Former BYU Player Nick Emery Extends Best Wishes To Larry Krystkowiak

SALT LAKE CITY – Former BYU basketball guard Nick Emery took the opportunity to extend his best wishes to now-former Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak.

In response to news that Krystkowiak was let go by Utah AD Mark Harlan after 10 years as the Utes head coach, Emery tweeted, “Good luck @LKrystkowiak .. forgiveness is real, and I’m grateful we figured things out! Best of luck to you, Coach!”

In 2015 Emery hit Utah’s Brandon Taylor and reportedly told him to stay down on the court. Emery’s actions in a loss to the Utes led Krystkowiak to cancel the annual rivalry game the following year in 2016.

Good luck @LKrystkowiak .. forgiveness is real and I’m grateful we figured things out! Best of luck to you, Coach! https://t.co/pozIGXp0Kh

— Nick Emery (@04NickEmery) March 17, 2021

When Krystkowiak announced in 2016 that Utah was canceling the rivalry game against BYU, he said, “I am concerned about the potential for serious injury in the current atmosphere of this rivalry,” he said. “I am not implying that any individual is guilty as I understand fully that situations fueled with this much emotion can create opportunity for people to do things they regret. Compounding the problem for me is what I consider to be a lack of remorse after the behavior, both in things said and left unsaid, and I have no reason to believe this pattern of behavior will change on its own.”

Nick Emery, Larry Krystkowiak repaired relationship

The rivalry did return. And as Emery mentioned, “forgiveness is real.” The two men hammered out their differences during the Fourth of July weekend in the summer of 2017. Emery reached out to Krystkowiak and apologized for his behavior.

The annual game between Utah and BYU hasn’t missed a year since.

“To be honest with you, if that would have happened a little bit earlier — and this is no disrespect to him — we would never have taken any time off. That was part of the holding pattern that I was waiting to see what would take place before I kind of got my undies in a bunch and wanted to put an end to it,” said Krystkowiak in 2017.

Nick Emery appeared in one more rivalry game against Utah after the incident with Brandon Taylor. He played in the 2018 meeting that took place at the Vivint Arena. BYU won that game. Emery appeared in 13 minutes of game action. That was Emery’s final season with the Cougars.

Krystkowiak posted a 183-139 record in his 10 seasons with the Utes. He was 4-5 in rivalry games against BYU.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.