BYU basketball's rapid ascent: legit or overblown?

BYU's basketball program is entering uncharted territory following the massive shakeup of the coaching staff and roster in the wake of Mark Pope's departure. In what should have been a step backward for an athletic department that has historically struggled to overcome its self-installed limitations, BYU has burst onto the scene as a legitimate threat for college hoops.

Head coach Kevin Young descended from the ranks of the NBA to take charge of the scrambling Cougars, and from the debris of a team in pieces, he rebuilt and fortified the team's structure. Where once was doubt, now is hope. Where once was uncertainty, now is direction.

How'd this happen? Well, aside from school boosters opening up their deep pockets to promote NIL deals, Coach Young stood on his NBA experience to draw the nation's top talent to Provo. Limited distractions on campus paired with his roadmap to the league has been a recipe for recruiting success.

New additions to the team have fans giddy to watch an unparalleled level of talent and athleticism take the floor of the Marriott Center this season. Building through high school recruiting and the transfer portal was expected to be a challenge for the new coaching staff at BYU, yet with legitimate NBA-level players on the squad, this bunch of coaches is clearly capable of tackling the challenge.

Uncle Iroh, the patron saint of every 20 to 30-year-old in the country, once confidently declared: "It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions." And as Cougar fans, it's time we take an objective look at this year's basketball team and understand where the team stands.

Unprecedented Talent Meets Unmatched Competition

Certainly from an outsider's glance, this incoming team owns a greater culmination of talent than any BYU squad in memory. With multiple one-and-done prospects in Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings (not to mention another who couldn't get past admissions), along with a number of 4-star recruits with major upside, Kevin Young has built a team capable of battling with the best of the Big 12.

Yet, while the Cougars are starting to feel like a runaway train, it would still be wise to pull on the brakes while we still can. Though the Big 12 was a challenging conference last year, BYU managed to finish in 5th place. With a theoretically improved team at BYU, they should logically be expected to finish higher than last season, right?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Big 12 is reloading and fortifying themselves this offseason. BYU should be expected to improve and build on last season's success (though Joe Lunardi seems to have his concerns), but they're entering an even more challenging conference than last season. Arizona, Kansas, Iowa State, Houston, and Baylor will be obvious challenges for the new-look Cougars, but offseason improvements at Kansas State, Texas Tech, and UCF should give fans cause for pause.

With an unproven head coach and a young group of players at his disposal, don't be surprised to see the Cougars experience some growing pains. With the direction the program is moving, this season may mark a low point in the Kevin Young era--that's a good thing.

The Best Is Yet to Come

KYU is a new institution in college hoops, and any startup will take a minute to get off the ground. While this season's squad will provide plenty of entertaining basketball--possibly more than ever before--Coach Young's staff is planting seeds across across the country in hopes of securing more NBA-caliber talent.

In the 2025 class, BYU has made a splash, offering several 5-star players including the top overall recruit, AJ Dybantsa, who took a trip to campus several weeks ago. On top of that, the class of 2026 has already seen BYU enter the scene, likewise offering top players across the country.

The Cougars have rarely made an effort to lure the best players in the country to Provo, Utah; their effort would have been futile, outside of the rare LDS talent that pops up from year to year, such as Jabari Parker (Chicago to Provo, anyone?)

Targeting the best players in the country is a bold strategy for a school and a coach that is unproven on the highest levels of college hoops. To say that BYU has officially made the big time would be premature, though tempting with the avalanche of hype plummeting from the Wasatch peaks.

Some of the best players available are choosing BYU over Blue Bloods and other elite schools across the country. BYU still needs to show they are capable of converting talent into an on-court winning culture, but we have reason to believe they can--and will.

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