BYU basketball is finally circling the 7-footer Kevin Young needs so desperately

BYU basketball has just four roster spots remaining, but no starting center. I do not hyperbolize in the slightest by saying Kevin Young has to be putting the remainder of his eggs into the starting center basket -- preferably one of the 7-foot variety.

The hunt for 7'1" sophomore and German UConn transfer Eric Reibe is beginning to take a dip in optimism, as the seemingly ideal candidate to play the paint-patrolling defensive anchor of Kevin Young's Big 12 program is seemingly floating elsewhere. Could he be a USC Trojan, like 247 Sports' crystal ball currently projects? Perhaps. Could he turn on a heel and jump to Indiana or Kentucky? That's a very real possibility. For all we know, BYU could actually be in the driver's seat for Reibe, after all.

But I wouldn't count on it.

With recent intel from Vanquish the Foe's Robby McCombs, BYU basketball is in hot pursuit of Luigi Suigo, a 7'3" Italian prospect that the Cougars have been connected with for well over a year.

"BYU will try to get an NBA-caliber big man and pay 7 figures to get their next starting center," McCombs reports. "Keba Keita was good, but BYU wants more size in the frontcourt."

Clearly, size will be a priority for Kevin Young after last year's team failed to compete with the truly elite teams of college basketball. The giants of the sport have literal giants down low, with players like Michigan's Aday Mara and Arizona's Motiejus Krivas -- both stading over seven feet tall -- completely pulverizing their competition at the deepest parts of March Madness.

BYU wants to play in the Final Four, and the blueprint is clear. With all respect to the careers of BYU legends like Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore, who stood 6'9" and 6'6", respectively, size does matter at the highest levels of college basketball.

This is where Suigo fits into the mix. Standing at 7'3" and currently 46th on ESPN's NBA Draft Big Board for 2026, he's currently weighing his options between making the jump to the NBA or pursuing the increasingly popular college route for international prospects.

The 2027 draft class is seen as far weaker than the star-studded class of '26, so the decision to wait another season, build familiarity with American scouts in the college basketball ranks, and hope for a first-round selection and a guaranteed NBA contract is an attractive avenue, and BYU would be a favorite to land him.

If Kevin Young wants an NBA-caliber big man, you can't do much better than Suigo.

Suigo is a floor-spacing, screen setting headache for any defensive scheme. Though a bit more spindly than some of the higher-end Big 12 Conference starting centers -- he could struggle a bit with their physicality -- Suigo is a capable rebounder, and an absolute anomaly in so many respects.

The deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft is in June, so don't panic if Suigo's commitment doesn't arrive at the end of the transfer portal window.

You can see some of his highlights here.

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