BYU basketball coach Kevin Young makes special return 'home' to the Valley
TEMPE, Ariz. — Wednesday night’s matchup against Arizona State was a homecoming of sorts for coach Kevin Young.
This road trip for the Cougars marked the first time that Young has returned to the state of Arizona to coach since he left the Phoenix Suns to come coach at BYU.
During his time with the Suns, Young reached the NBA finals in his first year with the team as an assistant. He was named the associate head coach after his first season with the team. He continued to be a part of the team’s success in reaching the playoffs as the Suns reached the playoffs in every season that Young was a part of the team.
While in Phoenix, Young developed a great relationship with some of the best players in the NBA. That included Devin Booker and future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul.
Young became the interim coach for the Suns for four games while head coach Monty Williams was in health and safety protocols. Paul had nothing but good things to say about Young when he took over for those four games.
“He did a great job...KY will be a head coach very soon in this league," Paul told The Arizona Republic.
As is well-known, Young ended up at BYU after being offered the head coaching job and he has already transformed BYU into a program that attracts NBA-level talent. He has implemented many things he learned during his time in the NBA and with the Suns and has the Cougars playing some of their best ball of the season right now.
It was a successful trip for Young and the Cougars as the team went 2-0 in the Grand Canyon State and picked up two Quad One wins to boost their resume.
“I mean, this is a special place for me,” Young said. “Had some good years here, and having a lot of friends and family at this game in particular. It was a good trip, good time to for our guys to be on the road for an extended period of time and come together. But for me personally, having a lot of friends and family supporting us was fun and special.”
Young made sure to take the team to his old stomping ground in Phoenix, as BYU held practices at the Suns training facility while the team was preparing for the Sun Devils.
Cougar fans were well represented in Tempe as they came to support the team and a few “Let's go Cougars” chants broke out during the game.
“I spent a lot of time down here,” said Young. “I know there's a lot of BYU blue in the valley, so I was expecting to see some, but it surpassed my expectations. I had a moment when I was walking up the court, just looking up there, felt like half the arena was blue to be honest with you.”
It was a nice crowd change for BYU after the postgame incidents in Tucson last Saturday night.
“Credit to ASU in terms of being classy,” said Young. “We have had some other stuff along the road that is not classy and so I appreciate the fans here.”
The Cougars will return home to take on West Virginia on Saturday with a chance to extend their win streak to six games.