Sweet Dreams
Behind a first-year coach and deep bench, men’s basketball had a season to remember.
By Peter B. Gardner (BA ’98, MA ’04, MBA ’22) in the Spring 2025 issue
Photography by BYU Photo
It was arguably one of the most impressive seasons in BYU men’s hoops history—right up there with the 1951 NIT Championship season, the 1981 run that ended in the Elite 8 (Ainge coast to coast!), and Jimmermania of 2010–11. The 2024–25 season didn’t sport the best record or the highest finish, but it turned out to be an all-timer nonetheless.
Mid-January, that’s something nobody would have expected.
With a first-year coach in Kevin Young—new to the college game—and fresh faces mixed into the huddle, the team took time to come together. After struggling to a 2-4 start in Big 12 play, BYU seemed on track for a middling conference record, just as pundits had predicted. There would be no shame in that—BYU was facing its most difficult schedule ever.
Which made the late-season turnaround even more improbable.
Beginning with a Feb. 11 victory at West Virginia, the team hit its groove, blowing out blue-blood Kansas by 34 in the Marriott Center and squeaking out dramatic road victories at Arizona and Iowa State. Over a monthlong stretch of nine consecutive wins, BYU would beat four top-25 teams. With its high-scoring offense, BYU vaulted from well outside the rankings to the top 20. As they entered the NCAA Tournament, the Cougs were among the hottest teams in the nation.
With tourney triumphs against Virginia Commonwealth and No. 13 Wisconsin, BYU reached the Sweet 16 for just the third time.
And they did it without a National Player of the Year like Danny Ainge (BA ’92) or Jimmer Fredette (BA ’16).
This year’s success came down to depth, and BYU had plenty—often rotating through as many as 11 players a game (where many top teams play only 7–8). And each game during the team’s run seemed to feature standout performances from a different set of players.
“I’m just proud of the group of guys that we had in our locker room,” Young said at season’s end. “We had to do it the hard way. We got off to a slow start in the Big 12. I’m really proud of the way our guys stayed with it. . . . We just found a way.”
Go Team
The 2024–25 BYU Cougars had their stars—see King Richie—but the team will be remembered for its depth and ensemble cast of contributors. Here are the 11 players who logged regular minutes during BYU’s historic run.
From Russia with Love
Egor Demin (’28), Guard
A 6’9″ freshman from Moscow, Russia, and possible NBA draft pick, Demin made an immediate impact as a pass-first guard.
Key trait: Creative passing. Demin averaged 5.5 assists per game on the season.
Top moment: Demin helped carry the Cougars to a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Virginia Commonwealth with timely treys and drives to the hoop.
King Richie
Richie W. Saunders (’26), Forward
With his signature headband and relentless hustle, Saunders was the team’s undisputed leader.
Key trait: High-rising three-point shots (averaging a sizzling 43.2 percent) and aggressive drives to the hoop.
Top moment: Saunders shined in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 25 points in each of the last two games and shooting 60 percent from the field during the tourney.
Steady Presence
Dallin H. Hall (’26), Guard
A veteran player, Hall complemented Egor Demin this season, with both point guards sometimes sharing the court together.
Key trait: Hall is adept at reading defenses and delivering timely assists (4.2 per game compared to just 1.6 turnovers). His favorite target: center Fousseyni Traore.
Top moment: A soaring breakaway alley-oop dunk highlighted Hall’s 22 points scored at Iowa State.
Biding His Time
Trey T. Stewart (BS ’24), Guard
Senior guard Trey Stewart was primarily a reserve player until becoming a key contributor in the second half of the 2024–25 season.
Key trait: A defensive specialist, Stewart joined Saunders and Mag on the high-energy headband crew.
Top moment: In the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, BYU relied on Stewart to help shut down Iowa State’s top scorer.
Shot Doc
Trevin R. Knell (BS ’23), Guard
Known as the “Shot Doctor” for his sweet three-point stroke, Knell was Division I’s oldest player at 26.
Key trait: Coming out of timeouts, Young often drew up plays for Knell, typically a three-point attempt off of a screen.
Top moment: Against Wisconsin in the NCAA second round, Knell drilled four threes in just 18 minutes of play.
Tenacious D
Mawot K. Mag (’25), Forward
Born in Sudan and raised in Melbourne, Australia, grad transfer Mag earned a starting spot as the season progressed.
Key trait: A lockdown defender, Mag was typically assigned the opponent’s toughest player.
Top moment: Mag sealed the Wisconsin tourney win with an immaculate defensive stand against star guard John Tonje.
Kanon Fire
Kanon D. Catchings (’28), Forward
Nephew of WNBA MVP and Olympian Tamika Catchings, freshman Catchings has NBA aspirations.
Key trait: A smooth, high-arcing three-point shot.
Top moment: In an overtime victory against Baylor, Catchings notched a perfect shooting night (8-8 shooting, including 4-4 three-pointers, and 3-3 free throws).
Old Pro
Mihailo Boskovic (’26), Forward
Hailing from Serbia, Boskovic left the European pro scene to play college ball at BYU.
Key trait: With the body of a big man and the shooting touch of a guard, Boskovic provided a multi-threat presence.
Top moment: With a huge and-one layup with seconds to go, Boskovic helped BYU to a narrow victory at West Virginia.
Alley-Oops, He Did It Again
Keba Keita (’26), Center
A Utah transfer from Bamako, Mali, Keita used his chiseled 6’8″ frame to full effect in matchups against taller opposing centers.
Key trait: High-flying alley-oop dunks and emphatic blocks.
Top moment: An ESPN SportsCenter top-10 play where he chased down an Iowa State fast-break to block a dunk attempt from behind.
Foooouss!
Fousseyni Traore (BS ’25), Center
A four-year player for BYU, soft-spoken Traore was a bruiser in the paint, making space with his big body and nifty footwork.
Key trait: Patiently breaking down taller players one-on-one for easy shots at the rim.
Top moment: Recording a double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds), Traore led BYU to a convincing victory against West Virginia.
Shot Maker
Dawson S. Baker (’25), Guard
A 2023 transfer from UC Irvine, Baker overcame injury to play a key role this year as a crafty shot maker and distributor.
Key trait: Dribbling into the paint and carving up defenses for mid-range shots.
Top moment: In the rivalry game against Utah in Provo, Baker led the Cougars in scoring to help the team come out on top.
Fast Start
Kevin Young, Head Coach
As a longtime professional coach, Young mentored some of the NBA’s biggest stars. At BYU he and his staff have enticed top prospects to “PROvo,” where they can develop for post-college opportunities.
Young’s inaugural season was historic—his 26-10 record the best ever for a first-year BYU basketball coach.
Starch Madness
When TV commentators learned in March that star BYU forward Richie W. Saunders (’26) is the great-grandson of tater-tot inventor and Ore-Ida cofounder F. Nephi Griggs, the news nugget was too tasty to resist. It came up again and again during tournament broadcasts and post-game interviews with Saunders, BYU’s tenacious leading scorer.
“I came here to play basketball, but now all I’m getting asked about is tater tots, which is hilarious,” Saunders told CBS Sports.
Riding the wave of interest, Ore-Ida signed Saunders to a name, image, and likeness deal—dubbing him Heir Richie—and launched a 30-minute “tot clock” online, where fans could score free tots after BYU tournament victories.
Of course the tuber-themed puns and memes rolled in: King Tot, #RichieIsCooking, This Spud’s for You, Tater Shots. Ore-Ida even temporarily rebranded as Ore-Richie.
On March 27, the day of BYU’s Sweet 16 appearance, grocery store freezers all over Utah County were emptied of tots as Cougar Nation hosted watch parties featuring the snack. BYU grad Jonathan J. Heder (BFA ’10) of Napoleon Dynamite fame showed up at the game toting a plate of tots. And following BYU’s loss to Alabama, fans joked about drowning their sorrows in 5 lbs. of tots.
Saunders’s tournament performance—averaging 22 points and 5.7 rebounds per game—gave the nation a lot more to talk about. But it seems he’ll always be remembered as the Tater Tot King.
Not Pictured
Elijah L. Crawford (’28), Brody T. Kozlowski (’28), Khadim R. Mboup (’29), Jared A. McGregor (’26), Max E. Triplett (’27), and Townsend C. Tripple (’27)
