In a lot of ways, Wednesday night will feel like the movie “Groundhog Day” for Mark Durrant. The former Cougar star will sit down and put on a headset and begin his 28th season calling BYU basketball games on the radio with Greg Wrubell. But in other ways, like when the new-look Cougars take the floor, it will feel like he is on a different planet.
“I can’t believe it. It is unbelievable,” Durrant told “Y’s Guys” podcast. “Six months ago, Mark Pope decides to go to Kentucky and guys are hitting the portal. You think it’s probably the worst day BYU basketball has had in 20 years — but it may have been the best day. Not to take anything away from (Pope), but if you told me what BYU could have today (Kevin Young and rebuilt roster), I would say, ‘No way. Never.’”
When BYU hosts Colorado Christian Wednesday night (7 p.m. MDT, BYUradi lone exhibition game before next Tuesday’s season opener, there will be much to sort out, including a player rotation from a lineup of talent Durrant has never seen on campus before.
“I’ve been around a long time, and maybe you get a big-name player every couple of years, but BYU with Egor Demin, Kanon Catchings and even some players not on the roster that we are talking about BYU possibly getting — it’s crazy talk,” Durrant said. “I never even thought we could be in the conversation, let alone be a serious contender for a lot of these guys.”
Demin and Catchings, both freshmen, are considered potential lottery picks for next year’s NBA draft. AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s top high school prospect, is strongly considering BYU and most national recruiting analysts believe he will play for the Cougars next season. Whether Dybantsa chooses BYU or not, Durrant believes the message out of Provo is clear.
“BYU has made the decision we are going to be a player. We are going to pay the money. We are going to bring in the people, the coaches, the staff, the facilities,” he said. “There is not going to be any excuse for even the top prospect to not want to come here — and that’s amazing. I never thought I’d see it happen and it’s happening.”
The new kids on the block, Demin and Catchings, join transfers Mawot Mag (Rutgers), Keba Keita (Utah), Max Tripplett (Snow College) and Mihailo Boskovic (Serbia) that bring size and shooting to a solid mix of returners — Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders, Dawson Baker, Trevin Knell, Fousseyni Traore and Trey Stewart. Four-star freshman Brody Kozlowski (Corner Canyon) and Elijah Crawford (Brewster Academy) are also in the mix for playing time.
“It was always the thing when I played and since I can remember is that BYU is going to be disadvantaged athletically but we will make up for it with how hard we play and with discipline and running the right stuff,” Durrant said. “That’s not the case (anymore). There is no team in the Big 12 that is going to have any physical advantage over BYU.”
Of all the new faces ready to make their BYU debut, Durrant is most interested in watching Keita settle into his new surroundings.
“When I heard that Keba Keita was coming from Utah, I was over the moon. I tweeted at the time, ‘When he steps on the floor for the first time at the Marriott Center, he will be the most athletic BYU player ever to do so,’ and I believe that,” Durrant said. “He has physical skills that are game changing. He is so athletic, quick and strong. He is a dominant player.”
As BYU’s unbeaten football team has learned, solid performances are crucial in every phase of the game, but the quarterback is always the key, and for the basketball Cougars, that quarterback is Dallin Hall.
“(Dallin) is going to be the Jake Retzlaff. He is going to be the guy who makes everything happen,” Durrant said. “He may not be the best athlete or the best player, but he will be the guy that is going to run the show and for BYU to have success, he will need to play well and be smart — but he has so many weapons.”
If Durrant could pick the starting five Wednesday night and for Tuesday’s season opener against Central Arkansas, he would go with Hall, Demin, Catchings, Saunders and Traore with Keita first off a bench that runs deeper than any BYU team in program history.
“The premium for this team will be 3-point shooting,” Durrant said. “They are going to shoot more than last year, and they were the No. 1 team shooting 3s in the country. Everybody can shoot.”
The only question remaining for the veteran announcer is with the head coach.
“I’m all in on Kevin and I’m excited about everything he has done, but I have never seen him coach a college game,” Durrant said. “I assume he can. He’s assembled a great team. Can they find the right combinations that play together well and develop chemistry and keep guys happy — that will be a challenge for him.”
To his credit and credibility broadcasting the Cougars on BYU Radio, Durrant calls it like he sees it — so you can believe it when he says, he hasn’t seen anything like this.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.