Mark Pope, the former head coach of Brigham Young University (BYU), has left his position to become the new head coach at the University of Kentucky. In his place, BYU has appointed Kevin Young as their new head coach. Young, who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, will take over as head coach at BYU immediately.
Young, a native of Salt Lake City, began his coaching career in Utah as an assistant at Utah State in 2007. He has extensive experience in both college and NBA coaching, having spent eight seasons as an assistant in the NBA. Before joining the Phoenix Suns, he worked with the Philadelphia 76ers for five seasons and previously spent time in the NBA G League.
BYU had a successful season under Pope’s leadership, finishing fifth in their inaugural season in the Big 12 conference and earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. This will be Young’s first head coaching position at the college level. He was reportedly also considered for coaching vacancies with other NBA teams before accepting the job at BYU.
Despite accepting his new position at BYU, Young will finish out his coaching duties with the Phoenix Suns through the NBA playoffs. The Suns are set to face off against Minnesota Timberwolves in their first round matchup as a No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs this season.
Young is expected to begin building up his coaching staff at BYU immediately after taking over from Pope and kickstarting recruiting efforts for next year’s team.
Overall, Young brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to BYU’s basketball program and will no doubt be an asset to both players and fans alike as he takes on this new role.
