BYU basketball finally secures the top-rated LDS player in program history

Considering the fact that Collin Chandler originally committed to BYU basketball when the program still wore the WCC logo on its shoulder, it's wild that he'll officially play his first game at the Marriott Center in BYU's fourth year as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The player who once bore the title of "highest-rated recruit in BYU basketball history" turned to the dark side, following the coach who originally recruited him, Mark Pope, to the University of Kentucky and leaving BYU in the past.

But hushed wishes became hopeful mumbling, became rumors, became confidence that Chandler's junior season would be set in Provo, Utah. And finally, the man himself put the rumors to rest by officially committing to BYU basketball.

The prodigal son has returned.

There was a ton to love about Collin Chandler as a high school prospect, and his college career has proved that his mixtape was much more than superficial flash with no substance.

Chandler was a cultural leader of the Kentucky program. The lifeblood of the team as one of Mark Pope's hardest workers and calmest minds under pressure. He averaged nearly 10 points per game as a junior in Lexington, while knocking down 41% of his three-pointers and snatching 1.2 steals at the other end.

He's a hard-worker, and that's exactly the type of player that Kevin Young needs at BYU with the departure of the program's heartbeat, Richie Saunders, at the end of the season. Though the two players are fundamentally different in many notable aspects, there's no denying that Chandler's arrival in Provo will at least partially fill the vacuum left behind by Saunders.

BYU basketball looks drastically different today compared to how it did during Chandler's initial recruiting period. A program with a proven NBA system that trickles all the way down to coaching style, facilities, and staff at every level of BYU basketball, Kevin Young's program promises to prepare players like Chandler to make a strong case for the NBA. It's already set that standard with Egor Demin, AJ Dybantsa, and of course Richie Saunders, and that made BYU the obvious landing spot for Collin Chandler's return home.

When you see the flash of blonde curls and limitless hustle hit the floor of the Marriott Center this upcoming season, that won't be Richie Saunders you see -- it's the return of a different player BYU fans have wanted for a very long time.