Kevin Young Selected as Finalist for Coach of the Year Award
Kevin Young, BYU Basketball, Joe B. Hall Award Finalist…
Young has been named one of the finalists for the prestigious Joe B. Hall Award, which honors the top first-year head coaches in college basketball.
BYU is currently on a six-game winning streak, holding a 21-8 record overall and a 12-6 mark in Big 12 Conference play.
Young is among 16 coaches who have earned a spot as Joe B. Hall Award finalists. He stands out as the only finalist from a Power Conference team.
Before taking the reins at BYU last April, Young spent several years as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns. He also coached in the NBA D-League (now G-League), but this is his first head coaching position in college basketball.
BYU Basketball under Kevin Young’s Leadership
In his first season with BYU, Young’s team has become one of the best offenses in college basketball. As of March 4, the Cougars are ranked 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom’s ratings.
The team is averaging 81 points per game this season.
The Joe B. Hall Award is named after Joe B. Hall, the former Kentucky head coach who succeeded Adolph Rupp and led the Wildcats to success.
Among the teams with Joe B. Hall Award finalist coaches, BYU is one of only two programs projected by Bracket Matrix to make the NCAA Tournament. Drake, coached by Ben McCollum, is the other.
A noteworthy finalist is former BYU assistant coach Kahil Fennell. Fennell was part of BYU’s staff under former head coach Mark Pope from 2022-2024 before taking the head coach position at UT Rio Grande Valley.
In Fennell’s first season with the Vaqueros, they are 16-15 overall and 8-12 in the Southland Conference.
Kevin Young has also led BYU to a No. 23 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll, entering the final week of the regular season.
Joe B. Hall Award Finalists for the 2024-25 Season:
Patrick Carey II, Florida A&M
Mike DeGeorge, Cal Poly
Ethan Faulkner, Youngstown State
Kahil Fennell, UT Rio Grande Valley
Cornelius Jackson, Marshall
John Jakus, FAU
Jon Jaques, Cornell
Mike Jones, Old Dominion
Donny Lind, Mount St. Mary’s
Jonathan Mattox, Morehead State
Ben McCollum, Drake
Gerry McNamara, Siena
Hank Plona, Western Kentucky
Clint Sargent, Wright State
Ivan Thomas, Hampton
Kevin Young, BYU
