BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young is experiencing his first NCAA Tournament.

The No. 6 seed BYU Cougars will face off against the No. 11 seed VCU Rams, the Atlantic 10 Conference champions, on Thursday.

Before the exciting First-Round game in the NCAA Tournament, Young’s BYU team, along with seven other teams in Denver for the opening rounds, held open practices and press conferences on Wednesday.

The games will be played in Ball Arena, the home venue for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.

Kevin Young reflects on his coaching experiences in Denver as an NBA assistant Young, a former assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, was asked about any memories from his trips to Denver during his NBA career.

“I don’t recall the record. I know that in the last playoff series, they (Denver Nuggets) obviously came out on top. But yeah, I think the year we made the NBA Finals, we swept them in the Playoffs. That remains one of my favorite memories of playing here,” said Young.

“I also have nightmares about trying to defend the (Jamal) Murray, (Nikola) Jokic two-man game, which I still believe is one of the toughest teams to guard in basketball. So I’m glad we don’t have to face that now.”

Young is the first BYU coach since Roger Reid in 1990 to lead BYU to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season as head coach.

NCAA Tournament brings back memories of the NBA Finals The first-year head coach at BYU was asked to share his thoughts on the March Madness atmosphere.

“It reminds me of when I was in the background, of course, but it’s not quite like the NBA Playoffs. It feels more like the NBA Finals,” Young said. “It’s just that vibe where everything gets heightened. There’s more media attention.”

Young experienced the NBA Finals while with the Suns in 2021. The Suns lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I rely on reference points a lot, both with our team and in my own career, so that’s kind of what this feels like. It’s exciting, honestly. This is something I’ve always looked forward to as a kid. I’d watch the tournament every March and always think, man, it must be so fun to coach in March Madness. Now, here we are.”

Young is aiming to guide BYU to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012. The Cougars haven’t reached the Round of 32 since 2011, when Jimmer Fredette was the team’s star.

If BYU makes a deep run, it would be hard to find a better first season for a BYU head coach. The moment has arrived for Young’s team.

“It’s a little surreal, honestly,” Young said. “But I’m just really excited for our players to experience this with the group we have.”