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BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) celebrates after scoring a 3-point basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Colorado, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Provo, Utah.

Tyler Tate, AP Photo

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BYU sophomore Robert Wright III goes up for a layup during the Big 12 game at Cincinnati on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.

1. Okay, we haven’t done one of these for a while, but feel it’s necessary to weigh in on the retention of Robert Wright III. Did Wright’s return surprise you and how big of a deal is it for the BYU men’s basketball team next season?

GURNEY: This is a big one, and for at least two big reasons I can think of. First off, the retention of point guards, I feel, is more important than any other position on the court. It’s the point that directs just about everything on the floor, so bringing back someone who is already knowledgeable with how things are run is huge and is a very necessary starting point in helping ease the transition of what will be almost a completely overhauled roster from a season ago.

Also, Wright is just flat out good. He can do things from the point position that we’ve never seen at BYU with regards to breaking down a defense and finishing around the rim. But it’s important to remember that he’s still very young and there’s a lot of development yet to come, which makes his return to Provo all the more important for the prospects of next year’s team.

DICKSON: For the most part, Wright was perfectly happy at BYU but his support team wanted him to explore the portal, which is understandable. The Cougars came in with a good offer and Wright expressed his desire to continue to play for Kevin Young. So everybody is happy now, right? There is so much upheaval and chaos in the college basketball offseason right now that when you do retain one of your best players, it’s really a spring miracle. Wright is still growing as a player and has to develop as a distributor and a defender. But, man, the clay is so good. Lightning quick and strong to the glass, Wright is a scoring point guard unlike many you’ll see in college next year. Plus, he’s an academic All-American, so he’s getting the full college experience. Should make for a great junior season.

2. The other headlining transfer portal news was BYU coach Kevin Young snagging Collin Chandler away from Kentucky. What impact are you anticipating from Chandler and what role do you see him fulfilling?

DICKSON: I remember watching Chandler his junior year, when Farmington upset top-ranked Timpview (and current teammate Jake Wahlin) in the 2021 5A semifinals. I was stunned at Chandler’s easy athleticism and bounce. He’s a very talented player that fits Young’s system. I see a lot of comparisons to Richie Saunders and if Young can turn Chandler into that kind of player, watch out. This summer will be crucial for Wright and Chandler to create some chemistry because those two guys are going to have the ball in their hands a lot. Chandler also has some growing to do. He was more of a third or fourth option at Kentucky and he’s going to have a lot more on his shoulders as a Cougar.

GURNEY: The easy answer is he’ll bring what Richie Saunders brought to the team last season. And while that seems like the popular answer, I don’t think it’s that easy. Sure, Chandler seems to posses similar attributes, although to match or even approach Saunders’ overall impact is a tall order.

Still, Chandler should provide a great option on the wing to play alongside Wright. I felt that he was someone who could potentially play the point for BYU, but didn’t feel that was where the former Farmington star was best employed, making the Wright retention that much more important. Overall Chandler presents a solid 3-point-shooting option that can jump out of the gym when necessary, and those are very necessary attributes for any roster to have.

3. Overall how do you feel BYU has fared so far in the transfer portal generally? What’s still out there and what needs to be addressed by the time next season rolls around?

GURNEY: I really like the moves BYU has made this offseason. Call me old-fashioned, and while I think it’s a good thing that Kevin Young has expanded the reach with regards to bringing in top talent, I still feel it’s important to bring in traditional ‘BYU guys.’ Young has accomplished this with not only Chandler, but with bringing back local product Jake Whalin from Clemson.

BYU is unique and possesses unique strengths and thereby should never operate as any other program. I think Kalani Sitake has learned this balance very well and feel that Kevin Young may be on his way to learning the same. You need culture guys at BYU, much like Richie Saunders. And while players like Chandler and Wahlin, or even incoming freshman Dean Rueckert will be hard-pressed to even approach Saunders’ overall impact, it’s a good start, I feel.

DICKSON: I was kind of surprised to see so many Cougars hit the portal. It’s a bit of an indictment on the evaluation process that has to take place now with NIL and the transfer portal. Seems like the coaching staff missed on several guys they thought would be much more productive. Instead of those guys staying to develop, the coaches kind of punted and started over. The portal is so tempting because there are a lot of good players available, but do they fit your system? And will they be comfortable in the role you see for them? It’s a difficult process and I’m not really calling out the coaching staff for getting it wrong with some guys. It’s really hard to do right, but Michigan proved its possible to do it and reap the rewards at the end of the season. Obviously the Cougars aren’t done yet because they need some post players. Things have slowed down since a rush at the beginning when the portal first opened but I expect we’ll see some more movement in the coming weeks.

4. Okay, a more recent and more unfortunate topic here. quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech, has apparently been gambling on sports quite a bit, including betting on Indiana when he was a player there, and has been caught. What type of punishment should come with it and how big of a problem is this sort of thing for college athletes in generally?

DICKSON: Gambling is a real problem in this era. It’s so readily available (on your cell phone). I don’t know all the details about Sorsby but anytime you hand a bag of money over to a young athlete this is the kind of issue that can happen. My first response is hoping Sorsby gets the help he needs to get his addiction under control. I do think the NCAA will come down pretty hard on him because they want to discourage anybody else headed down that same road. I think every university athletic department needs to make sure they address this with the athletes and help them understand how to avoid falling into the trap.

GURNEY: The NCAA simply has to come down hard on this one, and given its track record, it’s difficult for me to imagine anything short of a full-season ban. And that’s the necessary move. College sports, or any sports for that matter, has to take wagering on games seriously in order to maintain the sport’s integrity and Sorsby has to be made an example in this regard.

But to assume that this is just one player engaging in this sort of activity is pretty naive, I feel. The proliferation of sports gambling is sort of frightening to witness, from my perspective as someone intimately aware of the massive pitfalls inherent with gambling. It’s never been as accessible as it is currently, and given the fact that college athletes now have quite a bit of excess income, it sort of creates the perfect storm. So I think it’s a huge problem, which is precisely why Sorsby has to be dealt with harshly.

5. Spring high school sports are soon to enter their respective state tournaments, which means there’s a lot of action in store for the coming month. We’ve covered a lot of the top teams, and from your perspective, which top local team do you feel has been the most dominant this season with the best chance to win a state championship in any of the spring sports?

DICKSON: Gurney tricked you with this non-BYU question, but no problem, high school sports rock.

I watched Wasatch boys volleyball play on Tuesday and boy, those Wasps (22-1) can sting ‘ya. Start with 6-foot-7 JJ Serre, a very good basketball player as well, as a dominant force at the net. Then add 6-5 outside hitter Chase Billeter and 6-4 setter Nate Burton and you’ve got three of the top players at their positions in the state. I’d be surprised if they don’t win the 5A title. I also like Lehi boys volleyball in 6A with another basketball player, 6-4 Ashton Shewell, who leads the state in kills. Baseball in the valley is just a mess in that there are half-a-dozen good teams that keep knocking each other off. All I know is I’m gonna be busy for most of May following and writing about all the drama.

GURNEY: I’ve been of the mind that’s it’s been Salem Hills softball team for most the year, but I think I’m going to change my answer to Lehi’s softball team. I still like Salem Hills quite a bit, and expect the Skyhawks to win a 5A championship after coming so close last season. But the Pioneers have simply been ridiculously good with how they’ve fared against 6A competition.

And then you have Skyridge girls lacrosse, a team that has yet to lose to an in-state opponent this season and recently beat defending state champion Farmington 15-3. So yeah, there’s a lot of dominant teams coming out of Utah County this spring, with at least three of those teams looking primed to win a state championship.