Only three days remain until BYU basketball’s season officially begins against Central Arkansas.
Which means only three players left in this 10 in 10 BYU basketball preview series. The third most important player to BYU’s success this season is Richie Saunders, BYU’s ultimate glue guy.
Last season, Richie Saunders finished 27th in the country in Ken Pomeroy’s offensive rating at 129.9. One of the most efficient players in the country, Saunders averaged 9.6 points on 52.3% percent from the field in his 2023-24 season coming off of the bench. This season will be Saunders' first as the primary starter for BYU, one that he has earned throughout his play the last two seasons.
33 days to #BYUHoops
— Yze Guy (@yze_guy) October 4, 2024
Richie Saunders has knocked down 33 field goals in the month of March in his first two years in college. The most in a game came last season on the road against Iowa State#BYUHoopsCountdown #BYUSN pic.twitter.com/nrwTAmCnfh
Saunders has one of the most important roles on the team this year. He will be tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player night after night, a physically draining responsibility. On offense, Saunders pairs perfectly with Egor Demin, Dallin Hall and Kanon Catchings. Saunders does not need the ball on offense to be effective; most of his scoring comes from shooting spot-up 3s, which he shot 36.4% last season.
Saunders will also be used primarily on offense as a screener for Demin and Hall. The majority of the ball handling will be between Hall, Demin, Catchings and Dawson Baker. This will allow him to attack downhill on the roles and use his floater, dump-off to the big man, or swing to the weakside corner. Because of his versatility on offense, Saunders will be the glue that holds everything together as a shooter and connector. The attention opposing defenses will be forced to give Saunders' teammates will present many wide-open looks all over the floor for Saunders. All Saunders has to do is make the right read to shoot, drive, or swing the ball without slowing down the offense.
Saunders has always been a high-energy defender and only had to make enough 3s to keep defenses honest to keep BYU's spacing on the perimeter. This year, if the other starters, Demin, Hall, Catchings, and Keba Keita, are as effective as they appear on paper, opposing teams will have to give up something.
When firing on all cylinders, BYU's offense has many pressure points. Opposing teams will have to choose what to give up, whether it be Keita's roles to the rim, Demin and Hall’s creation in screen and rolls, Catchings' isolations, or Saunders' attacking closeouts.
Where Saunders can elevate his game this season by increasing his 3-point percentage to the high 30s or low 40s, he will have plenty of open looks this season. If he can go from a passable 3-point shooter to a knockdown shooter, it will be challenging for opposing defenses to defend BYU because every player one through five can beat you.
How Saunders shoots 3s and attacks closeouts this season may be the difference between a good and great offensive year for BYU. He is the key to unlocking a potentially devastating offense for the Cougars this season.