Kevin Young had no idea his time spent in the G League would be the perfect prep for the current roster turmoil in college sports.
The third-year BYU head coach worked for three different G League teams with players getting called up all the time.
“You just had to deal with whoever was on your team on that day,’’ said Young. “You just coach that team and that’s the way I have attacked it here.’’
And that’s why he’s not fretting the unknown with Michigan State transfer big man Jaxon Kohler, who is now on campus, in school, practicing and hoping to be a key piece of another NCAA Tournament-bound Cougars team.
Kohler is part of a California lawsuit that granted a temporary restraining order to a number of athletes to allow for a fifth season of eligibility as part of the Class of 2022. That class was not grandfathered into the new five-in-five legislation taking effect with the Class of 2023.
A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 in the California court of appeals to decide if the TRO will be stayed. The NCAA has, thus far, won a number of cases, with a 2-1 ruling in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado on Aug. 21 that had a blanket waiver for the Class of 2022, as well as stays of injunctions in Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia.
“I didn’t know I was going to need a law degree when I became a college basketball coach,’’ said Young. “This summer has really put my legal knowledge to the test, which isn’t very good I might add. I’ve just been trying to follow it as best I can and understand that there’s going to be an appeal coming up this month in California.’’
Young got to college after working in the NBA and G League for most of his coaching career. He came to BYU after a three-year stint as the associate head coach with the Phoenix Suns.
But he admitted he didn’t come in with the best way to deal with so much roster instability, even at BYU, where there has historically been a strong commitment from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He learned quickly BYU was not immune to roster movement or transfers.
“When I first got into this I was super frustrated with it,’’ said Young. “What are the rules? How much can you pay a guy? Who’s eligible? European guys? The whole thing was frustrating. I’ve now had a paradigm shift where it’s wherever the rules are that day, that’s the way I’m going to operate in. That’s what has served me well, mentally. I think the coaches who are able to adapt are the ones putting themselves in the best position to succeed.’’
And that’s where Kohler came into play.
Kohler, who is from American Fork, Utah, could have tried to return to Michigan State, but the Spartans had already filled his spot. His recruitment in the summer was heated, with Kentucky, Kansas and Louisville seriously interested coming off the best season of his career — a senior campaign in which he averaged 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Spartans. The 6-foot-10 big man would fill a huge void for the Cougars, who have reshuffled their roster.
Young said he expects his squad to feature a big three of returning guard Rob Wright III, Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and incoming high-profile freshman Bruce Branch III. But the Cougars will need to fill the vacuum on the boards left from the departure of No. 1 draft pick A.J. Dybantsa and Keba Keita, who combined for 14 rebounds a game.
The Cougars finished 9-9 in the Big 12 and 23-12 overall after getting upset by No. 11 Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Injuries, especially to senior Richie Saunders, hampered the Cougars’ progression as BYU lost five of its final eight games prior to the NCAA Tournament.
“Last year was brutal, the hardest year in my coaching career as it relates to injuries,’’ said Young. “We lost six guys to season-ending injuries, which is unheard of. Richie was the headliner but we had some key pieces that were lost and that hurt our depth.’’
Dawson Baker, Nate Pickens and Brody Kozlowski are all back on the roster to provide depth, but none have the experience and productivity of Kohler. Kozlowski is the only potential big of that bunch. And all lack the height of Kohler.
“Getting depth across the roster was super important,’’ said Young. “Bigs are a commodity and Jaxon is an impressive young man, and obviously a very productive college player. And, oh by the way, he grew up 15 minutes from us so it kind of felt like a no-brainer. I’m glad he felt the same way and we’re hopeful that we get to see him for a full season.’’
Kohler is on the team and practicing — for now. He would give the Cougars a huge lift on the court and leadership in the locker room. But if he isn’t eligible, the Cougars are still on track to be in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season under Young. And he has another projected NBA lottery pick in Branch III after having back-to-back lottery picks in Dybantsa and Egor Demin in his first two seasons.
The Cougars won’t have a dominant player like Dybantsa, but may have a trio of potential 20-plus scorers on any given night in Branch, Chandler and Wright.
Dybantsa bailed out the Cougars’ offense on many a possession. Wright, Chandler and Branch can do that this season. Young said the 6-foot-9 Branch, who is from Phoenix, is more talented than “anybody we have in terms of raw ability. He’s got a 7-1 wingspan, (can) get to a spot and can handle the ball. He’s going to be a mismatch problem because of his size.’’
Kohler would likely give the Cougars a stopgap on defense and clean up missed shots around the rim. But he may not be eligible — and if he’s not, Young has learned to just go with what he has in front of him.
“In our second year, we were dynamic with AJ with his ability to just get one, and then we had Richie Saunders too (before he got hurt),’’ said Young. “In my first year we had good ball movement. This year will be a mixture of the two. My hope is that we will continue the reputation that when you play BYU, you better be ready to guard us. That’s my hope.’
Meet your guide
