Kevin Young On BYU’s Richie Saunders: ‘As Talented As Any Wing In The Country’
Jan 13, 2025, 4:03 PM
BYU Basketball junior Richie Saunders earned high praise from head coach Kevin Young. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah — It can be difficult to find positives during a losing streak like the one BYU basketball is currently experiencing.
One of those bright spots has been the play of junior Richie Saunders.
The 6-foot-5 wing is playing some of the best basketball of his career despite BYU’s three-game losing streak, which has the team currently at 1-3 in Big 12 play.
BYU coach Kevin Young on Richie Saunders: "He's as talented as any wing in the country. I really believe that. I've been steadfast about my opinion on him."
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 13, 2025
Saunders scored 26 points in BYU’s 71-67 loss to TCU this past Saturday. It was his third game with at least 26 points or more this season.
Richie Saunders is among the top performers in the Big 12 through two weeks
Through four games in Big 12, Saunders is fifth in scoring in the league at 17.8 points per game. He’s number one in field goal percentage at 58.1% in conference action and is tied for second from three-point range (48%).
Saunders is having a big year for BYU. What’s interesting is that there was a moment when many wondered if he would be wearing a BYU uniform again.
Last spring, Saunders entered the Transfer Portal after Mark Pope left to take the job at Kentucky. BYU quickly hired Kevin Young as the new head coach and prioritized roster retention in building out his first squad.
By focusing on roster retention, Young was able to get Saunders back into the fold, turning down Kentucky in the process.
“Danny Ainge told me this right after we decided to come back, and the team started fitting in, ‘With a team of this talent, sometimes you’re gonna need to come out and put up big numbers. Sometimes, you’re gonna need to grab a big board. Sometimes, you’re gonna need to get a steal. This is a team, you know,'” said Saunders.
Saunders, a Riverton native, is thriving under Young and has been compared by the former NBA assistant to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso.
Coming back to BYU out of the Transfer Portal
BYU’s first-year head coach was asked on Monday if Saunders’s success this season was what he expected from him when he pursued him out of the portal.
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 11, 2025
“Yeah, absolutely. He’s as talented as any wing in the country. I really believe that. I’ve been steadfast about my opinion of him. He’s made of the right stuff. He can shoot the ball, he competes,” Young said. “He’s got to, sometimes, compete less and think more on the defensive end. I think that’s growth for him. But yes, it is what I expected, and he’s answered the call so far.”
The next challenge for Richie Saunders
As Saunders stacks up big performances, maintaining that efficient level of play will be the next challenge for him and Young.
“I think the challenge for him, it’s different when you’re a guy who’s not the number one guy on the scouting report. All of a sudden, you’re the key guy,” Kevin Young said. “Now, can you still get things done even when they’re keying to stop you? That’s a challenge for him and that’s a challenge for me to continue to try to put him in the positions to get the same types of looks when things are ratcheted up against him.”
Saunders and BYU will look to end the three-game losing streak on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center against Oklahoma State. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio.
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.
