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BYU's Richie Saunders celebrates a 91-89 victory against Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Keba Keita rises up for a dunk against Utah in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) drives past Oklahoma State guard Vyctorius Miller (5) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 in Stillwater, Okla.

Mitch Alcala, AP Photo

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BYU’s Richie Saunders didn’t have to wait long to find out his NBA destination.

The second round of the NBA Draft opened Wednesday night with 2026 champion New York Knicks picking Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton. Next on the clock were the Memphis Grizzlies, which wasted little time in making Saunders the second pick of the second round, No. 32 overall.

The Grizzlies posted video on social media of Saunders, surrounded by family and friends in Utah, celebrated by hugging his wife, Sierra.

Saunders becomes the second Cougar selected in the 2026 NBA Draft joining teammate AJ Dybantsa, who was the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 2026 NBA Draft marks the first time since 1984 that multiple Cougars have been selected in the same draft. Devin Durrant was selected by the Indiana Pacers (25th) and Brett Applegate was picked in the fourth round by the Portland Trailblazers (88th).

College basketball analyst Jay Bilas said this about Saunders, referring to a BYU-Kansas matchup last season.

“That game that Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa played earlier in the year where they were the highlight, Richie Saunders had 33 points. He was the leading scorer in that game. He’s a guy that shot 40% from three for basically his career. He moves well without the ball, relocates, and what Iman (Shumpert) was talking about before about getting your nose bloody, he sticks his nose in there and rebounds as a guard. He’s 6-5 tough. And it says a lot about him that with an ACL injury he gets drafted in the top of the second round.”

Saunders improvement at the college level was remarkable, going from an energy guy coming off the bench to a first team All-Big 12 selection as a junior. As a senior, Saunders averaged 18.8 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 49% from the field, 38% from the 3-point line and 82% on free throws before tearing his ACL late in the season against Colorado.

He scored in double figures 21 times highlighted by a career-high 33-point performance at Kansas. In the setback to Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, Saunders tied a career-high with six 3-pointers to go along with 10 rebounds for his fourth career double-double.

He was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2024-25 after averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game where he became the fifth player in program history to shoot 50/40/80 in a single season.

“We’re ready to go wherever we go,” Saunders said earlier this week on the Yahoo! Sports NBA podcast. “Before my injury it would have mattered more (where he was drafted). We’re just trying to go to the right team and the right situation. I don’t care what number I get drafted. For me, it’s about trying to find a good contract and a team that values the things I value.. We’re just ready to go attack this thing wherever we go.”

The Grizzlies finished 25-57 in 2026, 13th (out of 15) in the Western Conference. Memphis earned an A+ grade from Yahoo! Sports for their draft work, ending up with Duke’s Cameron Boozer (No. 3) and Karim Lopez (No. 21) in the first round along with Saunders in the second.

The Big 12 finished with a league-record nine-first round selections and 13 total picks, which led all conferences.

BYU’s Dybantsa went first to Washington and Kansas’ Peterson was second to the Jazz. Also selected in the first round were Houston’s Kingston Flemings (No. 8, Atlanta), Arizona’s Brayden Burries (No. 10, Milwaukee), Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson (No. 18, Charlotte), Baylor’s Cameron Carr (No. 24, New York Knicks), Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 27, Boston), Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson (No. 28, Minnesota) and Arizona’s Koa Peat (No. 30, Dallas).

After Saunders was grabbed by Memphis at No. 32 in the second round, the Clippers took Cincinnati’s Baba Miller at No. 36, Sacramento chose Houston’s Emanuel Sharp at No. 45 and Toronto selected Big 12 Player of the Year Jalen Bradley of Arizona at No. 50.

BYU’s Keita signs with Pacers

Keba Keita, who started at center for two season in Provo, has agreed to a free agent deal with the Indiana Pacers.

The 6-foot-8 Keita has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers. He will compete with Indiana during Las Vegas Summer League, which begins July 9.

Keita averaged 6.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a Cougar, displaying elite athleticism as a lob dunker and a rim protector on the defensive end. He reportedly worked out for a dozen NBA teams in the past month.