Suns Coach Opens Up on BYU Job

Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young is ready to get to work at BYU.

PHOENIX -- The unexpected should be expected when it comes to the Phoenix Suns, and that also pertains to the coaching staff.

Suns assistant coach Kevin Young has been in coaching rumors and interviews for the past two years, speaking with a handful of teams about potentially taking over the franchise. Young - both in and outside of Phoenix - is a respected offensive mind that was eventually expected to land his first head coaching gig after the Suns' postseason run concluded.

He did - just at the college ranks.

Young will be taking over the BYU basketball program, a surprise considering he was set to interview for two job vacancies in the NBA.

"Kevin is not someone that just came to us out of the blue," BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said (h/t ESPN). "We had our eye on him for quite a while. It's been remarkable to see all that he has accomplished at the NBA level."

Young - who is replacing now Kentucky head coach Mark Pope - says he's excited to get to work with the Cougars, who recently made the move to the Big 12.

"That had a huge part of drawing me, pulling me out of the situation I was in," Young said. "It's big time. It's the most competitive and best league in college basketball."

Young is expected to become one of the top-15 highest paid coaches at the NCAA level, which you can read more about here.

"What I've been doing, I've been doing for a long time," Young said. "To shift gears and have to learn a whole new system has really got me charged up."

Suns head coach Frank Vogel is excited for Young's next opportunity, too.

“He was great for me. Has been great for me throughout the course of this year. I think the Suns fans have to appreciate his contributions to obviously beyond this year," said Vogel.

"He’s had a big factor in this franchise’s success.”