Kevin Young talks starting at BYU, filling the roster and staff, and the transfer portal

Kevin Young, new head coach for BYU Men’s Basketball, has been busy. He talks signing new players, including Keba Keita and Brody Kozlowski. Along with filling the roster, he is filling the coaching staff, including new Chief of Staff, Doug Stewart. He talks keeping Richie Saunders and Dallin Hall at BYU and his efforts with Jaxson Robinson. All this and so much more on this first-time interview inside Kevin Young’s mind.

is our pleasure now to welcome into the cougar Council room in studio be for the first time ever former Sprayberry Yellow Jacket star and a Clayton State basketball legend Now by men’s basketball coach Kevin young coach great to have you with us thank you guys appreciate it yeah glad to be here finally let’s go hey you’ve been busy A lot’s going on right now are you still having like midnight 1:00 a.m. calls to figure stuff out there’s a lot going on that’s part for the course so it’s busy it’s about time we got somebody from Clayton State in here huh we’ve been asking for for 10 years of this show hey uh for the record we’re going to do a Fan Fest in Phoenix next week so if you need to put our hats on backwards with Ryan Smith and help out with a move like we could probably rally the truth yeah no I appreciate that yeah appreciate that how is the move and the transition coming along uh it’s coming yeah kids are still in school got about a week left so I’ve been doing a little back and forth uh house hunting and doing all the things but uh there’s bigger fish to fry right now than woring about the move so we’re kind of focused on all the other things with that said have you responded to Kanani sitake’s text that you referenced in the press conference yet made sure that happen very quickly n he’s actually been unbelievable I I reached out to him kind of unsolicited about a week or two ago just to pick his brain and uh he was he’s awesome great dude yeah he’s fantastic you can only ghost him for so long he’ll come find he’s an imposing presence awesome uh coach how would you explain just the first few weeks on the job if you had to summ arize uh words to summarize that uh busy yeah insane you know the first the first part was tricky doing doing both jobs you know I would go to Sun’s practice and then go back to my we were on the road so I’d go back to the hotel and just basically be on the phone for the next 12 hours and even found time to snuck over here for a quick trip and then go back to Minnesota but now it’s been busy you know it’s been it’s been interesting though because as busy as it’s been I mean all jokes as side really has been working you know 20 hours a day or whatever but I’ve just felt so much energy it’s so much newness for me um it been really charged me up and just diving head head first and everything I think the fans have felt that too we’re just talking about kind of the juice of men’s basketball right now people are very excited about any little thing that’s coming out or any little rumor whether it’s coaching uh you know and staff or players and whatnot and kak is the newest guy you add why was he such an important piece of this because that’s a big time get yeah I mean just he it is a big time get based on how we want to play you know I’ve talked about it several different times but having that that Rim pressure as I call it he’s a vertical athlete one of the best in the country uh so offensively it kind of unlocks some things how we want to play and then obviously defensively his his Rim protection and just the powerful athlete something that we’ve wanted to add here with the returners is just athleticism uh big strong guy beautiful beautiful human being as well so we felt like it was a a real seamless fit I don’t know what you know about Molly but you you’re about to know everything uh with fous and C which is going to be awesome yeah guys know each other yeah and that’s I mean honestly that’s been a big part of not trying to rock the boat with from a chemistry standpoint you know a lot of the guys that are coming back have talked about that about how they felt like that was a strength of the group and so trying to add talent but also add to the Brotherhood I think this particular instance is a a big win there as well Kevin young is with us on BYU Sports Nation new BYU men’s basketball head coach obviously there are still some key pieces that you want to add to the roster and kada was a huge one there it’s a fluid situation understandably but do you have a timeline of when you are hopeful to have all of your scholarship positions in place yeah I mean talking about it every every day every every like not even trying to be funny every hour things are shifting because the landscape of the portal and then the combine and how there’s so many different factors that play it’s not like not everyone’s playing on the same timeline right and so you kind of have to balance that with balance the who you’re targeting and so forth so there’s a real science to it um clearly haven’t figured out the the exact art to it yet but um every day we’re plugging away and and uh I would expect you know within the week I would expect to have at least a few more you know guys hopefully committed to us but like I said things are changing by when I get out of here I’m sure I’ll have 10 10 Miss calls and texts bringing me up to speed on stuff that’s wild and Jackson Robinson obviously is a big one yeah how do you balance sort of the hey I was in the NBA I can give some input into this and I know people versus hey we’d love you back man yeah I mean with him you know talking with him and you know his representation just listen I’ve all the things that he’s doing I I’ve was the guy for years who did that you know and I really I just offered myself up as a resource you know they’ve been pretty clear they’re trying to focus on that side of it right now which I totally support and get but I just said Hey listen man what you’re doing like I I was the guy running those workouts for years I’m happy at at in the pre-draft workouts you know then they been to the combine many times but you know the combine is one thing but I think it’s when you get into the individual NBA with the team facilities yeah that’s what I did for years and so I again just offered myself up as a resource and uh you know we’ll see we’ll see where things lay when it’s all done for him there because this is also new at BYU but it hasn’t been that long how much different does your life feel right now you know it’s not as different as I would I thought coming into it honestly I mean a big part of it as I mentioned early on was was hiring staffers who are well versed in their college landscape which we’ve been able to do pretty well so far still more to add there but you know there is a lot of it actually reminds me more of coaching like in the in the G league in the in the old NBA D League when I was doing it but in terms of the types of people you’re talking to um so there’s a lot of similarities there and then in terms of our recruiting pitch here it’s you know it’s it’s drawing those parallels between the world I came from into this and that’s what most these guys are trying to do anyway so there’s been a lot of continuity there how do you quickly establish a a relationship with someone to the point where they want to be with you here yeah because it’s got to be so fast for you with these players not only the current ones that you’re trying to retain but uh other ones out of the portal yeah it it’s been tricky you know especially coming into with the portal you know coming in late to the into the game with a lot of these young men and so part of that is relationships you know it surprised me how connected I’ve actually been to a lot of the people that are kind of the movers and shakers in this space um but then in terms of once you get to the conversation I think just keeping it keeping it real like not a whole lot of fluff hey this is how I see you this is how we would use you this is why it’s good and kind of getting to the point which kind of fits my personality anyway so it’s it’s actually been pretty efficient there so you found that you knew people through all your NBA connections that know someone connected to these people you’re talking to yeah that helps right yeah and like we were joking about Kanani and stuff but like when I got when I got the job like I a bomb went off when you mix the college world and the NBA world and then I had like 500 texts and phone calls you know and so and so yeah man it’s been interesting like how much crossover there actually is Kevin young is on BYU Sports Nation let’s focus in specifically on down hall and Richie Saunders I know how BYU fans felt about one them entering the transfer portal and then the feelings that they had when they decided to come back to BYU what were those moments like for you when you got the calls from Richie and D specifically that they were joining you and staying at BYU yeah just super pumped man they’ve been obviously huge parts of the program here um and I told those guys when I first took the job you know I I need you guys cuz I’m I have to rely on your experience you guys know this better than I do you know there’s things I can help you with from a basketball standpoint but their familiarity with the big 12 with BYU the landscape all that so when they said that they were coming back man we were just pumped up and it was cool because I’d been able to build up a report not just with them but with their families as well and I could tell that their families were trying to be supportive but I I felt like they did want them to come back so I think that when they made that choice it was cool to have their parents reaching out like oh we did it you know that kind of thing I can confirm you yeah that Nicole Hall was like Spencer I’m so happy I don’t have to make those big East flights going toon yeah exactly Richie was in studio this week and told us he was in Biz you know he’s in Guatemala he’s in b in a taxi cab and the taxi driver knew who he was he’s like Richie as in Richie Saunders in the transer reporter he’s like oh my gosh I’m in B somebody knows me um what is it like when you take over a program and and you look at you assess the players and the signning and so on are you watching film yourself to be like yes this guy fits into what I want to do like how does that work yeah I think it’s a BAL at the time it was a major Balancing Act you know because we talked about the Suns thing so I’m game planning to score against the best defensive League which we didn’t do a great job of but uh then I’m watching tape on our players here I’m watching tape on recruits and so trying to blend all that together was was a bit of a challenge but you know studying the best I can relying on um you know a lot of the people who had been here as well so was kind of a just a balancing act I think it’s been really fun to watch different highlevel NBA players be very vocal about you and in support of you notably Chris Paul and Devin Booker and others what’s that like for you and and what type of advice are those guys giv to you as you come to BYU in into the college scene yeah I mean I just that’s probably the thing I’ll I’ll miss the most about the NBA is the relationships with that that level of player you know your Chris and book are are probably the two I’ve gotten the closest with especially in in recent years but and we had a special run where we were you know knocking on the door of a championship so that that alone bonds you together but um it’s humbling I would say you know especially you know a guy like Chris who’s arguably the best point guard of all time I mean the word started to get out a little bit and he was actually the first person to call me outside of like my inner family you know he’s just really connected so he he kind of caught wind of it so he called me early one morning it was just thrilled you know for me and my family um and then book you know book’s been amazing amazing you know the comments that he’s made and just conversations him him and I have had so uh hopefully we’ll get him up here to play some pickup with the guys and he he he uh he can kind of share his experiences but yeah they’re just awesome guys and uh just humbling I’d say we’re ready to hang at Kyu sign yeah the Kyu thing was awesome that was so fun um what in terms of uh the coaches meeting that you were just at what was it like to kind of be the new guy there and you’re looking around there’s Bill self and Scott drew and Kelvin Sams and all these guys yeah it’s a little awkward you know just jumping in there uh you know those guys are I mean the big 12’s obviously no joke you know you coming in there and you’re seeing guys like that but um honestly just just the newness of it you know they’re saying I’m texting Tom Homo during the be like hey what is like what does this mean like they’re saying stuff I don’t even know what it means and so just getting caught up but honestly the whole group was very welcoming you know Kelvin was in the NBA for a long time too so um they were it was a good reception I would say speaking coaches you mentioned you’ve already got Brandon Dunson and and Chris Burgess has been a nice addition and you’ve got a chief of staff as well how many more positions are you looking to fill before you have your staff at 100% yeah we got three more assistant coaches that were that were kind of eyeing down down the road with some some people um couple support staff a couple guys I may try to steal from from the NBA circles as well so yeah things are definitely in in the in the works and moving along but there’s so many things that have to get done you know with the portal with players so it’s hard to you know prioritize cuz I’m on the phone with the coach and then next thing I know I’m on a zoom call with the recruit and it’s just kind of trying to stay on top of all of it and you’re offering guys for 25 and 26 for crying out loud you guys are eyeing the next couple years which is great and that’s where honestly like Brandon and Chris have been tremendous that’s why I wanted those two guys specifically here uh really feel amazing about those two guys in particular you know those offers you’re throwing out they’re keeping me in the loop and we’re studying guys so they’ve been great let’s finish this segment and we’ll keep you for the next segment in your two at Clayton State you jumped up 133% on your three-point shot how did that happen work yeah just getting in the gym and just getting in the gym and just working that’s great research number one by you but uh I man I you know I’ve always loved the gym loved the game and just getting in there and putting in work I there’s no uh there’s no secret to and all jokes aside that’s one thing I learned when I got into the NBA like I thought get into the league I’m going to learn all these tricks and all this stuff and it’s really not that complicated man you got to get put the work in can you still shoot I can still shoot of course he can of course he can he give Burge a run for his money the first when this previous staff showed up for the first time they shot for the assistant coach offices did you make them do that I I’ve heard we’re still we’re still kind of plotting out yeah we’re still plotting that out great stuff all right we’ve reached uh the halfway point of this fantastic interview with new BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young we’ll be back with more on by usn part two on the way live in Studio B the show rolls on from Studio B happy Friday everyone I’m Spencer Linton teamed up with jerem Jordan we’re with BYU men’s basketball head coach Kevin young and Kevin I I think we need to step outside of Hoops just for a moment because boa fans want to know a little bit more about who you are and maybe some hobbies and things that you have so outside of basketball like what what are you passionate about beside the sport that now you work your full-time job in yeah uh so I’m a dad of three young kids 108 and six so they keep me pretty busy um they’re pretty Sports oriented as well so don’t get a huge break from it I like coaching their teams the best I can but in terms of just for me I love the mountain bike I love the work out try to stay fit when I hit 40 actually 40 I was okay 41 messed me up I’m like wow I’m actually in my 40s and so I got really into just trying to you know stay fit and be active funny that you said say that cuz you’re 17 days older than me and I I mean there is a there is a reality switch when you’re like oh now I have to really do something I have to work I can feel my knee the next day exactly mountain biking you’re going to love this place man yeah in fact when I lived here the first go around that’s where I first got into it so um I’ll be looking forward to that how did you get Brody Kowski to come to BYU because certainly we’ve worked with his mom for years we we know and love her when he went to USC I was like oh man that was a bummer yeah but when he flipped I I it was like more joyous than it would have been had he signed originally what was that process like and I know you made him a priority on the night of the press conference family yeah no that was just one that uh you know I we just kind of hit it off you know personality wise honestly his dad Travis is awesome you know hit it off with him um I don’t know there was just like this just genuine L instant kind of connection between you know Brody and his dad and then met his mom and learned about her background and things so I don’t know it just kind of felt pretty right right out of the gate anytime you have a mom that drops 49 in a high school game you know got got the street cred yeah absolutely I want to ask more a little bit a little bit more about specifically like the guys that you have as you look at the roster right now because we were just talking like man the core it feels like the core is is primarily back so how much different do you expect the roster to feel given that you have so many key pieces back already yeah I mean that’s a luxury you know for us we feel like just in terms of having guys that we can count on already being here um however we we really we’re trying to add you know some high-end talent to that as well um and so we we we’ve got our hooks in on some guys that are pretty high high level players hopefully we can get one or multiple of them to join the group and then you know kind of blend it with the the the the thing I love is the shooting and the IQ and the experience so a lot of times that’s hard to find in and of itself so we have that now we’re trying to add some athletic ISM and some high-end Talent with that as well and try to kind of marry it all together is there a number one priority in that list somewhere like if you had to prioritize those like is is it an athletic defensive guard that can score out the dribble like how how would you answer that yeah I mean the athletic big was the number one which we we we’ve already spoken about that now we’ve you know a combo probably a com an athletic combo guard that can you know do kind of create his own shot as something we’ve talked about prioritizing just overall athleticism as well um those that’s kind of been on the wish list how many bigs do you need cuz fous and Kates are certainly your traditional guys and then you you have others who could be stretch fours but do you want like four bigs on the roster or would three be enough I think just having some versatility you know if there is another one that comes into the mix somebody that can be different than those two guys I I think it’s something that we’ve talked about quite a bit and so again man it’s it’s very much a moving Target you know and it’s it’s hard to you know I think Chris said it Burgess said it yesterday like we’re not we’re not necess drafting you know it’s like we don’t get to just choose there’s so many pieces to the portal and things of that nature and that’s kind of what makes it tricky but it also kind of makes it fun in the same breath your brother Justin it’s fun one to watch his reactions when something exciting happens for Bo basketball like the gifts that he’s like posting on X um but he’s connected to high school basketball and has been doing it for a long time so what kind of an asset is he to have as your brother and now that you are the head basketball coach of B about you yeah massive I mean him and I have always been somewhat connected with the game over the really both of our careers um we used to run camps together when we were both starting out and stuff and yeah just an unbelievable asset you know he’s he’s one of the reasons dunon and I got connected um along with some other other things as well so he’s just been invaluable he’s kind of behind the scenes knowing I’m actually surprised about how many people even know who he is cuz he’s he’s so kind of behind the scenes I guess he’s he’s a big time dude apparently but no he’s been great man he’s uh one just from a big bro standpoint I’ve all I’ve always relied on him for advice and then now we’re kind of blending that advice in a basketball sense too so it’s a pretty unique thing and then Doug Stewart you bring in as Chief of Staff sort of a GM role right he was an assistant with you with the Delaware 87ers is that right correct that’s where the connection was yes so Doug was the associate head coach of Oregon State with Craig Robinson for years and then uh one of the Billy Lang who’s the head coach at St Joe’s now him and I were working for the Sixers I was doing the the g-league thing he mentioned Doug to me because he’s a Philly haddenfield New Jersey native and it just kind of worked out while he was kind of in between college Years had him for a year bright guy went on to be with some other schools and then it’s been in a really unique role at Nevada where he was now more in administration kind of fundraising type space but uh he’s ivy league educated he was a good player in his own right he’s just a a smart guy can he’s a perfect fit for for the role that we have him in and he’s going to wear a lot of different hats and having the you know knowing him and having worked with him before on top of all the other things he brings it it kind of was a no-brainer honestly he checks a a billion boxes including playing against the Harlem Globe TR for the Washington Jon come that’s awesome that’s a true that’s really fun yeah that’s one of the alltime trivia questions for sure yes BYU basketball head coach Kevin young is on by usn rewind into 2019 the first time you were contacted about potentially coaching at BYU from Tom Homo and Brian Santiago how much did what you went through back then impact what you decided to do or entertain this go around you know it was interesting at that time it was that kind of planted the seed I think on my mind and and clearly theirs as well and really my wife’s mind as well you know she she had always thought that this if this ever came up it would be something we’d really want to pursue I was on the fence about it but um Having learned about it back then and then the way things it was just unbelievable like all the events that took place leading up to this but um yeah I think it played a big role in It ultimately happening and a lot of things happened between that time and now with like furthering relationships with other people outside of Brian and Tom that are associated with BYU and so yeah it was kind of uncanny the way everything unfolded honestly during Co you went on a couple podcasts I think with some old coaches of yours perhaps that are watched on YouTube and you talked about your journey of being like the last assistant coach for dick hunsaker at UVU where you’re on the practice squad you’re going to Ireland you’re coming back and doing g-league stuff but you’re also like selling was it security systems and getting a Subway sandwich that would last you like a week like you ever flash back to like that guy and kind of the road that you took to get to that this point cuz that’s pretty incredible especially because you were you were miles away here grinding uh 19 years ago and here you are now yeah it’s kind of surreal you know they where just throughout my career I haven’t really focused on that you just kind of get lost in the job but when I was in Philly uh coaching there I lived in New Jersey and so I would take the Walt Whitman Bridge to get over to the to the games right and so when you’re taking that bridge you look to your right you see like the Delaware River and you see an amazing like skyline of Philly and it was really just on that drive when I would look over there I be man this is this is actually kind of crazy that I’m even going to an NBA game not right and now you fast forward years later to this yeah in fact when I anytime I’m at pull up and I’m in my office I can see the the mountains in the background there and my the apartment I lived in was back tucked over there and I’m like man that that is kind of wild that years ago I was eating the subs over there and now now I’m over here as the head coach so it’s just to kind of amazing how it all worked out now you can e a sub but just today just fresh right exactly what are you looking forward to most about coaching in the Marriott Center and having the Rock and the crowd and just the juice that is around Bo basketball right now yeah I mean I think I’ve made mention of this in my press conference but I I didn’t really come to many games when I lived here I didn’t have the time but I did come to to to one when Jimmer was here and it was uh I mean incredible atmosphere so thing that I’m probably most excited about it’s just for my kids to experience that level of excitement with me as the head coach um I think it’s going to be pretty uh pretty special are you a suit guy or are you a polo guy as a coach it was funny I was just talking to Brian Santiago about that and I got once we bailed on the suits in the NBA I got real comfortable with the quarter zip so I asked him the other day I’m like dude do we have to wear the suit or can we do the quarter zip so I’m doing some serious lobbying over there I think I’ll win that fight we’ll see how we’ll see how it goes that’s awesome um what what uh are who are some of the main mentors in your life that have sort of shaped who you are as a basketball coach in person up to this point yeah I’d say the person I’m the closest with in the NBA is is Brett Brown you know outside of my dad he’s probably the guy I go to the most when things come up in in uh in life but just obviously basketball um him and I you he was a head coach of the Sixers when I worked there you know he’s back with the Spurs now as pops kind of a lead assistant but yeah him and I just see one I think we see the world kind of similar you know he’s he doesn’t he doesn’t just he’s much more than a basketball coach and that always drew me to him and uh but he’s just a very curious uh person by nature and that and he also empowered me quite a bit so my leadership style was really modeled after how he he led me and that’s kind of how I’ve gone then obviously Monty Williams is a is another major figure in my life and there’s a couple other high level Executives in the NBA that got really close with in Philadelphia that are very analytically minded and that kind of shaped kind of my view on how you can put that into play I’ll give him a shout out my guy Sergey in Portland he’s the assistant GM he was really impactful for me as well so there’s a laundry list of guys but over the recent years those are the guys who’ve impacted me the most as we wrap up we just want to kind of give you the stage and and discuss anything that you might want BYU basketball fans and and the community to know about you or about the program could be about the beer could be about basketball whatever you want the stage is yours so the beard got a lot of lot of commentary I didn’t realize it so I I was coming I flew in yesterday morning actually I was coming south and then I saw one of the Billboards that they the pick they had had me with the beard I definitely got a little sad that it was I’ve heard of like beard cards are like a thing right and so I don’t know one of my one of my uh my brother-in-law his his brother’s a professor here and apparently he has like a really gnarly beard so I may have to pick his brain and see how he pulled that up interesting yeah exactly but but in terms man I’m just excited to to to build on what’s been going on here obviously had a great year last year I think really excited to just take a lot of the things that I’ve learned in the NBA and Implement them into into BYU basketball on both sides of the of the ball and you know just being Innovative with that side of it I think there’s a lot of things that we can do that I learned there that maybe haven’t NE been touched on here at this level so um I feel the excitement you know I kind of overheard you guys talking about it um yeah there’s there’s some juice going on here I just want to build off that and on the flip side like I love football so I’m actually fired up for the football season too um and my kids love it my wife loves it so we can’t wait to be a part of just the BYU Community from that standpoint as well coach we appreciate you spending uh a a lot of time relatively speaking in your very busy schedule two segments um typically when you come on the we do our we give you Sports Nation Karma and good things happen we’ve seen some crazy manifestation so we we put it in recruiting listen we gave the karma to Iana agbayani a BYU softball earlier this week and they beat Oklahoma State yesterday number two so that was a big one we go I Like It Anyway take the karma good luck the rest of uh the recruiting period And in the transfer portal and can’t wait talk to you again soon thanks guys appreciate it