BYU hoops wrestles with portal recruiting

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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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/byu-hoops-wrestles-portal-recruiting-151246723.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-15 15:12:00

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