Projecting Kevin Young's Starting Lineup for the BYU Basketball Program

Casey Lundquist | Jun 3, 2024

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) looks to drive on Duquesne Dukes guard Jimmy Clark III (1) during the first half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The BYU basketball roster is coming together. On Sunday, BYU picked up a commitment from Rutgers transfer Mawot Mag. With Mag on board, BYU only has a few more scholarships available for next season. Today, we're projecting the starting lineup and the rotation for the first year under Kevin Young.

The Starting Lineup

BYU's starting lineup could feature a lot of new faces. As of this writing, we're projecting three of the five starters to be newcomers.

1. Dallin Hall
2. Egor Demin
3. Richie Saunders
4. Mawot Mag
5. Keba Keita

Dallin Hall is a lock to start at point guard. Getting Hall back in the fold was one of Kevin Young's most important wins during his young tenure as a head coach. Hall was arguably BYU's most valuable player last year, but in the opinion of this author, he is just scratching the potential of his scoring potential. Hall is a candidate for a breakout season as an upperclassman.

Egor Demin, a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is the best bet to start for the Cougars at shooting guard. Demin is young and he will need to get acclimated to the college game, but he's simply too talented to keep off the floor. The combination of Hall and Demin as distributors opens up endless possibilities for the BYU offense.

Like Dallin Hall, getting Richie Saunders back for his junior season was a massive win for Kevin Young. Saunders was the glue guy for BYU last season, and he got much better from his freshman year to his sophomore year. Saunders is too impactful on both ends to be kept off the floor, so we're putting him in the starting lineup. Trevin Knell could also be plugged in as a starter here, but we like his scoring punch to come off the bench.

BYU needed someone at the four, and Mawot Mag fills that role. Mag will elevate the athleticism and defensive prowess of BYU's starting lineup. Mag will need to be put in good spots to contribute on offense - he is not a good jump shooter.

At the five, we've got Utah transfer Keba Keita in the starting lineup. Keita fits the exact description that Young wants in a starting five. Keita will be a rim runner on offense and a rim protector on defense.

The Rotation

Like last year, BYU will be a deep team next season. In non-conference play, BYU had a nine-man rotation. Coach Pope trimmed that to an eight-man rotation during conference play. If BYU plays only eight guys, a few really talented players will be on the bench. For now, we expect a nine-man rotation to start.

1. Fousseyni Traore
2. Trevin Knell
3. Dawson Baker
4. Elijah Crawford

Fousseyni Traore will play a critical role for BYU as a senior. He will be BYU's best post scorer by a wide margin.

Trevin Knell, another senior, will give BYU some shooting off the bench.

Assuming he is healthy, Dawson Baker will give BYU a scoring punch with his ability to create and get to the rim.

Elijah Crawford will be one of BYU's best creators as soon as he steps on campus. If he can get acclimated to the college game, it will be hard to keep his scoring abilities on the bench. Crawford could play the backup point guard minutes for the Cougars.

In these projections, that leaves two scholarship players outside the rotation: Trey Stewart and Brody Kozlowski. If BYU's lack of shooting in the frontcourt becomes a problem, Kozlowski could find a role for himself as a true freshman. Stewart will need to improve his jumper to crack the rotation. If he does that, then he's another guy that will be hard to keep on the bench given his athleticism and defensive abilities.