With Richie Saunders lost for the season, here's how the Cougars plan to respond.
How does BYU coach Kevin Young plan to replace Richie Saunders? It might take history from his top NBA prospect. Young’s plan to save BYU ’s anticipated season might rely on an all-time run from the nation’s top prospect.
BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa as BYU hosts Arizona, NCAA basketball in Provo on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Before beginning one of the hardest rebuilds of his career on the fly, Kevin Young sat down his two key stakeholders with an opportunity — or at least that’s how he presented it. With potential No. 1 NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa and guard Rob Wright III in his office, BYU’s coach outlined how the next month could alter their college basketball legacy.. That is, Young argued, unless Dybantsa and Wright could single-handedly lift BYU on a March Madness run — the type of NCAA Tournament story they talk about with some of the greats. “I think those are two guys, in a lot of ways, who can cement their college legacy with how they handle this over the next few weeks,” Young said. “What kind of impact can they have? Can they elevate a team, you know? That’s motivating in itself.”But this latest blow last Saturday could have been the knockout punch. One play into the game, Saunders was reeling in pain clutching his knee.. Two weeks ago he was scoring 33 points at Allen Fieldhouse, averaging 18 a game, and now he’s talking about surgery appointments. It made the last few days feel like BYU was mourning the loss of its most anticipated season. Young even had opposing coaches reach out to offer their words of encouragement. That’s how much Saunders — “He has been the flag bearer of just the Kevin Young era, so to speak,” Young said. “Thing I love about him is just how much of a self-made guy he is. He’s got himself to the point because of sheer work. I’ll forever be grateful for Richie. He’s a BYU legend, and will forever and always will be.” And now BYU only has six regular-season games left — starting with No. 4 Arizona — to remake itself into the contender it was supposed to be.“Rob and AJ, everybody quite frankly, is going to have a lot of things on their plate. And I know those two in particular are built for this type of thing” Young said. It’s hard to imagine how much more those two could do, though. Dybantsa is averaging nearly 25 points per game — leading the nation — and Wright adds almost 19. Both are playing over 33 minutes a night. But if Dybantsa really is the top pick in the draft, Young believes he can take on even more.“We’re going to need him to be a play finisher a lot, in conjunction with the play maker,” Young said. “I think the way shooting the three-ball has been extremely impressive. It allows AJ to play on the ball a little bit more, and gives us another guy who can space the floor.” BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa as BYU hosts Utah, NCAA basketball in Provo on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.Young shied away from using his bench most of the year — mostly because it’s been a minefield of inconsistency. Yet, BYU’s season likely rides on one of Tyler Mrus, Aleksej Kostic or Mihailo Boskovic playing well. “For some guys that it hasn’t gone their way, well, guess what? You want more opportunity, you just got it,” Young said. “I was going really heavy on not using the bench a ton, and now we don’t have a choice.” Even a player like Kennard Davis — who was shooting under 25% from three at one point in the Big 12 — will be playing heavy minutes. If the three isn’t falling, he’ll test his ability to drive. BYU needs points in whatever way possible. “I’ve probably done him a disservice by trying to make him a strictly a catch-and-shoot guy when he has a lot more to offer,” Young said. Before the team left for Tucson on Tuesday, Young talked to his group about his time as an NBA G League coach. His best players were called up the day of the game. Guys were traded away unexpectedly.Now he just has to do it in the most high stakes moment. “I don’t know, man. I think I do better in situations like this, back-against-the-wall type of mentality,” Young said. “I’ve kind of operated that way my whole life. I’m as energized as I’ve ever been as a coach.”Help The Tribune report the stories others can’t—or won’t. For over 150 years, The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s independent news source. Our reporters work tirelessly to uncover the stories that matter most to Utahns, from unraveling the complexities of court rulings to allowing tax payers to see where and how their hard earned dollars are being spent. This critical work wouldn’t be possible without people like you—individuals who understand the importance of local, independent journalism. As a nonprofit newsroom, every subscription and every donation fuels our mission, supporting the in-depth reporting that shines a light on the is sues shaping Utah today.
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