Putting the Pieces Back Together

 

BYU's hoop season this year began as one of the most anticipated in Cougar history. Unfortunately, it seemed to never get on track for a sustained amount of time ending with an absolutely deflating loss in the first round of March Madness. Coach Young before the offseason had assembled what appeared to be such a strong formidable roster snagging the nations #1 recruit in AJ Dybantsa, retaining the services of Richie "the tator tot king", and stealing away Rob Wright from Baylor. 

Throughout the season the roster seemed to suffer blow after blow of season ending injuries even to Saunders which may have been the heartbeat of the team. Those injuries after Saunders included: Dawson Baker, Nate Pickens, Brody Kozlowski and Xavier Staton. That certainly can make it difficult for a team to re invent itself so many times to find new chemistry, etc. 

Although, the cougars certainly shared some success with wins over: UNC, Villanova, Wisconsin, Clemson, that team up North (yes both home & away),  Texas Tech (82-76), and Iowa State (79-69). There were a couple of close one's at the Boston Garden vs U Conn falling 86-84, and another close one with Arizona 86-83. It showed when playing as a team it could compete with the nations best.

Was AJ worth the NIL? Absolutely without a question. Yes, in reference to a certain reporter from that team up North (ROI return on investment). AJ as a true freshman in one of the nation's best basketball conference averaged 25.5/game and nearly 7 rebs/game while often being double teamed some cases triple teamed. Before joining the Big 12 one of BYU's goal was exposure. In similar fashion having AJ certainly was able to help achieve that without question. He even mentioned one of his favorite courses while here was his Book of Mormon class. AJ even alluded to the possibility of returning. Would he? That's apparently up to his mom. One can absolutely hope. When the NBA talks, the money likely will be calling. 

Where does Kevin Young go from here? Certainly, a season of such high expectations were obviously nowhere close to being met. There will be exit interviews and many decisions to be made ahead. Coach will likely leave no stone uncovered from his staff, the roster, strategies, areas of concern, areas to increase or improve on, etc.

Offense was clearly not an issue with BYU averaging 83.5/game. As a team BYU shot 34.5% from the 3 land. Mrus was previously brought in for this specifically but has honestly been a flat zero for his role. That is one area that could absolutely be addressed. Losing Baker and Pickens didn't help and having to develop Kostic on the fly near the end of the season wasn't prime for statistics. Another concern could be the big pine in the paint. This season, BYU average'd 38 rebs/game but only had a 3.7 margin per game. That clearly needs to improve. It was rather evident in the game vs Texas we were absolutely outplayed down low. One of the bigs, Ahmed during the season frequently was such a defensive liability. Ability to play tough defense especially against the perimeter was another glaring issue.

Today, in the NIL age there is no excuse for deadwood. Nothing personal but college basketball is now truly a business. Fortunately, Coach Young will cover those areas and hopefully have answers to the many questions cougar fans had for this year. Who will stay? Who will go? And where did it all go?

Looking Back & Ahead

 

BYU football for the last two seasons have been rather similar. Question marks entering each campaign but both were able to finish strong despite basically being shut out of the college playoff. Just on the outside looking in. Gone are Chase Roberts and Jack Kelly, including Parker Kingston but that's another story for another day yet to be determined. Over those two seasons no other Big 12 program has won more games than the Cougars.

BYU kicked off their Spring practices two months roughly after the season. This year expectations are high for BYU, Most of the names from the two deep last year which reached the Big 12 championship game remain and have decided to run it back. They have one common goal, to take it farther, win the Big 12 championship and make a run in the playoffs.

Coach Sitake philosophy has always been remain humble yet hungry. With that approach the program brought in some carefully selected through the transfer portal to strengthen targeted positions as well as those touted commits through the high school ranks. 

Each season will have a new set of questions. Last year it was the LJ show in the backfield. Can someone rise to help spell Martin? Gone is Carson Ryan. However, will we see a heavy TE dose between Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga? With the exit of Chase Roberts to chase the NFL and Parker to off season honor code allegations it leaves the WR room quite open. Who will emerge? Will it be JoJo Phillips? Jaron Pula? Kasper Kyler or Cody Hagen? Time will tell. Losing last year Jake Retzlaff unexpectedly, Bear Bachmeier made quite a freshman impression. Will Enoch Watson emerge as his backup? Can Bear make an even more significant leap with more given time? What will the OL look like? Paki Finau, Jr Sia and Zak Yamauchi were all brought in to strengthen the trenches. Losing Jack Kelly certainly hurts. However, this is where Cade Uluave steps in hoping to not skip a beat. Otherwise, most of the main two deep returns. 

How does BYU fare with the new collection of coaches? Losing Jay Hill and Jernaro will absolutely sting. Although, there is certainly a majority of the staff returning which will help with the continuity. Will Kelly Poppinga's defense look much different? How will the secondary players respond to incoming Demario Warren and Lewis Walker? BYU will have 15 practices to blend, implement plays/schemes and gain familiarities with any program changes. The bar has been set but ceiling is there for the taking to see how far they can rise.