Richie Saunders ‘activates’ coach status for BYU teammates at Big 12 Tournament
Mar 9, 2026, 10:21 PM | Updated: Mar 10, 2026, 10:01 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Richie Saunders might be out with an injury, but he’s still doing what he can to help his BYU basketball teammates.
Saunders is out for the season with an ACL injury. His presence has been sorely missed for BYU as he was the “heart and soul” of the team.
Richie Saunders goes into coach mode at the Big 12 Tournament
Since Saunders went down with his injury on February 14 against Colorado, BYU was 2-4, with both wins coming against top-10 opponents.
Both victories also included Saunders on the bench, cheering on his teammates.
The good news for BYU, the injured Saunders is with the team in Kansas City at the Big 12 Tournament.
“Coach Richie is activated,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young on Monday after practice. “He was great the other night. That’s what is great about team sports, man. It’s not just Richie; it’s other guys who are hurt.
“We’ve had maybe a guy, or two that’s out of the rotation, but everybody’s invested in trying to give input and trying to do what they can to help the team win.”
Saunders has always been a strong competitor. He’s no different with a knee brace on, motivating and giving his teammates feedback.
BYU basketball looks to make a run in the postseason
His presence will be a welcome sign for BYU basketball as they look to make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, starting with an opening round matchup against Kansas State on Tuesday.
Richie Saunders is an all-time great in BYU basketball history.
One final appearance in uniform at the Marriott Center. pic.twitter.com/E1NMVPKuI6
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 8, 2026
Despite missing the last three weeks of the regular season, Saunders still earned the respect from Big 12 coaches with a Second Team All-Big 12 recognition for the season.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard finished with 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists during the season. Saunders’ production has been difficult to replace, but his mature presence in the locker room goes beyond the box score.
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BYU coach Kevin Young has challenged young stars AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III to rise to the occasion in terms of leadership, to go along with their All-Big 12 play on the court.
We will see if “Coach” Saunders can give them some pointers during the postseason.
10-seed BYU vs. 15-seed Kansas State
2026 Big 12 Basketball Tournament First Round
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Tip-off: 5 p.m. (MDT)/6 p.m (CDT)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYUathletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
