BYU Basketball: Can Cougars make NCAA Tournament with Yoeli Childs back?

Yoeli Childs made a surprising decision to return to BYU Basketball for his senior season. Is the upcoming season NCAA Tournament or bust?

BYU Basketball has been undergoing through a lot of changes this offseason. Head coach Dave Rose retired, a pair of players transferred out of the program and star forward Yoeli Childs elected to enter the 2019 NBA Draft. He was the best player on the team this past season, averaging a team-high 21.2 ppg and 9.7 apg.

Childs‘ decision to declare for the draft was another blow for the Cougars program. That made it three straight seasons that the team’s leading scorer left early, joining Eric Mika and Elijah Bryant. Considering that program has missed the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons and perennial WCC favorite Gonzaga has become a top-10 national program themselves, BYU seemed to be in a complete transition under new head coach Mark Pope from Utah Valley.

However, a complete change of heart has occurred, with the 6’8 power forward making the move to return to BYU after all.

It’s a major piece of news that doesn’t impact just the WCC but also nationally. After missing out on the postseason, the Cougars bring back six of their top seven scorers, including All-WCC point guard performer TJ Haws. Zac Seljaas is a sharpshooting wing who should benefit greatly from Childs’ return. Rising sophomores Connor Harding and Gavin Baxter has All-Conference potential themselves and should take a major step in their development.

Then there are a pair of eligible transfers able to play next season who are projected to make a big impact. First is Jesse Wade, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Gonzaga after little playing time, returning to his dream school where his family attended. He’s an elite shooter who should bump up the Cougars issues from the three-point range.

Joining him is Jake Toolson, a former Cougar who transferred to Utah Valley a couple of years ago. Under Coach Pope, he’s developed into the reigning WAC Player of the Year, averaging 15.7 ppg and 4.5 rpg on 45% shooting from deep. He adds needed shooting and guard depth, along with senior leadership to a BYU team that now has six rising seniors on the 2019-20 roster.

With Childs back, the Cougars have a potent offense with multiple options. The overall shooting should improve and with a new coaching staff and jolt of energy, this may be the best BYU team collectively since arriving in the WCC.

Can BYU win the WCC?

It’s a question that almost gets asked among Cougar fans since coming nearly a decade ago. And while the Cougars have a great roster that can compete with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s on a one-game basis, the odds still aren’t good that they’ll win the regular season title. The problem has annually been how BYU does against the other teams in the conference. They got swept by San Francisco this past season and destroyed by San Diego in the WCC Tournament. They’ll have to handle that business first to even have a shot.

Even after losing four starters, Gonzaga will still be a preseason top-15 team next year, thanks to a quality recruiting class and grad transfer additions. Saint Mary’s also likely will be ranked with the returns of Malik Fitts and Jordan Ford. But what Childs coming back means that the WCC could have a third team be a viable contender for the Big Dance, something that hasn’t happened since 2012.

BYU now has the talent to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid but with mid-majors having a tough time getting at-large bids altogether, the road will be difficult. But there are opportunities for the Cougars to pad their resumes, with a trip to the Maui Invitational, battles with Utah, Houston and others in the non-conference before getting their shots at Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. But instead of assuming that the NIT was the ceiling for the 2019-20 Cougars, Childs coming back has them cautiously optimistic of returning to the Big Dance and revitalizing the basketball program.