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The BYU Cougars fell victim to the coaching carousel this offseason when blue blood Kentucky was able to lure its leader away from Provo. His replacement seems to be doing just fine.
Mark Pope, the head coach who led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament last season, accepted a role at his alma mater in April leaving the program unexpectedly coachless this spring.
That move was set in motion after SMU fired second-year coach Rob Lanier. An incredible domino effect would soon be seen as USC’s Andy Enfield took the gig in Dallas, leading Eric Musselman to bail on Arkansas for the West Coast, followed by John Calipari filling the Razorbacks’ opening.
Kentucky swung and missed on a number of big-time candidates before eventually settling on Pope, who was fresh off a first-round postseason exit.
BYU hired Kevin Young as his replacement, a decision that’s paid immediate dividends on the recruiting trail.
While Pope was able to convince some talent to follow him to Lexington, Young did an excellent job of keeping the roster mostly intact.
Now, he’s adding to it.
Having already brought in international combo guard Egor Demin, a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he’s now secured a commitment from a second possible one-and-done player.
More on that commitment from ESPN:
Catchings, who committed to Purdue following his sophomore year of high school, elected to reopen his recruitment earlier this month. He visited Florida State and North Carolina State as well as BYU before picking the Cougars.
“Coach Young emphasizes building relationships and I have complete trust in him,” Catchings said. “I’m excited to learn from him and improve as a player. We have a great group of guys on the roster, and we all share the same goal. I can’t wait to get started.”
Kanon Catchings, once committed to Purdue, is on his way to BYU. He’ll provide the Cougars with a versatile scorer and rebounder that already has NBA scouts salivating.
Catchings has big-time basketball ties, with his mom (Tauja) having starred at Illinois, his aunt (Tamika) having excelled in the WNBA, and his grandfather (Harvey) having played in the NBA.
He’ll look to be the next in line!
Catchings will now join a loaded BYU class with six basketball prospects that boast four-star status by at least one of the major recruiting services.
Not bad for a guy who’s been on the job for two months!