Kevin Young may have been absent, but No. 25 BYU offered plenty of buzz at Big 12 basketball media days

KANSAS CITY — When BYU took the stage at Big 12 basketball media days on Wednesday, there was a very noticeable absence for the Cougars: head coach Kevin Young.

In the first late scratch of the season, Young was sidelined from the annual event due to an illness and stayed back in Utah, with media members being informed of the change of plans early Wednesday morning.

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Pinch hitting for Young’s media duties was assistant coach Tim Fanning, who was joined at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center by returning point guard Rob Wright III along with two of BYU’s 10 roster newcomers, Collin Chandler and Bruce Branch III.

“I think we did a good job bringing players in that are about winning and about the right things,” Fanning said during BYU’s general availability session. “I think they trust each other. We’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays, a lot of guys that are experienced enough to know the value of every possession. They’re trying to find the best option, they trust each other, so the ball is moving.”

“I think we’re focused on getting better every day. I don’t think anyone is too focused on any of the rankings, conference predictions or stuff like that.”

The Cougars, 23-12 a year ago, have been picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll and recently opened at No. 25 in the AP rankings.

But unlike last year’s avalanche of expectations, BYU is flying somewhat under the radar nationally, even if it did sneak into the preseason top 25. The Cougars aren’t widely considered a Big 12 title contender at this point — not that it matters to them.

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“I think we’re focused on getting better every day,” Fanning said. “I don’t think anyone is too focused on any of the rankings, conference predictions or stuff like that.

“I do think that the strength of the conference, we all know. … We’re out here trying to get better every day. We have a lot of experience doing this. That’s how we approach it every day.”

BYU did raise some eyebrows in its exhibition win over…

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Publish date : 2026-10-21 23:20:00

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