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BYU Basketball: 3 biggest offseason storylines for Cougars in 2020

By Tristan Freeman

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 27: The BYU Cougars bench celebrates during the second half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 27, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 27: The BYU Cougars bench celebrates during the second half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 27, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Pope of the BYU Cougars (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

What are the biggest current storylines for BYU Basketball this offseason?

After 14 years and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament, Dave Rose made the decision to retire as head coach of BYU Basketball. Despite arguably being the best coach in program history, the recent struggles of the team seemed to indicate a need for change.

In came Mark Pope, a former assistant at BYU who was the head coach at Utah Valley at the time of the hire. The charismatic 6’10 former NBA player was able to convince not only WAC Player of the Year Jake Toolson to return to the Cougars as well, but Coach Pope also brought back All-WCC star forward Yoeli Childs for another year after originally entering the draft.

Even with a controversial nine-game suspension for Childs to start the season, BYU outperformed expectations, including non-conference wins over UCLA, Utah State, and Houston. The great play continued in the WCC, going 13-3 and finishing in second overall in the standings. Although the Cougars finished behind Gonzaga once again, they did defeat the west coast powerhouse at home, 91-78. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 2 at the time.

BYU didn’t get the opportunity to win its first-ever WCC Tournament title, losing to Saint Mary’s in the semi-finals. It was a disappointing ending to an otherwise outstanding season, particularly since the team was viewed as someone who could’ve made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

But now, the Cougars will have to move on without several key pieces. But a great offseason campaign has set them up for future success and possibly, competing with Gonzaga for future WCC titles. Here’s a look at some key storylines for BYU, heading into 2020-21.