PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball head coach Kevin Young continues to build his coaching staff with the addition of John Linehan as an assistant coach.
“John comes to BYU after working for two coaches I have great respect for in Billy Lange and Tom Crean,” Young said. “He is an exceptional player development coach, who has worked with some of the game's great players. John will help our guys get better every day with his energy and passion for development. John is one of the best defensive players in NCAA history and will bring that edge to our program.”
Linehan comes to Provo after spending the past two seasons at St. Joseph’s. In 2023-24, he was instrumental in helping the Hawks go 21-14 earning a bid into the National Invitation Tournament where they faced eventual champions Seton Hall in the first round. Xzayvier Brown was named a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award after leading the Hawks in steals, 62, and scoring 12.7 points per game.
He spent 2019-22 at Georgia under Tom Crean where he was instrumental in player development, including working with current Timberwolves star and former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards. In his lone season in Athens, Ga., Edwards was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and was one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award.
He spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Hartford, helping the Hawks to a 37-29 record and an appearance in the CIT. He was instrumental in 10 players earn All-America East honors. Linehan spent the 2016-17 season at Brown, helping the Bears rank first in the Ivy League and 37th in the nation in steals per game, 7.6.
He spent the 2015-16 season as an operations assistant at Drexel after spending the previous season as a graduate assistant at Temple. In the summer of 2015, he worked with Young as a volunteer assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and Delaware 87ers.
The Chester, Pa. native was a four-year standout at Providence and is considered one of the top defenders in NCAA history. The two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year set a then-record for steals in a career with 385, after leading the league in steals in three of his four seasons. As a senior, he was named the National Defensive Player of the Year by the NABC, ESPN.com and CollegeInsider.com.
Following the completion of his eligibility, Linehan played professionally from 2002-14. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in France’s Pro A League four times with three different teams: Paris-Levallois (2005, 2006), Cholet (2010) and Nancy (2011). He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year in Estonia’s Pro A League in 2009.