BYU shocked to lose late-blooming sharpshooter through the transfer portal

Of all the players BYU could have lost through the transfer portal, there are few more love-him-or-hate-him candidates than Aleksej Kostic, a player who didn't find his stride until well into the season for Kevin Young's BYU program.

Yet here we are, as the Austrian will enter the transfer portal after just one year in Provo.

Kostic took his time to catch up to the pace of college basketball. As a three-point specialist in the backcourt, he arrived alongside Idaho transfer Tyler Mrus hoping to torch the nets from deep. For Mrus, he never quite found his stroke in the more physically demanding Big 12 Conference, as was the case for Kostic through the first half of the year.

But as the injuries piled up, and Kevin Young's bench grew more shallow by the week, Kostic was finally given consistent minutes and a permanent place in the Cougars' rotation. That's when the threes started falling.

To put his improvement into context, he shot just 33.3% from deep through his first 19 appearances of the season. In games 20-27, he knocked through 38.9% of his threes. An earth-shattering difference? No, but a clear step in the right direction, and a necessary one as his physical weaknesses made him a complete defensive liability -- though he wasn't the only one in one of the Big 12's worst defenses all season long.

Kostic's departure is surprising, as his role was increasing from a here-and-there appearance to a rotational mainstay for a competitive BYU team. Hoping to improve and round out the roster, it's possible that Kevin Young simply communicated that Kostic's minutes wouldn't be guaranteed in 2026-27.

Regardless, Kostic's shooting efficiency isn't irreplaceable, nor will BYU likely settle for offense-only role players as frequently as they did in Coach Young's second season at the wheel.

Best of luck in your career, Aleksej. Thanks for spending this year with BYU.

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