BYU responds to loss with hard practices and a win against Fresno State
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- BYU’s Trevin Knell (21) defends against Fresno State in a men’s college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- BYU’s Richie Saunders dribbles to the basket against Fresno State in a men’s college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- A.J. Dybantsa, the No. 1-ranked men’s basketball recruit in the country, is introduced to the home crowd in the Marriott Center at halftime of a game against Fresno State on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Dybantsa has signed a letter of intent to play for the Cougars next season.
BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young described the practices following last week’s 83-64 loss at Providence as “ugly.”
Senior guard Trevin Knell called them “competitive.”
Whatever they were, they were necessary to move past a poor performance on both ends of the floor.
“I came in very adamant about what we wanted to get better at,” Young said. “We had two very, honestly, ugly practices, which is exactly what we needed. We kind of put the flag in the ground on what we wanted to be about, defensively, especially. Once we kind of made that declaration, I thought the guy’s attention to detail, a competitive spirit to that specific thing, was really good. It was honestly probably one of the most important stretches of our year to date. I thought the guys handled it well.”
Even with freshman star Egor Demin sitting out due to an injury, the Cougars responded by blowing out Fresno State 95-67 on Wednesday, shooting 55% from the field and making 14 3-pointers. Knell had his first career double-double with 22 points and ten rebounds.
He referenced the hard work after the victory.
“It felt like a summer practices,” Knell said. “We were really getting after it, especially Friday, Saturday and Monday. Those practices were really, really intense. We even kind of simulated a game on Saturday with a couple 20-minute scrimmages. I felt like we kind of found that edge again. It’s a long time — eight days — a long time to sit on a loss like that. We did not play the way we wanted, and so to sit on that, I think, really helped spark some energy, spark a little fire under us. That fueled us through practice.”
Teammate Richie Saunders added: “It was a big gut check, right? The last few days in practice, it was just really specific and it was really impressive to see us for most of the game just really focusing on our three defensive things: Where we pick up the ball and where we honor and our help defense, and focus on the low man under the basket. It was cool just to see us to really take that and to apply it, because it’s one thing to practice it, but to take it onto the court in front of everybody, it’s another thing.”
Young said the coaches also re-evaluated their efforts after the loss to Providence.
“Me and my staff, we had to look at ourselves in the mirror,” he said. “Are we doing the right things? I’m not a guy that’s going to put things on the players all the time.
“I think our identity offensively is something that I’m happy with for the most part. I think the ball moves when you watch our team play. I think we at least try to execute our stuff. Rebounding has been a strong suit of ours so far this year on both ends of the floor, which is something that we talked about from the second I got here. Defensively, I think we’re doing things that are positive, but there’s plenty of room to grow. But our team defensive concepts are starting to come together.”
Adding another star
No. 1 recruit A.J. Dybantsa was in attendance at the Marriott Center on Wednesday and received an ovation from Cougar fans during his halftime introduction. Dybantsa has signed his letter of intent to play for BYU next season.
“A.J. is a good dude,” Knell said. “He’s a special kid. It’s a really big gift for us. And what Coach Young said, it’s not hypothetical. We’re here building players to go to the NBA. We have an NBA staff with nutrition and weightlifting, you go down the line. So I think it’s just another step.”
Saunders added: “It’s a big deal for the staff. Everything we do here is professional. It’s like the NBA. It’s a big deal (the Dybantsa signing) and made history for this school. I’m excited to hopefully get on the court with him next year. It’s a piece we can build on.”
Scouting Report
Wyoming (5-4) comes into Saturday’s game having lost three straight by three points or less: Loyola Marymont (73-70), Utah State (70-67) and South Dakota (82-81). The Cowboys leading scorer is Fort Lewis College transfer Obi Agbim, a 6-foot-3 guard. Agbim is averaging 18.1 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field and 44% from the 3-point line. First-year coach Sundance Wicks, who was the Horizon League Coach of the Year at Green Bay last season, has built a roster where eight of the top nine players are transfers. In fact, only two of the ten players who logged minutes in last year’s 94-68 loss to BYU in Provo are still on the team (Oleg Kojenets, Kobe Newton).
Meanwhile, the Cougars will take advantage of playing in an NBA arena. BYU is 23-5 all-time in the building now called, once again, the Delta Center.
“Anytime our guys can be around anything NBA-centric, I’m all for it,” Young said. “I think it’s a good experience for those guys to play in a venue like that.”
Young, an assistant for the Phoenix Suns last year, attended Friday night’s Suns-Jazz game in the Delta Center.
Men’s College Basketball
Wyoming (5-4) vs. BYU (7-2)
Saturday, 7 p.m. MT
Delta Center in Salt Lake City
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: BYU Radio
Live stats: byucougars.com
The Word: This is the 176th meeting between BYU and Wyoming. … The Cougars lead the overall series 106-69 and won last year in Provo 94-68. … Three of the Cowboys four losses have been by three points or less. … BYU is 23-5 in games played at the Delta Center and has won 18 of its past 19 there. … The Cougars have won 14 straight games against Wyoming.
