A lot has happened in the time between Brooks Bahr’s commitment to and actual arrival at BYU.
Bahr signed with the Cougars in November 2023, as Mark Pope was leading the program into its inaugural Big 12 campaign.
Since then, Pope went to Kentucky and was replaced in Provo by Kevin Young, who has won 60% of his Big 12 matchups, reached a Sweet 16 and produced two first-round NBA draft selections — all while Bahr served as a missionary in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“I think he’s got the physicality to do well in our league. What I’ve seen out of his offensive game, he’s a guy who can dribble, pass and shoot, stuff I’ve been talking about for a while. So I think he’ll fit in, he’ll fit in well.”
— BYU coach Kevin Young on Brooks Bahr
Now, four months removed from his mission, Bahr is finally on BYU’s roster, and despite the program’s various changes while he was in Europe, the freshman guard never thought about playing anywhere else.
“I think BYU is just the place where I want to win the most,” Bahr said Monday during an appearance on BYUtv’s “BYU Sports Nation.”
“No matter where in the country I go, there’s money elsewhere and stuff like that, different coaching staffs and everything, but winning at BYU to me is the most special. Since I was a kid, it was my dream to win at BYU, to bring a banner, bring a championship to this university, so that’s why I stayed (committed).”
As a senior at Keller High in Texas, Bahr averaged 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game to rank as 247 Sports’ No. 25 combo guard nationally, choosing BYU over Utah, USC, Wake Forest and other notable schools.
The Cougars haven’t had any freshmen players who came straight from missions in the past two seasons, making Bahr the first newly returned missionary for Young to coach.
“He’s got that attitude where he’s got a chip on his shoulder, which is right up my alley,” Young told reporters of Bahr back in June. “He’s got some Richie Saunders in him, with that kind of psycho gene, and I say that very complimentary where he just is a maniacal-type worker.
“But he’s going to help us because he’s a super competitive kid. I think he’s got the physicality to do well in our league. What I’ve seen out of his offensive game, he’s a guy who can dribble, pass and shoot, stuff I’ve been talking about for a while. So I think he’ll fit in, he’ll fit in well.”
A well-built 6-foot-4, it would be easy to mistake Bahr for a linebacker — such a frame would be impressive for any backcourt player, let alone one fresh off of a mission.
“In my mission we were lucky, we all had weights and benches in our apartment,” Bahr said. “We would just wake up, I would put some peanut butter on toast, eat that as I was lifting, and that was good. But coming back, just getting into shape, we’ve been running a lot as a team, so it’s been good.”
Added Young: “I don’t know how many pushups the dude did on his mission, but quite a few would be my guess. He’s in really good shape physically ... he’s bigger than I thought.”
Bahr is one of the many new faces for the Cougars, looking to earn minutes off the bench and learn from the veteran guards around him in Rob Wright III, Nate Pickens, Dawson Baker and Collin Chandler.
But along with improved depth, BYU is looking to achieve better chemistry and cohesion across the roster. It’s been the prime focus of the summer for Young’s squad, and Bahr is thrilled to be part of it, especially as a newcomer at the college level.
“I love the emphasis that we’ve had of just being together as a team,” Bahr said. “I think we’re just going to be a team that plays super fast and plays super hard. We rebound, we make shots and we play together. That was the emphasis today in practice, it’s been the emphasis all summer.
“... We’ve got guys that just love to win. We’re diving for loose balls, taking charges, doing the things that other teams don’t want to do.
“... I’m just excited (for) every night (in the Big 12) playing against guys that are hungry to win, big, strong, fast. It just gets me excited, man. I’m ready to go, I’m excited to play.”