Suns assistant Kevin Young set to become new head coach at BYU, taking over for Mark Pope

The Phoenix Suns assistant coach, Kevin Young, has been confirmed as the new head coach at BYU. Young will be filling the vacancy left by Mark Pope, who recently departed to coach at Kentucky. A Salt Lake City native, Young is returning to Utah where he began his coaching career in the U.S. as an assistant coach at Utah State in 2007.

Despite taking on this new role with BYU, Young will continue coaching the Suns through the NBA playoffs. The Suns secured the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and will be facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series starting on Saturday. Young will also begin assembling his staff at BYU immediately in preparation for recruiting.

Young, 42, has significant coaching experience in the NBA, having spent eight seasons as an assistant coach. He worked five seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Phoenix Suns as associate head coach in 2021. Young has also coached in the NBA G League and worked as an assistant at Oxford College.

BYU had a successful season, finishing fifth in their inaugural year in the Big 12 and securing a spot in the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed. This will be Young’s first head coaching position for a college program, and he brings with him a wealth of experience from his years coaching in the NBA. Young was reportedly considered for coaching positions with the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets as well.