The BYU basketball experience under new head coach Kevin Young hasn't exactly flown off the starting line. Sitting at 11-6 with losses to Providence, TCU, and Utah, the Cougars have yet to show us something incredible.
In fact, this season has been a bit of a disaster thus far.
With the dream of gathering NBA talent in Provo, Utah for player development on their way to the highest level of professional basketball, BYU's talent has disappointed. After gathering key pieces of last season's roster, those players haven't been able to direct their teammates into winning basketball.
So here we sit, like the bubblegum-chewing, tricycle-pedaling child from The Incredibles while we wait for something amazing. The year is far from over, and a hot streak could launch this otherwise middling team into the stratosphere of hooping hallelujahs. An edible arrangement of barbecue chicken cookies and everything a player could dream of all within the same Naismith-style peach basket.
For now, these cats have left too much meat on the bone.
The Cougars have plenty of bugs to code out of their algorithm, so to promote positive change and a new direction, Kevin Young's basketball program must be asked the following questions.
Is the current system conducive to displaying NBA talent?
At the inception of the new regime, the acquisitions of Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings brought tremendous anticipation to the new-look BYU basketball program. Two players who were expected to be selected in the first round of the next NBA Draft entering the grounds of BYU (although the world is already their campus).
This plan hasn't followed through in the way we would hope. Egor Demin is slipping down draft boards as he's proved incapable of hitting routine jump shots, forces far too many turnovers, and has been a non-factor in too many important matchups.
Kanon Catchings, meanwhile, has found a new home on the bench. Sitting and watching save for the playing time scraps his coach affords him. Whether it's a mental issue, developmental problem, or something imperceivable to onlookers, Kanon isn't playing nearly as much as he did to start the season.
Is this an issue telling of the players or the system itself? Many recruits have lauded Kevin Young for the professional facilities, training staff, dieticians, and more--that's a significant reason why AJ Dybantsa and Xavion Staton are linking up in Provo next year--but is this a coaching issue?
As much progress is made behind-the-scenes at BYU, scouts won't care how good these players are in practice. They need to deliver on the floor, and the Cougars need a system that highlights their talent, rather than drag it down.
Why can't anyone hit a free throw?
Free throw shooting has been abhorrent. No one will argue that point.
The Cougars shot just 40% from the line in their loss to Utah, including a bricked attempt from Trevin Knell in the final moments of overtime. Free throws, free throws, free throws.
They're free points up for grabs, and with the Cougars losing so many games by a possession or two, cashing in as many points as possible must be the top priority. Despite this, the Cougars are hitting 68% of their looks from the charity stripe.
Catchings is shooting a shockingly low rate, with a 48% free throw percentage dragging down the average. Demin is likewise below the mean, hitting 63%.
Close losses will continue to pile on with these types of deficiencies. Unless they find answers quickly, they can wave goodbye to a March Madness berth.