Many people conspired to bring 42-year-old Kevin Young to a stand on a podium in the middle of the Marriott Center floor Wednesday night where he was introduced as Brigham Young University's next men's basketball director. went. .
Chief among them are BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, BYU assistant AD Brian Santiago, BYU basketball legend Danny Ainge, and BYU booster Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith. It was Mr.
But let's not forget about Roger Kvam.
Roger who?
Kvam was Young's high school coach and was “the whole reason I wanted to be a coach and was the most influential person in my life in high school,” Young said at his inaugural press conference. Ta.
“I wanted to be like him too. He had a great life. He had five kids and he coached basketball and taught physical education every day, which was a great thing. It seemed like.”
Young has three children, Jude, Van, and Zoe, and has made a great life for himself in his chosen profession, including a short stint as a junior assistant at nearby Utah Valley University from his hometown of Marietta, Georgia. I worked. After coaching overseas in Ireland, he played professional basketball in the United States for 17 seasons.
“As a player I was really lucky. I always had really great coaches,” he said.
So Young decided he wanted to become a coach. As a “life member” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith that supports and operates BYU, when did the idea of becoming BYU’s head coach cross your mind?
That happened about five years ago, when BYU considered replacing Dave Rose and ultimately settled on current Kentucky coach Mark Pope.
Young interviewed for the position in 2019 when he was part of the Philadelphia 76ers' coaching staff.
“As far as thinking about being a coach at BYU, I connected with Brian and Tom through a mutual connection when I was in Philadelphia about five years ago, and some seeds were planted in the back of my mind. I thought it might happen someday,” Young said.
“But never in a million years did I think that it would actually happen on that timeline. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and that everything happens for a reason. It’s amazing how well they fit together.”
Indeed, considering that 16 years ago, during the 2005-06 season, Young was an unpaid assistant on Dick Hunsaker's staff at UVU, thanks to another coach at Georgia who sent Hunsaker's way. That's surprising.
After former BYU interim coach Tony Engle led Kennesaw State to a Division II national championship in 2004, he asked Hunsaker, the former Utah interim coach and then-current UVU coach, to join Young on Orem's bench. I asked if there was a position available.
Mr. Hunsaker told Mr. Ingle to get rid of the child.
Young was a decent enough college player. He played first at Middle Georgia University and then at Creighton State University, which happened to be KSU's biggest rival.
“We actually played them in the conference championship game the year they won the national championship,” Young said. “I've known Tony and his sons forever. Great players and great coaches.”
Young said he always wanted to return to West. He was born in Salt Lake City and has five siblings, all of whom were in Provo on Wednesday with his parents and extended family – and said he started thinking about pursuing a coaching career.
“Tony reached out to Dick for me all those years ago. It's crazy how all these things came full circle,” he said.
After introducing himself on television, Young met with a small group of reporters and said the past 72 hours had been “overwhelming, but in a good way.”
He said his off-court temperament is different than his on-court demeanor, which was evident in the way he spoke softly, told a few self-deprecating jokes, and told some stories. was.
He believes he has received six or seven technical fouls in his coaching career, but fewer of them these days than in the past. He credits much of his accomplishments to his wife, the former Melissa Bailey of Omaha, Nebraska. We met when he was a student at BYU at the time, lived on BYU's campus, and coached the Utah Flash of what was then the NBA D-League (now the NBA D-League). G League).
“To be honest, there wasn't much (technical) because it was hard on the wallet and my wife scolded me for it,” he said. “All kidding aside, I think what really helped my temperament was having kids.
“It made me more patient and a better coach at dealing with the craziness of kids and what they bring. It really helped me deal with a lot of things.”
In recent days, many who knew Young have spoken eloquently about his character, leadership abilities and why he was so successful in the profession he chose more than a dozen years ago.
What does he think his greatest quality is?
“It goes back to the relationship with the players. That's always the beginning and the end, I think with any coach, but certainly in my worldview,” he said. “What's helped me move forward is how I communicate with the players. What I learned at the NBA level is that clarity is key.
“Tell the other person what you expect from them, then hold them accountable. That was my secret to being able to build relationships that I referenced. I look forward to doing that.”
As for BYU's current players, Darrin Hall was present Wednesday, but he has entered the transfer portal. Dawson Baker, Trevin Nell, Jared McGregor and Tanner Hayhurst were in attendance, as well as many former players and coaches like Rose.
“Our expectation is to win. We want to win,” Young said. “Specifically, give ourselves a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament and win a national championship.
“That's why I'm here. That's why the players want to play, and I've yet to see in this program that we can't accomplish that in terms of the resources we have. .”