I feel like we maybe need to slow our roll on some assumptions. I keep reading things about how we'll consistently get 4-stars and occasionally 5-stars because KY will tell them he knows what it takes to make the NBA. Or reading that transfers will definitely want to come to BYU so they can practice with Chris Paul and Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.  Or pal around with Charles Barkley on the sidelines.

Do we think other coaches don't have NBA connections? Or that the Suns stars will suddenly regularly spend time at BYU? Most coaches have a LOT of NBA connections, either through personal experience, coaching in the NBA, or coaching guys who eventually went on to the NBA.

Mark Madsen (as an example since we're all familiar with him) could make similar cases...except maybe stronger.  He knows what it takes to get to the NBA, not only from an NBA assistant perspective, but also having done it himself and having coached several college players who made it.  Here's a brief list of his most noteworthy NBA contacts

• *Shaquille O'Neal 
• *Kobe Bryant 
• *Ty Lue (Current Clippers HC)
• *Kevin Garnett
• *Sam Cassell (Current Celtics Assistant)
• Kobe Bryant 
• Pau Gasol 
• Steve Nash
• Julius Randle
• D'Angelo Russell
• Brandon Ingram
• Lonzo Ball
• LeBron James
• ^Magic Johnson

Those with * are guys he played with, ^ are guys he coached under, and the rest (including Kobe again) are guys he coached.  And then he also coached 4 guys at Stanford who went on to play in the NBA (Anthony Brown, Chasson Randle, Josh Huestis, Dwight Powell). Do we really think he doesn't know what it takes to get to the NBA or lacks connections to notable names in that league?

But that doesn't mean LeBron, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram come scrimmage with his players at Cal practices or that Lue and Cassell swing by to tell them what they need to work on to get into the NBA.  There's not a bunch of Hall of Famers (Shaq, Garnett, Gasol, Nash, Magic) just hanging out at his practices and Madsen isn't getting the best talent based on "hey, I coached Kobe and know what it takes".

And the college ranks are littered with guys like him

Don't get me wrong - Kevin Young is a great hire and I'm absolutely excited, but no coach is without risk. I think he's a great coach based on his merits as a coach, more than on being able to sell something others can't.

Honestly, the thing I'm most excited about though is what his hiring says about BYU's level of commitment (financial and otherwise). We all know how much NIL matters in this world and BYU (and Ryan Smith) took a big swing with him, which makes me hope they'll continue to be invested and keep swinging