Sources: BYU Set To Hire Former Louisville Assistant Kahil Fennell As Assistant Coach
May 25, 2022, 6:55 PM
Photo courtesy of Kahil Fennell on Twitter
PROVO, UT – According to multiple sources with direct knowledge, Mark Pope extended an offer to Kahil Fennell today to join the BYU men’s basketball program as an assistant coach.
Fennell, a former assistant at the University of Louisville, has reportedly accepted the position and will fill the vacancy on Pope’s staff that was created when Chris Burgess left BYU and joined the University of Utah men’s basketball program. An official announcement of Fennell’s hiring could come as soon as Thursday according to sources.
Fennell visited BYU and Provo last week to formally interview for the job and get a feel for the community. Fennell spent the last four seasons at Louisville on Chris Mack’s staff, beginning as the director of basketball operations for three seasons before moving into an assistant coaching position this past season. Mack was fired midseason due to the fallout from an extortion case involving former Cardinals assistant coach Dino Gaudio and the Cardinals slumping to a 13-19 overall record.
Thank you Louisville ✌️🖤 pic.twitter.com/3XPszHDf9I
— Kahil Fennell (@KahilFennell) May 10, 2022
Kahil Fennell History
Prior to his time in Louisville, Fennell made stops as an assistant coach at Portland State and Division II Texas-Permian Basin. He got his start in coaching at Alameda High School in California. A product of Thousand Oaks High School (CA), Fennel played one season in the junior college ranks at Penn State New Kensington before playing three seasons at the University of Redlands.
With BYU slated to enter the Big 12 Conference in 2023, Fennell’s Power 6 coaching experience in the ACC will be a boon to Mark Pope as he has high-major experience at the highest levels of the sport. Louisville had three winning seasons before their disappointing 11th place finish in the ACC this past season.
The Salt Lake Tribune previously reported Fennell would be hired on May 11.
BYU Basketball Schedule Taking Shape
BYU will face Missouri State in a non-conference matchup on November 16 at the Marriott Center, according to Wyatt Wheeler from the Springfield News-Leader. The game against the Bears is a return trip that was guaranteed following their game this past December, in which BYU won 74-68.
The Cougars also will face Creighton in Las Vegas on December 10, according to CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein. The Cougars’ non-conference will have plenty of in-state flavor as well with home games against Utah, Utah Valley and Weber State along with a road game against Utah State. A road game at San Diego State has also been floated as one other high-profile game that could be added to the Cougars’ schedule.
