BYU Coach Kevin Young Praises ‘Classy’ ASU Fans<\/p>\n
Four days after Arizona Wildcats fans chanted expletives referencing BYU Cougars\u2019 faith, BYU head coach Kevin Young acknowledged the Arizona State Sun Devils\u2019 supporters for their classiness during ASU\u2019s 91-81 loss in Tempe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time here, and I know there\u2019s plenty of BYU blue in the Valley,\u201d said Young, who was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns for four years. \u201cI expected to see some (BYU fans in Tempe), but it exceeded my expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I walked off the court, I looked up and saw\u2014honestly, about half the arena in blue. Credit to ASU for their classiness. We\u2019ve encountered some situations that weren\u2019t as classy, so I appreciate the fans here.\u201d<\/p>\n
No. 25 BYU\u2019s Shooting Outshines ASU\u2019s Effort Led by Freshmen<\/p>\n
Arizona AD Apologizes to BYU for \u2018Unacceptable Chant\u2019 Following Close Game<\/p>\n
A video from Tucson captured Wildcats fans chanting expletives and calling BYU players \u201cMormons.\u201d Brigham Young University is associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<\/p>\n
The chant happened as players left the court after BYU\u2019s narrow 96-95 victory, following a tense final few minutes. Arizona fans were further agitated by a controversial foul call against their team.<\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s Caleb Love also exchanged words with BYU\u2019s Mawot Mag and other Cougars during the postgame handshake before the chant occurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter tonight\u2019s men\u2019s basketball game, we learned about an unacceptable chant,\u201d Arizona athletic director Desire\u00e9 Reed-Francois said in a statement the next day.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of the University of Arizona Athletic Department, we apologize to BYU, their student-athletes, coaches, and fans. This chant does not reflect who we are and should not have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s student section, Zona Zoo, also addressed the incident with a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actions of some students after the Arizona vs. BYU game were unacceptable and do not represent our 14,000 ZonaZoo members or our leadership. We have taken internal steps to prevent future incidents.<\/p>\n
We apologize to BYU Men\u2019s Basketball, members of the LDS faith, @byuROC, and all fans for the words and actions after the game. As a student section, our goal is to make McKale a challenging venue, but our mission is to Bear Down with Pride and foster a welcoming environment.<\/p>\n
As a university organization, we uphold core values such as integrity, compassion, inclusion, and adaptation. We acknowledge that some of our Wildcat family, including student-athletes, are members of the LDS faith. Creating an inclusive space where all students feel welcome is a top priority for the university and ZonaZoo Leadership. We urge students to consider the intent and impact of their words and actions and to Bear Down with Pride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin Young Returns to Arizona with BYU<\/p>\n
Young is part of a growing trend of NBA coaches transitioning to college basketball, drawn by expanding NIL opportunities. BYU\u2019s own collective has played a key role in attracting NBA prospects to the Big 12 newcomer.<\/p>\n
For Young, this past week marked a homecoming to Arizona and the Valley, where he spent four seasons coaching under Monty Williams and Frank Vogel with the Suns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place is special to me. I had some great years here and had friends and family at this game,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n
Young took the BYU job in April after Mark Pope left for Kentucky, making the move midseason while still coaching with the Suns.<\/p>\n
He remained with Phoenix through its short-lived playoff run, which ended in a first-round sweep. During that stretch, he even brought some of his future BYU players to Phoenix for a playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n
Young Commends ASU Players\u2019 Effort<\/p>\n
During Wednesday\u2019s game at Desert Financial Arena, Young was not only impressed by ASU\u2019s fans but also by the team\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n
Despite losing four starters from their early-season rotation, the Sun Devils kept pace with a BYU squad that had topped 90 points in three consecutive games, including a dominant 91-57 win over then-No. 23 Kansas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHard-fought game. That team is severely undermanned,\u201d Young said. \u201cIt reminded me of my minor-league coaching days\u2014teams losing key players right before a game, and bench guys stepping up, eager to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expected that kind of fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before joining the Philadelphia 76ers\u2019 staff in 2016, Young\u2019s minor-league experience included coaching in the D League with the Utah Flash, Iowa Energy, and Delaware 87ers (formerly the Flash).<\/p>\n
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BYU Coach Kevin Young Praises ‘Classy’ ASU Fans Four days after Arizona Wildcats fans chanted expletives referencing BYU Cougars\u2019 faith, BYU head coach Kevin Young acknowledged the Arizona State Sun Devils\u2019 supporters for their classiness during ASU\u2019s 91-81 loss in Tempe. \u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time here, and I know there\u2019s plenty of BYU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1869],"tags":[2732],"class_list":["post-27019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-byu","tag-kelvin-young"],"yoast_head":"\n