BYU basketball is under fire as the Chicago Bulls approach head coach Kevin Young.
According to sources close to ESPN, the Chicago Bulls are conducting a large-ranging head coaching hunt that includes interest in and early conversations with BYU coach Kevin Young.
Young, the program’s director in Provo for the previous two seasons, lifted the Cougars off the ground and saved them from collapsing when his predecessor, Mark Pope, took over at the University of Kentucky. Young arrived with the goal of making BYU basketball the ideal place for the country’s top prospects to develop and prepare for a career in the NBA.
He has kept his word by sending Egor Demin to the NBA Draft lottery (8th pick by the Brooklyn Nets), AJ Dybantsa to a possible number-one pick in this year’s draft, and signing Bruce Branch III, who also projects as a lottery player in next year’s class.
And he’s out-recruiting Pope’s Kentucky team, retaining Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders, and most recently Robert Wright, despite Lexington’s efforts.
He has dramatically transformed how BYU basketball is perceived at the national level. Young’s contribution in Provo has transformed the leftovers of a ragtag, underground team into one of the country’s most powerful basketball forces, with him serving as a miracle worker, a necromancer, and a revolutionary. Kevin Young has a resume that is suitable for the NBA, which is what makes Chicago’s interest so terrifying.
Young was largely regarded as the next man up in the NBA. First in line to be promoted from his assistant coach position to the NBA club’s top spot. He was the highest-paid assistant in the league, and a brilliant offensive mind. That has been visible at BYU.
Yes, Kevin Young is fully committed to BYU, and has hired with the goal of developing a winner at his new home, but don’t get it twisted: BYU will not be the last stop of his career.
He’s an NBA player. Always has been. And the Chicago Bulls have one of basketball’s most famous team histories. However, this squad has accomplished little since the Derrick Rose era (which was brief), and with the fourth overall pick (expected to be Caleb Wilson or Cameron Boozer), they are looking for a coach capable of developing young players to their full potential as pros. He’s the square peg for Chicago’s square hole.
The interest is not one-sided.
Does this suggest Kevin Young will abandon BYU the first chance he gets? I’m not so sure. He won’t be picky if or when such an opportunity emerges, and Chicago is no longer the same employment as it was in the 1990s.
Still, if Young considers the Bulls to be an appropriate fit for his requirements, BYU basketball may look quite different by the start of next season, perhaps losing top talent such as Rob Wright III and Bruce Branch III as a result.
The reports of Chicago’s attention are unsettling—no doubt about it—but when Kevin Young eventually quits BYU basketball, this club has a history of recovering.
