Kevin Young did the impossible by immediately turning BYU into an NBA factory

When BYU hired NBA assistant coach Kevin Young back in April 2024, he said something in his introductory press conference that sounded to many Cougar fans like pie-in-the-sky aspirations from a starry-eyed new head coach.

"What I want to do to take it to the next level is make this place the best place in college basketball to prepare young men to play in the NBA, and with my background, I think we’re going to get that done," coach Young said at the time.

"Good luck with that!" I chortled to myself. I was happy the Cougars had landed a visionary head coach, but his vision didn't seem connected to reality.

Just over two years later and Kevin Young has proven all of his doubters wrong, myself included.

What he has done in two short years is the most incredible, inexplicable, logic-defying step-change in BYU basketball history, and whatever comes in second place is a distant second. Kevin Young has done the impossible. He has turned BYU into an NBA factory, and in basketball terms he did the impossible overnight.

BYU's NBA Draft drought

I make no apologies for being skeptical of Kevin Young's vision of turning BYU into "PROvo". After all, the Cougars had gone through an NBA Draft drought for the better part of the previous 35 years.

In 1989 the NBA Draft was reduced to just two rounds which remains the format to this day.

Between 1989 and 2011 the Cougars produced six draft picks -- Michael Smith (No. 13 overall), Shawn Bradley (No. 2), Travis Hansen (No. 37), Rafael Araujo (No. 8), Trent Plaisted (No. 46), and Jimmer Fredette (No. 10).

Then over the next 13 years, from 2012 through 2024, BYU produced zero NBA Draft picks.

Zero.

Before joining the Big 12 it seemed impossible -- literally impossible -- for BYU hoops to attract the nation's elite high school basketball players to Provo. Heck, the Cougars couldn't even land or retain the nation's top LDS players, let alone those who weren't members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU fans carried the scars of Chris Burgess, Jabari Parker, and Frank Jackson.

Burgess, Parker, and Jackson were all Latter-day Saint high school phenoms, and all three of them chose Duke over BYU. The Cougars were never meant to compete with the Blue Devils for top talent. Now, under Kevin Young, only BYU and Duke have produced back-to-back drafts with Top 10 picks, as noted by Robby McCombs:

This was never supposed to happen in Provo.

Even when the Cougs joyfully signed Collin Chandler, the No. 33 prospect in the class of 2022, he decommitted while serving a mission and followed coach Mark Pope to Kentucky. Chandler is back in Provo now, but his willingness to bolt BYU reinforced how nearly impossible it was to keep even the top LDS prospects, even as a well-run, well-funded Big 12 program.

And the feeling even a couple of years ago was that non-LDS athletes would actively avoid BYU due to its unique Honor Code for their one-and-done season before declaring for the NBA Draft. But coach Young turned the Honor Code into a magnet for serious, disciplined, non-LDS young men of high standards like Egor Demin and AJ Dybantsa. He effectively positioned Provo as a safe place for focused young men to hone their craft, avoid off-court distractions, and be supported in living their faith, whatever it may be.

But then BYU hired Kevin Young, and the NBA miracle instantly happened.

Demin, Dybantsa, and Saunders

Last year coach Young landed Russian sensation Egor Demin who was a one-and-done talent. Egor was drafted No. 8 overall in last year's NBA Draft and went on to have a solid rookie season.

This year AJ Dybantsa was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, making him the first top pick in the school's history. Richie Saunders followed in the second round and was drafted at No. 32.

In Kevin Young's first two seasons as BYU's head coach he has already had more players drafted than the previous 20 seasons combined.

And Young isn't done. Bruce Branch III, the No. 6 prospect in the nation this year, is about to begin his freshman year in Provo. He will likely be another one-and-done potential lottery pick. Junior guard Rob Wright III is preparing for a monster upcoming season after transferring from Baylor a year ago. He could be one of the best point guards in the country this year and while undersized for the NBA, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see him drafted next year.

What Kevin Young did over night in turning BYU into an NBA factory is flabbergasting. And to be clear, coach Young deserves all of the credit. College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla did an excellent job summarizing how he did it:

Kevin Young has pulled off the impossible in Provo, and he did it over night. His vision of turning BYU into a premier one-and-done NBA destination was ambitious and visionary beyond what nearly any Cougar fan could have hoped for.

Kevin Young's glorious factory is up and running in Provo.

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