BYU's loss to Alabama will sting, but Kevin Young is just getting started

Yahoo

28-03-2025

BYU's loss to Alabama will sting, but Kevin Young is just getting started
BYU coach Kevin Young yells during a Sweet 16 game against Alabama at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
After BYU's loss to Alabama, there's a feeling that head coach Kevin Young was just kicking the tires this year.
Instead of the end of a season, it may be the start of a new era for Cougar basketball.
Young started the season with a learning curve and ended it with valuable NCAA Tournament experience after his first year as a major college coach at BYU.
On Thursday night in the Sweet 16, No. 6 seed BYU stepped into the bright burning sun of No. 2 seed Alabama's bomb show and blinked.
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Nobody's ever had 25 3-pointers rained down upon them in NCAA Tournament history until BYU did in New Jersey as it lost to Alabama 113-88.
'The future at BYU is incredibly bright,' said Young. 'I think anyone that pays attention to the sport would agree with that.'
BYU coach Kevin Young
Historic and amazing.
For both teams.
BYU decided to go under Alabama's ball screens. That opened the door for the nation's top shooting team to light them up bonfire style.
Now, Young wants to make sure it never happens again.
Unless it's his guys doing the bombing.
Alabama came into the BYU game with 6-of-21 and 7-of-17 shooting from distance in a pair of NCAA tourney wins. As the No. 1 2-point shooting team, Young's staff emphasized stopping that aspect of Alabama's attack and analytically believed a struggling Mark Sears and Company would cool off.
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They never did, and Sears made 10 treys.
No shame in losing to a blistering-hot team like that. All-American Sears was on fire while Cougar Trevin Knell's 3-pointer just 10-seconds after intermission earned him a technical foul.
It was that kind of night for the Cougars.
This weekend, Young returns to his office with far more credibility as a college coach than he came in with last April when he replaced Kentucky-bound Mark Pope.
His team finished 26-10. His program has a clear identity and blueprint. Some experts have declared BYU and the way Young is doing it is the future of the college game.
Picked to finish ninth in the Big 12, his team finished tied for third with a 14-6 league record and first NCAA Tournament win in 13 years.
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Losing to Alabama and going home will hurt. But nobody projected his team would be on that stage with two NCAA Tournament wins for the first time in 14 years.
He's got the No. 1 high school recruit in the country coming to town in AJ Dybantsa and the No. 33-ranked 247Sports player in that class in center Xavion Staton.
He could return NBA lottery pick Egor Demin and should get his best players back, All-Big 12 wing player Richie Saunders, shot-block jumper Keba Keita, Mihailo Boskovic, Dawson Baker and Dallin Hall.
And just as important, if not more, his staff is attacking the transfer portal for some help.
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As fellow Big 12 brethren Texas Tech, Houston, Arizona, Iowa State and others proved, much can be added to a program with instant injection of transfer talent. BYU will now hunt for pieces that will make a difference next year.
Young told the media after the Alabama loss, he and 'Bama coach Nate Oats share the same philosophy and their respective offenses were No. 1 and 2 in 'efficient shot diets' this past season.
'He's one of the, I think, few teams that spaces like we do. Now, obviously, like I said, they have more dynamic guard play than we had. So when you have that kind of spacing and that kind of dynamic guard play, it's really, really difficult to guard,' said Young.
'But I think, for me anyway, it just kind of validates that that style of play is really hard to stop, especially if you can recruit to it, which they've done. And all coaches are thieves, man, so I'll just continue to learn from all these really good coaches and try to be better next year and continue to build our program.'
BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young calls out to his players while guard Egor Demin (3) controls the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers during a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Young just got BYU to the Sweet 16 for only the third time in school history.
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He did it in 11 months, faster than Frank Arnold did in 1981 when it took him half a decade to assemble a squad with Danny Ainge and his supporting cast of NBA players Greg Kite and Fred Roberts.
Young did it faster than Dave Rose did in 2011 when he went to New York and got Jimmer Fredette to play in the backcourt with the best defensive player in school history, Jackson Emery — and it took him six years.
No, Young is fast-tracking BYU basketball at a pace nobody has witnessed before.
Young praised his team that he said 'had to get out of the mud' with a 1-3 start in Big 12 play, but clawed its way to stacking wins at the end of the season to the Sweet 16. He credited his players for working their butts off to forge themselves into a force.
'The future at BYU is incredibly bright,' said Young. 'I think anyone that pays attention to the sport would agree with that. This was obviously kind of a — just a statement, I think, this season, where it's like, we're a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 and nationally, led by really good players that we had this year, and we'll continue to try to bring good players in.'
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Young called what is going on in Provo 'exciting' to see unfold.
'It's exciting to think about what we can build for our staff and me, who are new in this whole thing. We had a lot of learning we had to do and are still learning, obviously. But we feel like, foundationally, we've kind of put out a blueprint of how we want to play. I think our identity is clear.
'Now we've got to hopefully do a good job to continue to recruit to that identity and continue to try to bring in high-end talent so we can play with the teams who historically have played deep into this tournament. That's our goal.'
What is the ceiling for Young in the months and seasons to come?
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We got a glimpse before they bowed to Alabama in Newark.
After his team made 18 treys in a win over Iowa State, one of the country's best defenses, you'd think a great goal next year would be to copy or exceed what Alabama did Thursday night.
Make 25 against somebody, perhaps in an NCAA tourney game, and get a third win on this stage.
Brigham Young Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1) and Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) talk to media at a press conference after the Brigham Young Cougars lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1), Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) and Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) attend a press conference after the Brigham Young Cougars lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) listens during a press conference after the Brigham Young Cougars lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young speaks at a press conference after the Brigham Young Cougars lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Alabama Crimson Tide forward Max Scharnowski (45), Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) and Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) surround Brigham Young Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) dunks the ball during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate (10) tries to get the ball away from Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1) and Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) hug after the Brigham Young Cougars lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) shoots over Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Alabama Crimson Tide forwards Aiden Sherrell (22) and Jarin Stevenson (15) guard Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) during an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
BYU players hug during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
People wait for the Brigham Young Cougars to play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Blake Shepherd plays the drums with the BYU Roc Band as the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Tom Holmoe, BYU's athletic director, watches the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forwards Mihailo Boskovic (5) and Richie Saunders (15) guard Alabama Crimson Tide forward Derrion Reid (35) during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
From right, Dave Studdert, Luke Studdert and Lanie Studdert, all of Midway, cheer and smile as the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Katie Studdert holds a poster of President Donald Trump dressed in BYU clothes as the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
People watch as Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) lays on the ground with a bloody nose during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) yells to his teammates as the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
BYU assistant basketball coach John Linehan and Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) wave to the crowd as they leave the court after losing an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game to the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guards Dallin Hall (30) and Trey Stewart (1) guard Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) moves around Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) shoots between Alabama Crimson Tide guards Mark Sears (1) and Aden Holloway (2) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) shoots in front of Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) dribbles the ball during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) moves around Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) during the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guards Dawson Baker (25) and Dallin Hall (30) hug after losing an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forwards Mihailo Boskovic (5) and Richie Saunders (15) hug after losing an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1) and Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) leave the locker room after losing an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young yells as the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. BYU lost 113-88. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) passes the ball over Alabama Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi (11) during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Alabama Crimson Tide forward Jarin Stevenson (15) knocks the ball away from Brigham Young Cougars forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) in the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) dribbles around Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Nick Pericle plays corn hole with other BYU fans outside of the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
People arrive at the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Mary Diehl and Maria Miles, who traveled from the Boston area to cheer on BYU, watch their husbands pose for a spin camera outside of the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Rush Budge, from Saratoga Springs, gets his face painted by Sister Lovely outside of the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Seth Konopasek and Ryan Freeman play corn hole outside of the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Jon Budge and Rush Budge, from Saratoga Springs, play Connect 4 outside of the Prudential Center before the Brigham Young Cougars play the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA Sweet 16 basketball game in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News