BYU hoops wrestles with portal recruiting

This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter Tuesday. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each week.

There are the departures — seven of them — and commitments coming, all part of the wild scene in college basketball, and BYU’s coaching staff is right in the thick of it.

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With the expected departure of projected No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybantsa and starters Robert Wright III and Kennard Davis, who have hit the transfer portal, Young is challenged to create a roster for next season out the portal and incoming freshmen Dean Rueckert and point guard Brooks Bahr. Returners Nate Pickens, Dawson Baker and Brody Kozlowski will be foundational, but have battled health issues. So far, Khadim Mboup has not entered the portal.

On Monday, BYU got a commitment from Tyler Betsey, a 6-foot-8 stretch forward from Syracuse, who began his career at Cincinnati. While he is unproven defensively, he is an elite shooter from outside, having averaged 40% accuracy from distance this past year.

Question of the week

How important was it for BYU coach Kevin Young to get Kentucky shooting guard Collin Chandler the week the transfer portal opened?

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Jay Drew: BYU basketball coach Kevin Young told other reporters and me after the Cougars fell to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to “get ready to buckle up” before the transfer portal opened on April 7. Boy, he was not kidding.

As expected, the news for the Cougars was mostly bad through the first week, especially regarding point guard Rob Wright III. I will admit, after a conversation I had with Wright at the Big 12 tournament, I am super surprised that he hit the portal. He told me he would either be wearing a BYU jersey next year, or playing professional basketball.

Now it appears that he will be leaving BYU, probably for Kentucky and former BYU coach Mark Pope (although, at this writing, nothing had been finalized). My take is that BYU losing Dominique Diomande (Pitt), Aleksej Kostic and Kennard Davis Jr. to the portal is also bad news.

Certainly, some of the guys who hit the portal could elect to return to BYU after testing the waters, although I have a hunch that a few of them were probably nudged out the door.

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Obviously, the first week ended with some good news for the Cougars and Young, as former four-star recruit Collin Chandler announced Saturday he will return to BYU, the school he signed with out of Farmington High and before a church mission.

Getting Chandler was hugely important for Young, on many levels. First, he’s a terrific player, an outstanding shooter, and a first-rate human being. Second, he’s a local guy who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I think it is important for the program to have some of the top locals and church members around.

They are important in building and establishing the kind of culture that BYU wants, like Richie Saunders was able to do. Certainly, Chandler won’t be able to carry the program himself. Young still needs more shooters, and more size.

Getting Syracuse’s 6-foot-8 Tyler Betsey, a 6-8 floor-stretcher, is another step in the right direction.

Dick Harmon: Collin Chandler was a generational high school player in Utah. An elite shooter and great athlete, it is unfortunate he didn’t enroll at BYU after his mission instead of following Mark Pope to Kentucky. But on the second go-around, Kevin Young ended up getting his commitment. It was an important piece, as explained in my commentary.

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I’ve been told those who are funding BYU basketball NIL have just as much money to invest in a roster as they did last year — that their level of commitment is for multiple years. This group, however, wants the money spread around. Getting Chandler shows this is true.

A priority is a big-presence post player, and BYU should be in the running for a quality big man like UConn’s 7-1, 260-pound Eric Reibe or Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik, a 6-11 power forward. There is also a chance BYU could land former Utah power forward Keanu Dawes, a 6-8 Big 12-quality rebounder. BYU should be in the discussion with these big men.

If Rob Wright decides to transfer to Kentucky after his official visit this week, BYU has been in contact with other point guards. While they may not have the attack-the-paint talent that Wright does, they would be more of a pass threat and will share the ball. Some names include High Point’s Rob Martin, Tulane’s Rowan Brumbaugh, Wright State’s TJ Burch, Hofstra’s Cruz Davis and Ethan Copeland at Stetson.

On3 is reporting BYU has reached out to Penn State’s Kayden Mingo and his brother Dylan Mingo, a five-star point guard.

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With Bruce Branch III and Chandler onboard, the wing position is in good hands, but Kevin Young needs to lock down other pieces to stay competitive in the Big 12 after losing seven players to the transfer portal — even if some may have been nudged out.

Cougar tales

BYU’s baseball team got its first Big 12 sweep with weekend wins over Houston. In men’s volleyball, the No. 10 Cougars split their final home matches with USC. Two Cougars have found new homes in the transfer portal, with Xavion Staton and Dominique Diomande going to Oregon State and Pitt.

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