Why BYU Men's Basketball

Head Coach Mark Pope

  • Mark Pope was hired April 10, 2019
  • In his first year as BYU coach, Pope led the Cougars to a 24-8 overall record and 13-3 in the West Coast Conference
  • Pope led the Cougars into the top 25 for the first time since 2011 and BYU was ranked as high as No. 14 and finished No. 18/16 in the AP Poll/USA Today Coaches Poll
  • Pope's 24 wins are the most by a first-year BYU coach and he is the only Cougar men's basketball coach to finish his first season ranked in the top 25
  • As a player, Pope won a national championship at Kentucky and played in the NBA for seven seasons

Tradition

  • Top 25 all-time among Division I programs in victories
  • 90 winning seasons with .621 winning percentage, top 50 all-time
  • 29 NCAA Appearances including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2011
  • 2 NIT Championships in 12 NIT appearances
  • 29 Regular Season Conference Championships including three-straight from 2007 to 2009
  • 27 All-Americans, 54 first-team all-conference honorees and 45 NBA Draft selections
  • 2 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees in Stan Watts and Kresimir Cosic
  • Danny Ainge 1981 National Player of the Year (Wooden and Eastman)
  • Jimmer Fredette 2011 National Player of the Year (Wooden, Naismith, Robertson, AP, NABC)

 

University

  • Outstanding academic reputation
  • Unique and diverse opportunities
  • Commitment to athletics
  • Outstanding facilities
  • Nation's largest private university

Marriott Magic

  • 18,987-seat Marriott Center
  • 566-142 Marriott Center record, a .799 winning percentage
  • School record streak of 53-straight home wins from 2005-2008
  • Top-25 average attendance in 44 of the last 49 seasons
  • 16,338 annual attendance average in 49 seasons in the Marriott Center
  • No. 6 in the nation in attendance in 2010-11 at 18,714 per game, including eight sellouts

Academics

  • Student Athlete Academic Center
  • Full-time Academic Advisement staff and tutors
  • Commitment to graduation
  • Member of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program

Schedule

  • Tournaments such as 2020 Junkanoo Jam, 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational, 2017 Barclays Center Classic, 2015 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, 2014 EA Sports Maui Invitational, 2013 College Basketball Experience, 2012 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, 2011 Chicago Invitational, 2010 South Padre Island Classic, 2009 and 2007 Las Vegas Invitational, 2004 Maui Invitational, 2002 Paradise Jam (Virgin Islands)
  • Recent schedules include ACC, Pac-10, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Big Ten opponents
  • WCC Tournament in Las Vegas

BYU and the Pros

  • 45 player selections in the NBA Draft
  • Four NBA Draft picks since 2003
  • Seven first-round draft choices, including No. 10 overall Jimmer Fredette in 2011 Draft
  • NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Star Selections
  • Numerous players have signed to play professionally overseas

Commitment

  • BYU's Mission and commitment to its athletes
  • Student and community support
  • Staff's commitment to the development of the student-athlete

National Exposure

  • Television exposure through partnerships with ESPN and BYUtv give fans across the globe access to BYU basketball
  • Since 2011, 112 games have been broadcast on the ESPN family of networks and 156 have been broadcast on BYUtv

Style of Play

  • Up-tempo high-scoring offense
  • Pressure defense
  • 3-point shooting