© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Richie Saunders Cemented Himself as a Fan Favorite by Returning to BYU
A BYU fan favorite will be back in Provo after entering the transfer portal
When BYU wing Richie Saunders entered the transfer portal a few days after Mark Pope left for Kentucky, the response from BYU fans was consistent: anyone but Richie Saunders. In his second season at BYU, Saunders had become a fan favorite.
Saunders was rumored to be headed to Kentucky to follow Mark Pope. Saunders and his wife traveled to Lexington and visited Kentucky, and Richie's eventual commitment was viewed by some as a formality.
Then Saunders opted to stay. He believed in new BYU coach Kevin Young and returned to Provo. Saunders was already a fan favorite. His decision to turn down Kentucky, withdraw from the transfer portal, and return to BYU cements him as a fan favorite for the foreseeable future in Provo.
Saunders impact on the basketball court extends well beyond the box score. Saunders made hustle plays his mission, and he had a non-flashy but effective style. Evan Miya, a college basketball analytics guru, put out a list of the best available transfers in college basketball. Saunders ranked 11th nationally. Miya's rankings were based on combined offensive and defensive efficiency.
Saunders consistently made winning plays for BYU last season. After a win over TCU in March, Richie Saunders and his teammates went around the arena and gave the fans high fives. When Saunders passed the BYU student section, he was met with "MVP" chants.
Saunders was absolutely fantastic in that game against TCU and it epitomized his unselfish impact on games. However, the box score didn't do Richie Saunders' performance justice. He finished with 11 points on 4/5 shooting and he added 7 rebounds and 2 assists. That's not a bad state line, but there were a long list of winning plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet:
- In the first half, Saunders grabbed a would-be field goal attempt before it could leave the hands of the TCU player. The play was ruled a jump ball. It was picture-perfect defense.
- During BYU's first run in the second half, Saunders collected a tough offensive rebound off a Trevin Knell miss. He created just enough space put up a quick shot, which he made, and trimmed the lead to six.
- During that same run, Saunders provided help defense for Dallin Hall who had been switched onto the TCU big man. Saunders timed the help perfectly to force a miss.
- Saunders, who was in a little bit of foul trouble, left the game with 11:40 remaining. He came back a few minutes later and sure enough, BYU went on another run.
- During the second run, Saunders dribbled to the basket and found Jaxson Robinson for a a wide-open three. Robinson's three cut TCU's lead to two, 62-60. On the next possession, Saunders positioned himself in the paint and put up a tough shot over his shoulder to tie the game at 62. After a BYU stop, Saunders hit a three to give BYU a 65-62 lead. During that micro 7-0 run, Saunders contributed to every point scored. That shot also gave BYU its first lead since there were 14 minutes left in the first half. BYU never relinquished the lead after that point.
- A few minutes later, Saunders grabbed a rebound on the defensive end. He hustled down the court to clean up a Jaxson Robinson miss on the offensive glass. Saunders was fouled on the put-back attempt and he made both free throws to extend the lead to nine.
- With three minutes left, Saunders hustled for a 50/50 ball and won the defensive rebound. TCU poked the ball away after the rebound, and again Saunders hit the floor to force a jump ball. The possession arrow favored BYU and the Cougars got the ball back. On that possession, Dallin Hall found Richie to break the press. Saunders dribbled to the basket to force the lone TCU defender into a decision. The defender opted to stop the ball, so Saunders tossed a lob to Fousseyni Traore for the alley-oop dunk.
That's the kind of impact that BYU can expect Richie Saunders to have next season. Only this time around, he'll likely be a starter. During the first two years of his career, Saunders has been a backup. He will be a critical piece on BYU's roster next year and will probably be slated in the starting lineup.
Players as unique as Richie Saunders don't come around often. Getting Saunders back in the fold is one of the biggest wins of the short Kevin Young tenure.
Now, Young will turn his attention to Dallin Hall. If Young can get Hall back on board, the Cougars will have a chance to put together another NCAA Tournament-worthy season in 2024-2025.
