Cougars appear Big 12 poised for win over Florida A&M – Deseret News

It’s been a long time since Kevin Young got a break like this in December.

As an NBA assistant coach, the non-stop hustle and bustle of the job never let up over the holidays. However, now in his first year as head coach at BYU, Young will enjoy 10 days off from play before his Cougars return to the field on Dec. 31.

“I’m definitely not complaining about four or five days off during the holidays,” Young said Friday after BYU’s 103-57 win over Florida A&M at the Marriott Center in Provo.

“I think the last time I literally had so many days off at Christmas was when I was in college. I’m getting old now, so it’s been a long time, so it’ll definitely be a nice little change for us.”

Young will still have plenty of coaching duties over the next week and a half, but his team’s performance against the Rattlers on Friday night should definitely help him get some rest over the holidays before Big 12 play begins.

The Cougars looked every bit the NCAA tournament-caliber team they hope to be, dominating on both ends of the floor even without key starters Egor Demin and Richie Saunders.

“I thought it was a really unselfish play by our group,” Young said. “I mean, 25 assists on 34 field goals made was good. I thought we did a good job keeping Florida A&M off the foul line for most of the game. I think execution-wise there were some good takeaways.”

BYU’s standout player was obviously Kanon Catchings, as the highly touted freshman scored a career-best 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“One of the things I love about Kanon is that he is extremely coachable,” Young said. “When we commit to something, he really tries to do what I ask him to do. As a coach, that’s really all you can ask for.”

“I told him after the game tonight that I thought he made the right shots. For all of our players, but for him in particular, it’s not about making shots and missing them, it’s just about hitting the right ones and that will serve him well in terms of efficiency.”

Catchings’ four 3-pointers led BYU to hit 44.1% of its shots from behind the arc.

“I just have to keep shooting the ball, not thinking so much and not hesitating, that’s really the main thing,” Catchings said. “In practice, (the coaches) always tell me to shoot the ball, shoot the ball, so I’m just glad everything worked out. Hopefully I can stay consistent in conference play.”

Defensively, the Cougars allowed the Rattlers to shoot just 32.7% from the field, forced 18 turnovers and continued their season-long rebounding excellence by winning the battle on the boards by a 45-25 margin.

In addition to Catchings, four other BYU players – Dallin Hall, Trevin Knell, Mawot Mag and Dawson Baker – all reached double figures in scoring, with Foussyeni Traore also scoring nine points.

The Cougars reached a season-high 25 assists and looked smoother and more efficient than ever under Young.

“Something we talk about a lot as a team is playing too well and making the extra pass,” Hall said. “Those are high percentage shots. It’s a style of play that energizes everyone on both ends of the court and makes defenses that over-help pay off.”

BYU is now 9-2 after completing its non-conference schedule and will begin the Big 12 portion of its schedule by hosting Arizona State on Dec. 31.

While the Cougars have rarely been tested in the first 11 games as they typically will in league play – BYU is currently just 1-2 against KenPom’s top 100 squads – Young is confident that the journey so far is his Teams have prepared it for the turbulent road ahead.

“I’m extremely critical of what we do and always wonder if we’re on the right track, which is something I’ve always wondered about in the NBA,” Young said.

“We do a lot of analytical check-ins to make sure we’re on the right track, and I think that there and with some of the teams we had at that stage with Providence, Ole Miss and NC State, I’ve learned a lot and I’m able to take some of those lessons and put them into action against Fresno, Wyoming and again tonight. I have learned a lot and will continue to do so as the schedule becomes more difficult.”

The Cougars will have the next few days off before resuming team activities on December 26th. While Young and his assistants have been studying film from other conference opponents all season, the short holiday break will allow them to dive into the tape on a much deeper level in a timely manner.

“We’ll definitely learn a lot during the break,” Young said. “We’ll have time, I’ll have time to really study it. That’s what I enjoy: planning the game and figuring out where you can gain an advantage. We are locked and loaded.”

Hall added of Big 12 competition: “Every night is a dogfight. There are no free nights, but every night you live your dream. You get to play on the biggest stage against the best teams, so I think it combines all of that into one, and it’s just fun basketball, playing basketball, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”