Kevin Young Sees BYU’s Chemistry Coming Together After Scrimmage

PROVO, Utah – Kevin Young moved closer to tipping off his first season as the BYU basketball head coach.

On Wednesday night, BYU basketball held its annual Blue & White scrimmage.

Halftime stats from the Blue-White scrimmage.

Keba Keita is the leading scorer with 13 points.

Dallin Hall and Egor Demin each have five assists.#BYU #BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/8OFhk439BF

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 10, 2024

The game had no TV, but it was a free-admission event. BYU fans were anxious to get their first glimpse of this much-anticipated squad, with lines of people in front of the Marriott Center built up more than an hour before the 7 p.m. tip.

BYU fans filled the lower bowl of the Marriott Center, with a few scattered into the upper deck.

Each half of the scrimmage was equal to two different games. The first half was a typical 20-minute half with assistants Tim Fanning and Will Voigt as the head coaches of each team.

For the second half, it was a 12-minute session. Some players swapped jerseys to create different lineups.

“We’re still very much into analyzing our group, figuring out who plays with who and some stuff. We stayed away from [some lineups] because I’ve already seen enough in practice. I felt super confident about certain combinations. Other ones I wasn’t as sure about. We’ll have a lot to chew on from this game film.”

BYU basketball coach Kevin Young enjoyed ‘the vibes’ of the Marriott Center

Young was at center court in the first half, observing alongside Chief of Staff Doug Stewart.

In the second half, he coached up Team White, which featured returning stars Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders in the starting five.

Egor Demin, Kanon Catchings, and Keba Keita were the other three players who started for Team White in the second half.

Young simply said, “No,” when asked if there was anything to read into starting five in the second half.

BYU’s new headman enjoyed the atmosphere inside the Marriott Center.

“More than anything, just the vibes. I thought it was fun. I told the coaches on the bench during the second part of it, and I was like, man, this is fun. I could do this all night.

“You hear about the energy in this building, and it wasn’t even all the way filled. It was fun, great atmosphere.”

#BYU coach Kevin Young loved “the vibes” from inside the Marriott Center for the scrimmage.#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/BA5LouXOH4

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 10, 2024

The fans in attendance had much to cheer about with the new-look squad.

Egor Demin, Kanon Catchings impressed

Heralded signee Egor Demin, who earned one of the loudest ovations in the pregame introductions, shined in his debut in front of BYU fans.

The former Real Madrid star showcased his passing ability and was a stat stuffer in the two halves.

Demin finished with 12 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

True freshman Kanon Catchings showcased his sharp shooting three-point ability.

The former Purdue signee finished with 17 points and was 3-of-7 from three-point range.

“He’s just got a gift,” Young said on Catchings’ three-point shooting. “He’s just a natural scorer. He can put the ball in the basket at 6-9, he can get shots off. You know, he was a guy we wanted because he’s different from everyone we have.”

Other notable contributors included Mihailo Boskovic, who began communicating with BYU coaches at the beginning of the summer. The 6-foot-10 forward, who can operate as a stretch five, had good minutes in his debut.

Returning senior looks improved

Senior guard Trey Stewart looked like a new man in Kevin Young’s system.

Stewart, who was seldomly used the past three seasons, scored eight points and had three assists.

The leading scorers between the two halves were Keba Keita and Richie Saunders; each finished with 19 points.

Second Half game: Team White takes down Team Blue 32-20.

Richie Saunders led the way with 12 points and three rebounds.#BYU #BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/PQL4zU2ewB

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 10, 2024

Chemistry is coming together

Wednesday’s scrimmage showed that Young’s first BYU team has many options. Young believes that they are coming together.

“I like our guys. It’s been a fun training camp because our guys compete really hard against each other. I think our team chemistry is really starting to come together. That’s probably my biggest takeaway tonight.”

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.

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