The men’s college basketball coaching career of Chris Burgess has included three major moves within 50 miles of each other: From Utah Valley he tripped to BYU then Utah and now back to BYU.

Burgess said he and his family have changed homes since he last coached at BYU but he still lives in Happy Valley.

“I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve been coaching nine years now and I’ve not had to leave Utah County,” Burgess said during an interview on BYU Sports Nation Monday. “This moved really quick. There was a lot of secrecy in terms of trying to make a decision, trying to understand both sides. It’s been a whirlwind and my head has been spinning. There was a lot of anxiety because change is always difficult. But it’s been a very overwhelming reception and open arms that Cougar Nation has showed toward me and my family. That gets you more excited to be at this special place.”

Burgess was hired by new BYU coach Kevin Young last Wednesday, returning to Provo where he was an assistant for Mark Pope from 2019-2022.

“I was offered on Tuesday and accepted on Wednesday,” Burgess said. “I’m a ‘sleep in it’ kind of guy.”

Burgess recalled meeting Young at a coach’s clinic in Provo in 2019.

“He was an assistant with the 76ers at the time and I was just blown away with his presentation,” Burgess said.

The two stayed in touch through texts and Young reached out to Burgess soon after taking the BYU job on April 16.

“I’ve always thought about where I was going to continue to grow as a coach,” Burgess said. “We talk to players all the time about how they have to get better and I have the same mentality as a coach. The opportunity to learn and grow from Kevin and his background … he’s been in every NBA Draft room and every NBA combine and workout. What better way to learn in terms of player development? Offensively he’s one of the top assistant coaches in the NBA.”

He said he met once in person with Young during the process but spent more of the time talking over the phone in what he called a “two-way interview discussion.”

“We really connected,” Burgess said. “We really vibed. I know this place. Coming to college basketball is one thing but coming to BYU is really unique. You have to understand that and he (Young) does, so we connected on a high level.”

Utah is Burgess’ alma mater (although he did begin his playing career at Duke) and he said he enjoyed the past two years coaching in Salt Lake City.

But the draw of returning to Provo was strong.

“My three years with Coach (Mark) Pope and the staff and team are some of my fondest memories,” Burgess said. “What BYU’s mission stands for is something that really resonates in my life and something I love being a part of.”

Another glimpse into Burgess decision came when he was asked about the Big 12.

The Pac-12, which fell apart after a failed TV deal spurred all but two teams to jump conferences, struggled to inspire any kind of consistent fan support for men’s basketball. The Utes, for example, averaged 8,073 fans for 19 home games at the Huntsman Center (15,000 capacity) last season. BYU averaged 15,689 at the Marriott Center (19,000 capacity). Utah, along with Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado, joins the Big 12 next season.

“One thing stands out the Big 12 is their fan bases are electric,” Burgess said. “Everywhere you go is sold out. They care, they camp overnight. That is the difference in the fan base. Now you add Arizona and Colorado, who were probably the top two fan bases in the Pac 12 the last four or five years. They have fans that understand and are passionate about basketball.”

Young and his staff, which now included Burgess, assistant coach Brandon Dunson and chief of staff Doug Stewart, have been hard at work re-recruiting the players on the current roster and getting out on the recruiting trail.

“You’ve got to dominate the state,” Burgess said. “You’ve got to own your own state and you’ve got to dominate the members of the church. You’ve got to get them here and get them excited because this place has so much to offer. That’s the core of what BYU’s mission is. The kids that serve missions truly understand the sacrifice for the greater good of the team.

“We got Dallin (Hall) and Richie (Saunders) back (from the portal). Trevin (Knell) isn’t going anywhere and Dawson (Baker) is not going anywhere. They want to be a part of this changing landscape, to come to BYU and do it the right way. We want to build on that core, then find guys like Alex Barcello, Jaxson Robinson and Keena Young in the portal.”

Burgess made an interesting observation about what the transfer portal and NIL are doing to college basketball.

“When I went to Duke, no one was bigger than Duke,” he said. “So you bought into the front of the jersey. How many kids are in the transfer portal now from Duke? Five or six. We want it to be more about what’s on the front of the jersey than the back of the jersey. I truly believe the BYU core kids understand this and they want to be a part of that. They represent that.”

Burgess and his wife, Lesa, are busy with a very athletic group of children. Daughters KJ (Oklahoma) and Zoey (Kansas) play collegiate volleyball. Ava, who will be a sophomore at Lone Peak next season, was a starter on the 2023 6A state volleyball champions. Two sons — 12-year-old Beckham and 11-year-old Zach — play for the Utah Mountain Star Basketball Club and are coached by former Cougars Jackson Emery and T.J. Haws, respectively.

“They are excited to rock their blue,” Burgess said of his family. “They’re excited to be back. They’re all in.”

Burgess said this about the style Young is promoting: “We want to play fast, we want to play five out, we want to space the floor and have shooters. We’re trying to build off the momentum BYU basketball has right now with athletics, the fan base and the resources. I got to sit with Coach Young as we were preparing for recruiting and watching some things on how we fit in the style of play. That has me super excited.”

Lohner to try football at the U

And in some other completely crazy BYU basketball news, former Cougar Caleb Lohner has committed to playing football at the University of Utah.

No, seriously.

Lohner began his career as a Utah basketball commit in 2019, then flipped to BYU. He started 44 games over two seasons in Provo before opting to transfer to Baylor, where he came off the bench in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Now, it appears Lohner (6-8, 235) is going to try to learn to play tight end at the collegiate level as well as possibly play basketball for the Utes.

“I’m very excited and grateful to announce my commitment to play football at the University of Utah,” Lohner posted on social media. “This presents a unique opportunity to potentially contribute on the court as well. I look forward to embracing the challenge and privilege to represent the Utes with pride.”

Lohner has always been a free spirit who is never afraid to try something new.

This certainly fits the bill.

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