Kevin Young discusses Rob Wright III, BYU’s big man search and the new-look 2026-27 roster

Year 3 of the Kevin Young era at BYU is just a few months away.

While a few key contributors are back, Cougars will look a lot different than last season’s group, especially considering how they aren’t done adding players to their roster just yet.

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“It’s been an interesting offseason,” Young told insider Jon Rothstein on the “Inside College Basketball Now” podcast. “We’re still putting the pieces together for the team to have everybody done, but that being said, I really, really like the group that we have.

“Number one, the chemistry of the guys. We’ve had a great summer. These guys have really gotten to know each other well, and just watching them compete, watching them hang out has been fun.”

Here are more highlights from Young’s appearance on “Inside College Basketball Now.”

On BYU’s new-look roster

“A guy like Bruce Branch comes in, he’s been great. Collin Chandler has exceeded my expectations, he’s a really, really all-around good player, but just a super-duper competitor. Love that about him, love his leadership.

“Jake Wahlin coming in from Clemson off of a good team, he’s been well-coached, he’s been a good addition. Tyler Betsey, he’s a guy I think is going to have a really big year for us. He’s had a great summer so far.

“And then we’ve got some young guys that I’m excited about too, Brooks Bahr, Dean Rueckert come to mind. We’ve got a young man out of Lithuania, Dovydas Buika that I think will come in and compete.

“We’ve got some guys that I’m excited about, kind of at different stages of their careers, but I think offensively we really wanted to make sure we had a lot of shooting out there, and I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far in that respect.”

On the big man situation

“We’ve been heavily engaged with a number of bigs for a while. There’s a lot of logistics, a lot of hurdles to get through on some of these kids. So we’re just being, I want to say patient, but we’re just going through the checklist of all the logistics with the NCAA and making sure everything’s where it needs to be and we’ll end up being in a good position.

“I feel good about a few of the guys that we’re right there with, and I’m excited to ultimately get guys on campus so we can get our full crew together.”

On Rob Wright being back for his junior season

“Being able to get Rob back was the biggest thing that happened all offseason. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I think he’s going to be the best point guard in college basketball this year.

“He’s poised to make a big leap across the board, not just with his offensive production, but his leadership, his decision-making. Everything I’m seeing him do day in and day out on the practice court, he’s so dynamic. He can get wherever he wants on the floor, and I think he’s had really good experiences.

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“… I think our team this year is going to have even more space on the floor. I think the ball is going to pop more than it did last year, similar to my first year. I think Rob’s going to be able to pick and choose his spots. I think that the offense will be a little bit more free flowing, and like I said, he’s poised to just have a massive year.”

On what to expect from new freshman Bruce Branch III

“I think the big thing with Bruce is just he has to stay the course and we all have to remain patient with him. He’s an extremely talented guy, he can do a lot of different things on the floor.

“His ability to guard and his ability to rebound, especially for his age and his size, are as good as I’ve seen on that end of the floor. I think offensively he can do a lot of different things with the ball in his hands. I think he can be a good catch and shoot player.

“Because he’s coming into our program after AJ (Dybantsa), there will be a lot of talk about that. But I mean, they’re different players. I think his impact is going to be tremendous as it relates to impacting winning, right? And that’s obviously the goal.

“I think he’s a guy that’s going to put himself in a position to hear his name called extremely early in the next NBA draft, and that’s something he’s working towards. I look forward to helping him get there like we’ve been able to do for other guys in our program in the past.

“I think we, and me in particular, try to pride ourselves in just putting guys in positions that they can showcase their abilities at the highest level and help us win games along the way. I think that’s something unique about BYU, is we clearly go all-in on guys and help them showcase what they can do, so the fact that it worked out well with AJ is something Bruce is excited about.”

On how BYU’s brand has changed since Young’s arrival in Provo

“We’ve tried to just push the envelope. Obviously we start out with Egor Dëmin, and then obviously AJ comes in. You look at draft night, you got AJ going number one, you got Richie going as the second pick in the second round, Keba Keita signs (with the Indiana Pacers). So I think our brand has gotten a little bit more of a platform, just kind of nationwide.

“I think the way that we’ve now been received to different recruits and their families and their circles has been positive. But we’re just trying to keep the momentum, right? The hard part in any sport is to have sustained success. I think that’s what I talked about when I came in here and didn’t want this to just be a one or two-year run. We’re trying to do this thing for a long time, and there’s been fruit to that.”

On what it will take for BYU to make another NCAA Tournament run

“It comes down to rebounding, something we talk about on a daily basis. Just having an identity of a team that shares the ball, that spaces the floor, I think those are the two things that are the hardest to guard. And then having the toughness and the togetherness to go be a team that can really get on the glass and do it all together, right?

“That’s the trick and that’s the challenge and where college is at. You have a short amount of time and a short window to get 15 guys to all come together for a common goal. Some of them you’re just throwing together in weeks or months where they don’t really know each other.

“So it’s a fun challenge as a coach, and hopefully those are things we hang our hat on as we try to surpass what we’ve done to this point in the postseason.”

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