Chris Burgess, currently an assistant coach at his alma mater the University of Utah, will join the Cougars staff.

“Chris and I quickly connected,” Young said in a BYU statement. “I was impressed with how he sees all the aspects of college basketball. He has a bright mind for the game and is very forward thinking. He will be a great asset to our players and our program. I’m excited about bringing Chris and his family back to BYU.”

Burgess was considered a strong candidate to replace Mark Pope after the latter left for Kentucky three weeks ago but the job went to Young, the top assistant coach in the NBA. After Young took the BYU job, Burgess’ name continued to surface as a possible lead assistant.

After coaching three seasons from 2019-2022 as an assistant at BYU, Burgess spent the past two seasons as an assistant head coach at his alma mater, the University of Utah. During his time on The Hill, he helped Branden Carlson transform into one of the top centers in the Pac-12. He was a two-time All-Pac-12 First Team player under Burgess, averaging 17.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24 leading the Utes to the semifinal of the NIT.

During his first stint at BYU, the Cougars went 70-26 and were ranked in the Top 25 each of his three seasons in Provo. He was also part of staff that helped BYU get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, its first appearance since 2015.

The Cougars made a run to the quarterfinals of the NIT in 2021-22 with one of the youngest frontcourts in the country. After losing two seniors in the opening seven games of the season, then-true freshman Fousseyni Traore was thrown into a starting role where the native of Bamako, Mali native earned WCC All-Freshman Team accolades under Burgess’ tutelage. Traore broke freshman records for offensive and total rebounds while finishing with the fourth-highest shooting percentage in program history.

In 2020-21, BYU returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 earning a No. 6 seed and facing UCLA in the Round of 64. The Cougars were one of the top rebounding teams in the nation ranking fifth in defensive rebounds per game, 22nd in rebound margin and 25th in rebounds per game. Another big man Burgess worked with, Matt Haarms became the first Cougar in program history to be named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in blocks.

During his first season in Provo, Burgess helped the Cougars finish 24-8 overall and second in the WCC. They finished the season ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2010-11 and were on track to make the NCAA Tournament before the season was shut down due to Covid-19. BYU led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage while also ranking in the Top 5 in assist-to-turnover ratio, field goal percentage, 3-point field goals and assists per game.

Burgess spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Utah Valley helping the Wolverines go from a 12-win team in his first season to a then-program record 25 wins in 2018-19. They recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons while making three consecutive postseason appearances.

He got his start in coaching serving as a student assistant at Utah under former head coach Larry Krystkowiak in 2013-14 while earning his undergraduate degree. He went on to be a volunteer assistant at Salt Lake Community College and assistant coach at Indian Hills Community College.

The former No. 1 recruit in the country and McDonald’s All-American began his collegiate career at Duke before transferring to Utah to play his final two seasons under the late Rick Majerus. Following his collegiate career, he played professionally for 11 years with stops in Turkey, Australia, South Korea, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Poland, UAE and the Philippines.

Last week, Young announced the hiring of former Stanford assistant Brandon Dunson. Young is expected to hire two or three more assistant coaches and fill other staff positions in the coming weeks.

Men’s golf headed to NCAA Austin Regional

AUSTIN, Texas – BYU men’s golf has been selected to compete in the NCAA Austin Regional at The University of Texas Golf Club on May 13-15, the NCAA announced during the Wednesday afternoon selection show on Golf Channel.

The Cougars will face off against Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, UNC Greensboro, Utah, San Jose State, Grand Canyon, Arkansas State, and Kansas City.

The Austin Regional is one of six 54-hole regionals that will determine the 30-team field for the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, on May 24-29.

BYU has competed in regionals 27 times, with trips to the NCAA National Championship 32 times.

The University of Texas Golf Club is a 7,412 yard, par 71 course northwest of Austin, just 17 miles from Texas’s campus.

Temples fans 11 to lead Cougars to 5-1 win at Idaho State

POCATELLO, Idaho — BYU softball picked up a 5-1 midweek win against Idaho State at Miller Ranch Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The Cougars (27-22, 8-16 Big 12) received a complete game from left-handed pitcher Chloe Temples, who went the distance for just the second time this season, the team’s third complete game in 2024 and struck out 11 batters.

BYU was led offensively by Haley Morrow, Maddie Udall and Aleia Agbayani, who each tallied two hits apiece and combined for four of the five RBI in the contest.

The Cougars will conclude the regular season with a three-game series at Kansas, beginning on Thursday, May 2, with coverage through Big 12 Now on ESPN+.