Takeaways from BYU coach Kevin Young at Big 12 basketball media day

It is no secret that Kevin Young has hit the ground running in his first year at the helm of BYU basketball.

On Wednesday, Young made the media rounds at Big 12 Media Day in Kansas City, focusing on how he has built his program so far and his excitement about competing in the Big 12.

Competitiveness

One of the most significant talking points from every coach, including Young, at Big 12 Media Day was the league's overall competitiveness. With five teams in the top 10 of the AP Poll and 10 teams in Ken Pom’s top 50 programs in college basketball, the new 16-team Big 12 Conference is one of the deepest and most talented leagues in the country.

“[It’s] extremely competitive, it feels like the entire league's in the top 25,” said Young. “What I'm expecting is just an absolute gauntlet of a schedule, and I look forward to competing against the best coaches and players.”

For Young, the decision to leave the NBA and come to Provo became real when BYU joined the Big 12.

“I've had BYU in the back of my mind at some point and thought maybe there's something that could happen,” said Young. ”But once they made the move to the Big 12, for me personally, it became a lot more attractive because of how good the league is, and you're playing against the best players and the best coaches every night.”

As Young continues to build his program for success in the Big 12, he wants his team’s identity to be its competitiveness.

“I think the number one thing is just having an attitude of just competitive spirit,” said Young on ESPN’s Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Tipoff show. “That's kind of how I'm wired, just, you know, toughness and competitiveness.”

That competitiveness is already showing in Young’s program both on the court and in recruiting.

Building BYU basketball in a new way

Another one of the main talking points at Big 12 Media Day was the changing landscape in college sports. The new college landscape has pushed out the likes of former Virginia head coach Tony Bennett and others into retirement because they could not keep up with NIL and the transfer portal. Fortunately for BYU basketball, Young has transitioned seamlessly from the NBA to college basketball.

“I mean, it's a unique time for me to make this transition because I think where it's driving some coaches out, you know, I think I'm welcoming it with open arms,” said Young. “Because one, I don't know the old way. I don't know the old way at all. And so I know this way of doing it. It is very much like the NBA, and so our entire operation is set up just like an NBA organization is run, and I've had a comfort level with that.”

When facing the challenges of NIL, it is just business as usual for Young.

“When I decided to take this move, leaving the NBA to do this, there was a lot of things I was nervous about just in terms of the unknown,” said Young. “What I found is there's a lot of similarities that I wasn't necessarily accounting for. The NIL space is just a different word for how things operate in the NBA. You know, I find a lot of similarities there and so, quite frankly, it's been a real comfortable space for me to be in.”

Young's comfortability and network from the NBA have helped him recruit highly-rated talent to BYU, including Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings. In next year's recruiting cycle, BYU will also be recruiting the best players in the country.

Young’s competitiveness, comfortability, and a bevy of resources at his disposal have allowed him to turn BYU basketball into one of the most desirable places to play in the country. Young’s success in recruiting and retaining players has set BYU on a trajectory that few coaches have ever reached at BYU, as long as Young can get the talent he has brought in to be successful on the court.

The best quote of the day

Perhaps Young's most insightful quote came when ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla asked about Demin and Catching’s talent and growth while at BYU.

“Both extremely talented, you know, very different players. Egor is a, you know, a ball in hand guy that can just, has an unbelievable feel for the game,” said Young. “[He is a] very gifted passer… you know, we joke as a staff that either our defense is really bad or he's just that good of a passer in practice that's just making us pull our hair out.”

Demin flashed his passing and scoring ability in his first appearance as a Cougar at BYU’s Blue and White scrimmage, leaving BYU fans feeling giddy about the upcoming season.

“In terms of Kanon, you know he's extremely gifted, he's just got an immense amount of raw talent,” Young said about Catchings. “The thing I love about him, like most coaches, is when he puts the ball in the basket, right? And so there'll be stuff where he's still learning, but at the end of the day, he can score the ball.”

As far as how they are developing, Young was candid about how both are progressing.

“I think it in terms of where they're at in their development, you know, Egor's probably a bit more polished coming over from Europe," he said. "But Kanon has probably improved at a higher and a faster rate than anyone we've had so far.”