Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Kevin Young's debut as BYU basketball coach exceeded expectations, leading to Sweet 16.
- Young, a former NBA assistant, revitalized BYU, ending their NCAA Tournament drought.
- His recruitment success includes NBA prospects, boosting confidence and camaraderie within the team.
PROVO — From Kevin Young first moment on the job, no hire in the history of BYU's athletic department has generated the unprecedented level of hype surrounding the men's basketball coach.
There he was, strolling on stage like a rock star before an adoring crowd that rose to its collective feet in the Marriott Center. His introductory press conference was a made-for-television event, important enough to pre-empt regular programming on BYU-TV.
"This place is gonna get rocking," he declared on that memorable night 49 weeks ago.
The show was only missing the headliner walking off the stage before strutting back to thunderous applause. Little did we know the encore would come in incredible fashion 11 months later.
The longtime NBA assistant managed to pull off the improbable in his rookie season as a college head coach, leading BYU to only its third Sweet 16 appearance since 1981. Forget about matching the hype, Young soared past most reasonable expectations for a program that had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2012.
The sixth-seeded Cougars broke the tournament drought, beating 11th seeded VCU in the first round in relatively easy fashion. They then held off No. 3 seed Wisconsin in a thriller, advancing to play No. 2 seed Alabama this week in Newark, N.J.
"A lot of sports and in life in our kids is confidence," said former BYU star Travis Hansen, "and KY has done a really, really amazing job of building confidence."
In short order, the Cougars have come a long way and are one win away from the Elite Eight for the first time since the Danny Ainge-led team got there in 1981. The dark days of last year seem like a lifetime ago.
Last March, the program was reeling, coming up with an embarrassing loss as a sixth seed to Duquesne in the first round. More bad news — at least it was then — came less than one month later when coach Mark Pope accepted his dream job at his alma mater and perennial national powerhouse Kentucky.
One week later, BYU hit the jackpot in hiring Young, who was a highly regarded assistant with the Phoenix Suns. He immediately promised big things for a program desperately seeking to capture any form of national relevance.
Shying away from a brash style, the impending rock star promoted his NBA background. NBA stars Kevin Durrant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul vouched for Young, who pulled from the professional ranks to comprise his staff,
Young quickly got on record by signing Egor Demin, a projected NBA lottery pick from Russia. He also secured future NBA player Kanon Catchings and multiple college transfers, none of whom fit the mold of traditional BYU recruits and got the nucleus of last year's team to return.
Given all the newness, a slow start was inevitable. But once Young got all the pieces of the puzzle in place, the team gained traction in the Big 12.
One week into February, the Cougars were 6-6 in the conference. Since then, they have won 11 out of 12, with the only loss coming against No. 1 seed Houston.
"I think the best thing he did this year was to get guys roles — all of them," said former BYU assistant coach Tim LaComb. "It built strength and camaraderie. Everyone had to sacrifice for the strength of the team. He got these guys to buy into the truth, and they took off."
And with a boatload of cash available to entice the best talent, it only figures to improve from here. Locked in for next season is AJ Dybantsa, the nation's top high school senior, with Young's greatest hits still to come.
