Kevin Young has forever changed expectations for BYU basketball, and his first season is still months away. After landing a handful of star guards, the roster still needed depth in the frontcourt. 5-star Joson Sanon was caught by the admissions net and released to Arizona State, but Young's staff still has plenty of commitments in transit to Provo.
NEWS: Rutgers transfer forward Mawot Mag has committed to BYU, he tells @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 2, 2024
The 6-7 senior averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. https://t.co/Qv5y1BE3Yq pic.twitter.com/zgrUH1CHxL
Rutgers forward, Mawot Mag, committed to BYU on Sunday, dropping the remaining scholarship spots to two. Mag was also being heavily recruited by San Diego State, which seems to produce tough defenders like a factory. This addition is sure to bolster BYU's defense, which will be necessary if the Cougars hope to compete against conference foes like Houston, Iowa State, and other top defenses.
How fun is this, right?
We went over some of Mag's best attributes in an earlier article highlighting some of BYU's top transfer targets, but let's quickly run over why he is such a fantastic acquisition for BYU.
His counting stats won't blow you away--unless you're all about 9 points per game--but Mag established himself as one of the nation's best defenders during his four seasons at Rutgers.
Averaging 0.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in his senior season with the Scarlet Knights, Mag has a high defensive IQ and is always alert and hustling. Mag will be a nightmare for Big 12 foes.
This is the money clip for Mawot Mag. Maryland Head Coach Kevin Willard called him “probably the best college defender I’ve seen in a long, long time.” One of the truly elite defensive players in the sport. pic.twitter.com/DsoASPTxUY
— Robby McCombs (@rtmccombs) June 2, 2024
Defense is Mag's calling card, but that doesn't mean he won't be a positive on offense. Though I poked fun at his stat line earlier, you don't just get 9 points per game by running baseline to baseline all game.
Defense is undoubtedly Mawot Mag’s strength, but these highlights show what he can do on offense, particularly his ability to score off the dribble pic.twitter.com/c7q0J4mLkq
— Robby McCombs (@rtmccombs) June 3, 2024
With the addition of Mag, Young's staff will only need to fill two more scholarship spots on the roster. UCLA's Berke Buyuctuncel is still available and could add even more depth to a team that is getting deeper all the time. Retaining Jaxson Robinson would have been great, but the Kevin Young era is all about moving forward!
The question has to be asked if this year's team should be expected to outperform last season's 5th-place Big 12 squad. With incoming freshmen like Egor Demin, Elijah Crawford, and Brody Kozlowski (all 4-stars or better), BYU will hope that each of these players is ready to make an immediate impact. Should the younger players struggle to adapt quickly to the collegiate level of hoops, experienced players like Mag will be instrumental to bringing them along.
Cougar fans have plenty to get excited about with their basketball program, and Kevin Young has truly ushered in an unforeseeable era of BYU hoops.