Finding size and better shooters are the off-season assignments for Kevin Young and his staff.
BYU feels good with the point-scoring additions of Collin Chandler (Kentucky), Tyler Betsey (Syracuse), Dawson Baker (back from injury), returning point guard Rob Wright III and five-star freshman Bruce Branch III.
It’s finding the size that’s taking a little more time.
“This is something I’ve learned as I’ve gotten into college. Getting someone into school is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Young told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show on Monday.
“I thought you’d say, ‘Do you want to come to BYU?’ and they show up the next day like they do in the NBA. You sign a free agent, he’s literally there the next day. There are a lot of logistics that go into some of this stuff, particularly when you are scouring the globe.”
The anxiety felt by Cougar Nation is recognized by Young and his staff, but the Cougars remain on track to signing a solution.
“We have been in lockstep with one guy in particular for what feels like months,” he said. “There are certainly things we can’t talk about or report, but we feel great about where we are at with some of those things. Hopefully the plane lands soon enough and we can get some things out to the public. Make no mistake about it, my staff is tirelessly working on not just this year’s roster — we are tracking the next class and the next class after that.”
The Big Three
Young will fire up his third season in Provo with his third freshman superstar in Branch.
Already billed as a top-five selection for the 2027 NBA draft, Branch follows AJ Dybantsa, next week’s projected No. 1 pick and Egor Demin, who was the 8th-overall pick in the 2025 draft.
“They are all super unique. They are different players with different strengths. They all affect the game in a different way,” Young said. “For me, it is a process. Egor had to learn physicality. AJ had to learn how to slow down. I think (with) Bruce, he affects the game is so many different ways, but there are going to be times when we need him to be a guy to go get a bucket, so what does that look like? Understanding when it’s time to turn it on and things like that.”
Branch, a McDonald’s All-American from Gilbert, Arizona, just returned from representing the United States on the U-18 national team at the AmeriCup in Mexico.
“He is just a simple guy. He likes to play basketball. He likes his family. He just loves to hoop,” Young said. “What’s been fun for me to see since he’s got here is just the level of work, the things he’s trying to improve on every day — just keep it simple and play basketball. I know that sounds overly simplistic, but sometimes, especially in this era, you can get caught up in a lot of the nonsense on social media. He is a young man who just puts his head down and works.”
Branch’s work ethic comes from his mother, Constance.
“For me, it’s not all about scoring,” Branch told the Y’s Guys. “I try to find other ways to help us win. For example, rebounding, my mom wants me to average 12-15 rebounds a game.”
“That’s why I like (his) mom,” Young interrupted with a laugh.
“She wants me to make the right plays. She doesn’t say, ‘Oh good shot’ or anything like that. She’ll say, ‘Great pass.’ She has shown me that it’s not all about scoring. You don’t need to score 30 points a game, (just) keep it simple and have fun.”
Demin, Dybantsa and Branch are the kinds of players coaches dream about, but they still need to be coached.
“There are just different things you have to teach these guys, and it is a process,” Young said. “I have to remind myself of how young (they) are, especially coming from the NBA, but it goes back to the character of these guys. All three are high-character guys and those are the types of guys we like working with the most.”
Draft Watch
Next week’s NBA Draft (June 23-24) will be the conduit to increasing BYU’s presence in the NBA from one (Demin) to three (Dybantsa and Richie Saunders).
“I’m super excited about having what’s soon be three of our BYU guys in the NBA. Just for the pride of turning an NBA game on and watching our guys in the big leagues. That’s amazing,” Young said.
“I’m super excited for AJ and Ritchie. I’m just like everybody else. I’m on pins and needles in terms of waiting to see where those guys are going to go. That’s something I said we wanted to do when I took this job. It’s been fun to see that come to light.”
Saunders was sidelined with an ACL injury on Valentines Day, but his successful rehab has him thinking about playing next season.
“I’m planning on it. This is not a redshirt season,” Saunders told the “Y’s Guys.”
Ultimately, it’s going to be up to the front office. I don’t have an exact date, but this fall is my target.”
Saunders projected as a second-round pick.
“It’s all good stuff. I’m excited to see how it all plays out,” he said. “We are in a great spot.”
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.
