Kevin Young loses an assistant on his BYU basketball staff to Boise State

BYU basketball losing a member of their coaching staff was not on my offseason bingo card, unfortunately. I wasted spots on "Cosmo wardrobe malfunction", "AJ Dybantsa returns for his sophomore season", and "Brigham Young himself rises from the dead and closes the athletic department". What a waste.

No, the drastic change in this year's team build comes in the form of assistant coach Will Voigt, who will be leaving the program to join the bench at Boise State as they leave the Mountain West Conference for the newly revamped Pac-12 Conference, or as I like to call it, "Mountain West Plus".

""Boise has been my home base for over a decade," Voigt was quoted in the Boise State announcement. "I'm elated to be closer to my kids and work for a highly-successful and consistent program as we transition into the Pac-12."

Jokes aside, this is a big moment for Boise State athletics, and Voigt joins a basketball program on the rise in Idaho's capital city. The move was made primarily so Voigt can be closer to family, according to most reports. You will be missed, Coach -- thank you for your years with the team!

Former BYU hooper Jonathan Tavernari was interviewed on this new change for Kevin Young and his staff on ESPN The Fan, and this specific segment stood out to me.

Question from host Ben Criddle: "BYU's offense hasn't really been criticized over the last two seasons, but the defense has. Could that have factored into Voigt's departure?"

Answer from Tavernari: "It's possible, but basketball coaching staffs don't really work the way people sometimes think they do. Assistant coaches are assigned scouting responsibilities throughout the season. Every assistant prepares game plans regardless of title. [...] Where I thought BYU struggled at times was making adjustments quickly enough when things weren't working. There were stretches where the offense stalled too, not just the defense."

"...every assistant coach wants to become a head coach someday. That's simply part of the profession. Kevin Young has spent the last couple of years evaluating his staff, making adjustments and trying different things. None of this should be viewed as putting blame solely on Will Voigt because he's been successful everywhere he's coached. Coaching staffs change. That's the reality of college athletics today. Players are moving more than ever, coaches are moving more than ever, and programs adapt."

Tavernari insinuates that Voigt's move was largely driven from the BYU side of this exchange, citing the Cougars' poor defense over his tenure as an ignition for his dismissal. Yes, Voigt was brought for his knowledge of defense, even coining his own "peel switch" defense that is used at every major level of the game. I'm not convinced that Kevin Young and BYU were anxious to make a change, and the only news released has been about Voigt's hiring in Boise with no details on his reason for leaving Provo.

Who BYU brings in to fill the Voigt void (or Voigd, if you will) will be one of the key storylines of the offseason moving forward.

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