’s already seen three major contributors — Dallin Hall, Aly Khalifa and Richie Saunders — enter the transfer portal since Mark Pope left to coach Kentucky.
“These guys are all hungry to get better,” Young said. “That’s been obvious since I talked to them. They’re just dying to get better and dying to have a little specificity on what that looks like for each one of them.”
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.
One Tech Tip: What to do if your personal info has been exposed in a data breach
VOX POPULI: Manga artist exposes the juicy dynamics behind ‘oden’ factions
New video of 'human bear' waving emerges as expert weighs in with verdict
Donald Trump's Georgia judge dismisses some criminal charges
Nadal loses to De Minaur in second round at Barcelona. Spaniard had returned from injury layoff
Cheng Lei China: Jailed Australian TV anchor jailed releases rare message
VOX POPULI: China always occupied a special place in Ozawa’s heart
Politics updates: Follow updates for the latest on government targets
Kentucky lawmaker says he wants to renew efforts targeting DEI initiatives on college campuses
HKFP Lens: Hong Kong photographers document their last moments in the city
Regulators pleased Union Pacific is using fewer temporary shipping limits
China news: July exports tumble by double digits, adding to pressure to shore up flagging economy