An Early Look at the 2024-2025 BYU Basketball Roster

BYU basketball will return a lot of production in its second season in the Big 12

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; The Brigham Young Cougars bench reacts as their team makes a run in / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

After exceeding all expectations in its first season in the Big 12, Mark Pope and the BYU basketball program stumbled to the finish line with a disappointing first round exit in the NCAA Tournament. Despite the early exit, the future looks very bright for the BYU basketball program. The Cougars could bring back a lot of production in 2024-2025. Today, we're taking an early look at the BYU basketball roster for next season.

Departing Players

After BYU's loss to Duquesne in the NCAA Tournament, star guard Jaxson Robinson announced that he was contemplating a return to BYU for his final season of eligibility. Robinson was honored on Senior Night, so for the purposes of this article, we will assume that he will not be on the roster next year. Obviously, Robinson's return would dramatically improve this team's outlook for next season. He would likely be a preseason All-Big 12 selection. The only other contributor that is out of eligibility is Spencer Johnson.

• Spencer Johnson (Graduation)
• Jaxson Robinson (Turns Pro)
• Tredyn Christensen (Graduation)
• Marcus Adams (Transfer Portal)

True freshman Marcus Adams is the only BYU player to enter the Transfer Portal since the end of the season. Adams, whose father passed away during the last season, will likely try to play closer to home in California.

Returning Players (Name, Eligibility)

• Noah Waterman - Senior
• Trey Stewart - Senior
• Atiki Ally Atiki - Senior
• Richie Saunders - Junior
• Trevin Knell - Senior
• Dawson Baker - Junior
• Dallin Hall - Junior
• Fousseyni Traore - Senior
• Aly Khalifa - Senior
• Jared McGregor - Junior
• Tanner Hayhurst - Sophomore
• Townsend Tripple - Sophomore

Assuming BYU is able to retains its players, there are a lot of experienced, talented players that will be back on the roster next season. Historically speaking, BYU requires a veteran roster to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. The returning production from this group would give BYU a solid foundation to build on with the potential to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

That is contingent, however, on another productive offseason of personal development. BYU exceeded expectations last season thanks to the individual development of players up and down the roster. BYU needs more of that to take a step forward next season. Dallin Hall, for example, could elevate BYU's offense if he could become a more consistent scoring threat around the rim. Richie Saunders would be very hard to take off the court if he could increase his three-point shooting percentage. Saunders improved from 33% as a freshman to 36% as a sophomore. He does so many things well. If he could shoot just under 40% from three, he would make BYU a better basketball team.

2024 Recruiting Class

• Isaac Davis - Forward

Isaac Davis and Brooks Bahr are the only two high school signees for BYU in the 2024 recruiting class. Bahr will serve a mission first, so Davis will be the only 2024 signee on the roster next season. There's a lot to like about Davis' game. He is a four-star prospect from Idaho with a similar build to Fousseyni Traore. Most of the rotational big guys will be seniors next season: Aly Khalifa, Fousseynia Traore, Noah Waterman, and Atiki Ally Atiki. Davis might not play a huge role next year, but his development will be critical for the future.

2022 Returned Missionaries

• Collin Chandler - Guard

Former four-star prospect Collin Chandler is set to return home from his mission in a few weeks. Chanlder is one of the most coveted basketball recruits to ever come out of the state of Utah. Chandler can do it all. He can handle, he can shoot, and he has the length and athleticism to be a force around the rim. Chandler has the potential to be a future star, but like any returned missionary, he might need a year to shake off the mission rust.

Transfer Portal

Like they do every season, BYU's coaching staff has already started recruiting the transfer portal. If there's a coveted transfer, BYU has probably reached out to them to gauge interest. As of this writing, no transfers have committed to BYU. That will change over the next few months.