What's Next for BYU Basketball?

Joe Wheat | Apr 12, 2024

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

Kentucky’s hiring of Mark Pope is the rare hire that is viewed as a major loss by both fanbases. On the one hand, BYU loses a certain top five coach in program history just as fans began to hope for a bright future. On the other, Kentucky let a top five coach in their program’s illustrious history walk to a conference foe after three first round NCAA tournament exits only to hire a coach who has only known first round exits in his career.

Let me be one of the many to say that Kentucky fans are missing the boat on Mark Pope. He turned a waning WCC school into a perennial top 25 program while dealing with institutional barriers unlike any in college basketball. He set a new standard for BYU coaches both on the recruiting trail and at the press conference table. He will do an incredible job for a Kentucky program that features every advantage a coach could ask for. So, to that end I say thank you Mark Pope for embracing BYU and leaving the program better than you found it.

Now we look to the future. Given the current state of the transfer portal, BYU’s roster is at a tipping point. The good news is that most of the players on BYU’s current roster are likely viewed as good enough by Kentucky fans and admin to follow Pope to Lexington. That won’t keep scavengers from other programs around the country from circling Provo if BYU doesn’t hire the right coach.

BYU’s current core of Dallin Hall, Fousseyni Traore, Richie Saunders, and Collin Chandler have the potential to be one of the best cores in program history, to say nothing of Aly Khalifa (only one year left) and Jaxson Robinson who’s futures at BYU are very much in question. I believe BYU should make whatever hire it takes to keep that core together and should therefore hire Utah assistant Chris Burgess to be BYU’s next head basketball coach.

Burgess was the primary recruiter for all four of the aforementioned young core. He is an excellent recruiter with great relationships with the current roster, local coaches, BYU’s current recruiting class, and a couple 4-star LDS talents currently committed to other schools.

Even if Burgess is unable to keep BYU’s core intact, he in an excellent on-court coach who was fundamental in developing former BYU star Yoeli Childs and Utah big man Branden Carlson into players that combined averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds on 52% from the field and 37.8% from 3 during their time working with Burgess.

There is one obvious question surrounding Burgess. I get it. He left BYU for Utah once. Would he do it again if the Utah head coaching job were to open? I have my doubts, but having a head coach that other schools want is the sign of a healthy program. If Burgess turns out to be good enough to be poached by another school, BYU will give him plenty of reasons for him to stay

BYU’s program is a ship without a captain navigating the deepest waters in all of college basketball. In my opinion, Burgess is BYU’s best bet to keep the program full steam ahead as the program continues their transition into big-time basketball.