Following BYU’s early exit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Kevin Young was asked how he feels this year will affect how he constructs next year’s roster. A fair question.
Having AJ Dybantsa, a generational talent on the roster, alongside Rob Wright and Richie Saunders, brought Final Four or Elite Eight expectations for the star-studded squad.
Injuries curtailed those expectations a little, but a second-weekend appearance in the tournament was still the expectation. Suffering five season-ending injuries in Saunders, Dawson Baker, Nate Pickens, Xavion Staton and Brody Koslowski, proved to be too much for even one March Madness win.
“I’m not crying over spilled milk,” Young said, responding to a question regarding roster construction next year. “It's hard to really judge what we constructed (this year) because we were never able to see it with five season-ending injuries.”
Most years, a team won’t lose so many players to injury, and there should be a more complete product on the floor instead of resorting to a one-man show, like it had to do so often this year with Dybantsa.
Bringing in 5-star recruit Bruce Branch, and Wright ,will be the highlight of the team if Wright chooses not to go pro.
But will the ball movement look better next year? The center position needs some attention, too. Oh, and it would help if the outside shot fell every once in a while.
If Young wants to capitalize on another talented group, these are questions he’ll need to address.
Is BYU going away from isolation ball?
For much of this year, BYU’s big three felt like it could lead the Cougars to a decent tournament run despite close losses to top teams like Arizona, UConn and Kansas. Those plans halted when Saunders suffered a season-ending injury at home against Colorado.
BYU’s shortcomings eventually came down to a lack of talent around Dybantsa and Wright. It’s difficult to move the ball when a team has someone as good as Dybantsa and a weak supporting cast around him.
Next year, it would be nice to see Kennard Davis step up his game. Young acknowledged that he felt bad about trying to force the St. Louis native into a 3-point-heavy role instead of allowing him more freedom. Next year, Davis may be expected to take some of the pressure off the new freshman and Wright.
Receiving Baker for another year will be helpful as well. However, coming off an Achilles injury, we’ll have to see if he can impact the game like he was expected to this year.
Pickens and top-100 Provo recruit Dean Rueckert will also bring more options to another Young-led team.
Who will play center?
The demise of BYU came in large part due to its lack of size underneath the hoop. Against Texas’ 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis, the undersized Keita and company failed to keep him off the boards as Vokietaitis tied BYU’s team rebounds in the first half at 11.
Staton was injured, but even if he had not been sidelined, it was clear he wasn’t ready. The young native of Las Vegas saw limited minutes in his first year at the collegiate level before shutting it down.
As of now, the 19-year-old is BYU's only option at center going into next year. If he can become a little stronger, he could be a terrific rim protector and rebounder with much more scoring ability than Keita and Abdullah Ahmed had this year.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, bringing in former G League player Ahmed as a desperate move to add some size to the roster wasn't enough. After all, there’s a reason Ahmed didn’t make it in the pros.
If Young’s staff develops Staton well this offseason, the center position will look great. Still, when the transfer portal opens on April 7, another reliable center should be the first thing BYU targets.
Will BYU make shots?
Bringing in Tyler Mrus and Davis to make shots largely did not go as planned. Shooting 34 percent on the season as a team, it never seemed like shots fell when BYU needed them most. Mrus only shot 30 percent while Davis was only 32 percent. BYU will need a lot more out of its shooters.
In every game, Young usually cited the team's shooting woes as the reason for the loss. In his post-game presser following the loss to Texas, Young said there is no substitute for shot-making. Of course, if shots can fall, the spacing will improve, and if spacing improves, there will be much more room for Wright and Branch to work off of — something missing for Dybantsa.
Young may have found something in Aleksej Kostic, who shot nearly 37% from three on the season and got hotter as the season went on. His consistency will need improvement, but it’s definitely a start. However, Young will need to figure out how to build a defense to hide the 6-foot-4 guard on defense.
The return of Baker should also be a big boost. Shooting 47% in his limited showing early this year, his shooting may not be as high as his volume of shots increases, but still, it’s hard to see his percentage dropping too far.
If Young wants to see a different result from this year’s March, he will need to find a solid sharp shooter or two in the transfer portal.