KANSAS CITY — When BYU took the stage at Big 12 basketball media days Wednesday, there was a very notable absence for the Cougars: head coach Kevin Young.
In the first late scratch of the season, Young was sidelined from the annual event due to illness and remained in Utah, with media members informed of the change of plans early Wednesday morning.
Associate head coach Tim Fanning, who was joined at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center by point guard Rob Wright III, along with two of the BYU team’s 10 newcomers, Collin Chandler and Bruce Branch III, served as the top hitters for Young’s media duties.
“I think we’ve done a good job of attracting players who are looking to win and do the right things,” Fanning said during BYU’s general availability session. “I think they trust each other. We have a lot of guys who can make plays, a lot of guys who are experienced enough to know the value of each possession. They try to find the best option, they trust each other, so the ball moves.”
“I think we strive to get better every day. I don’t think anyone is too focused on rankings or conference predictions or stuff like that.”
— Tim Flanning, BYU associate head basketball coach
The Cougars, 23-12 a year ago, were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll and recently opened at No. 25 in the AP rankings.
But unlike last year’s avalanche of expectations, BYU is flying somewhat under the radar nationally, even though it snuck into the preseason top 25. The Cougars aren’t widely considered a Big 12 title contender at this point — not that that matters to them.
“I think we strive to get better every day,” Fanning said. “I don’t think anyone is too focused on rankings or conference predictions or stuff like that.
“I think the strength of the conference, we all know that. … We’re trying to get better every day. We have a lot of experience doing this. That’s how we approach it every day.”
BYU raised eyebrows in its exhibition win over Nebraska last weekend, defeating the defending Sweet 16 participant Huskers, 72-61, behind 36 3-point shot attempts and an obvious increase in defensive effort.
“For our first game, we did an incredible job,” Branch said. “We did everything we needed to do. At first our shooting wasn’t what we wanted, but we’re BYU, we’ll find a way. We rebounded. We guarded. We did everything we were supposed to do and I’m proud of us.”
Branch, the latest five-star freshman to land in Provo, had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists against Nebraska, with Chandler adding a game-high 19 points and Wright also providing 17 points and seven assists.
“I feel like they’re a great fit for (BYU),” Wright said of Branch and Chandler. “Both of their shooting abilities, two super talented players. Collin with his athleticism, that crazy dunk he had the other day. Bruce can guard every position. The way these guys space the floor makes the game easy, I feel like it’s just BYU basketball.”
For Chandler, transferring to BYU from Kentucky will give him a bigger offensive workload than he had with the Wildcats, who relied on him for the 3-point shot and little else.
“I think I bring a lot more than just shooting,” Chandler said. “I think what we need in this group is another player who can get to the hoop and put pressure on the rim. I think the system I came into is going to give me a lot of ability to do that.”
With Branch already showing up on NBA mock drafts and potentially being BYU’s third straight first-round selection next summer, he’s taking the same approach to his personal accolades that the rest of his teammates have taken to handling their preseason rankings: blocking him.
“Long story short, I just don’t think about it. I don’t look for rankings, drafts, none of that. I just take each day and use that day to get better,” Branch said.
“I’m just really focused on BYU right now, I’m not really focused on what happens next year or anything like that. Honestly, I just want to win this year. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we get there.”
As BYU’s leading contributor, Wright is more than just a Big 12 Player of the Year or an All-America candidate.
He’s the Cougars’ leading voice in preparing his new teammates for the reality of the Big 12, which is “how tough a conference it is from top to bottom,” to borrow his words.
“You can play one of the lowest seeds in the conference and be in a one-possession game,” Wright said. “The Big 12 has so many good, talented teams, every night it’s a battle.”
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