BYU Basketball’s Kevin Young Lays Out His Coaching Strengths
May 31, 2024, 4:23 PM
BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young laid out his strengths as a coach on the KSL Sports Zone. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – For being a first-time college head coach, BYU basketball headman Kevin Young is thriving in his new role.
After six weeks on the job, Young landed a commitment from one of the highest-rated recruits in BYU’s history: Real Madrid’s Egor Demin.
Along with Demin, Young got All-Big 12 guard Dallin Hall and versatile Richie Saunders to exit the Transfer Portal and return to BYU.
People are wondering how Young is pulling this off.
Strengths of Kevin Young as a coach
Young hopped on the KSL Sports Zone’s DJ & PK on Friday. One of the questions he was asked was his strengths as a coach.
“I think just communication. That’s how I was able to carve out a role in the NBA. I try to be as prepared and study as I can before I talk to any player in a team setting,” Young said to the KSL Sports Zone. “And with that, being direct and taking a lot of the fluff out of it.”
Young worked with high-profile NBA athletes such as Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Joel Embiid.
As the lines of professional and college ranks continue to blur, Kevin Young’s background in the NBA is something he’s leaning into in his role at BYU.
“I think guys are drawn to the truth. Guys don’t want you to waste their time and guys want to know how you can help get them better. So that’s kind of what I gravitated to.”
Young leads BYU basketball into a new era
Young and his staff have recently extended scholarship offers to some of the country’s best prospects, most notably Utah Prep’s AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s number-one recruit for the 2025 class.
Others include five-star forward Bryce Heard out of Illinois and four-star Hudson Greer from Texas.
Young will continue the communication approach he used to connect with Booker, CP3, and others in the NBA at BYU.
“In the NBA, it’s my style, it fits my personality and I just try to stay true to kind of who I am and that’s kind of where I’ve been able to make headway with relationships. That’s how I’ve approached this as well.”
Young’s next task is to finalize his 2024-25 roster and round out his coaching staff, which has three openings. BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said this week at the Big 12 Spring Business Meetings it would be finalized in “the coming days.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
