BYU football's unexpected success may be taking the spotlight right now, but don't let that distract you from one of the most anticipated BYU basketball seasons of all time.
For the first time this season, first-year coach Kevin Young held a news conference and answered questions about the team and the upcoming year. Here are the best lines and what they mean.
"We've got a couple of guys banged up, so that's always a challenge, to navigate through that."
In his true, unfiltered fashion, Young started his press conference with an unprompted nugget about the team's health. Cougar fans can take a breath, however, as he later clarified that there are no significant injuries at this time and he doesn't foresee anyone being unable to play in the season opener.
"Not that close . . . In the NBA world, there's four 12-minute quarters so you get a clear subbing pattern. Obviously, this is a totally different thing," said Young after being asked if he had an idea of the starting rotation. "For me, it's not just about the starting five, but it's what combinations of guys are playing; who pairs well with who."
It's very common to hear Young refer to his time in the NBA, where nearly the entirety of his coaching experience comes from. In this instance, his experience with managing some of the sport's biggest stars (Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Frank Kaminsky) will undoubtedly become one of his strengths at BYU. There's a ton of talent on this team, and Young and his staff are going to have to figure out who to put on the court and when.
"A lot of my (assistant) coaches who have been in college have urged me to assume they know nothing. Not in a negative way . . . Which is very unfair because we have a lot of smart players on our team."
Young is referring to the rapid pace at which BYU's players are learning a more complicated offense. Again, Young is coming from an NBA background and was even the Phoenix Sun's "offensive coordinator" for multiple years. Every single player and even assistant coach will be learning a new offense and defense, which is much more complicated than it sounds. Don't be surprised to see a few hiccups early on in the season.
"It's really not something that keeps me up at night," said Young when asked how he would disperse minutes amongst such a talented roster. "I really, truly think that that stuff sorts itself out. I like having a competitive group, with guys who can come in with talented backgrounds and resumes . . . But at the end of the day we'll see how it plays out in practice and who we feel like gives us the best chance to win."
This is perhaps the biggest question entering this basketball season. With so much talent on the roster, what will the rotations look like?
Not only has BYU managed to snag bonafide NBA lottery picks in Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, but other key transfers as well in Keba Keita and Mowait Mag — not to mention returning production in Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders, and Fousseyni Traore. This will continue to be a debate throughout the season but it's clear that Young will not show any favoritism to prestige, but do what it takes to win.