Kevin Young named finalist for Joe B. Hall Award

The Joe B. Hall Award is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

Author Tyson Jex
Kevin Young named finalist for Joe B. Hall AwardKevin Young named finalist for Joe B. Hall Award
Nate Edwards

BOSTON, Massachusetts – BYU’s Kevin Young was named one of 16 finalists for the Joe B. Hall Award, collegeInsider.com announced in a press release.

The award is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball and named after longtime Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Young has the Cougars on a six-game win streak and ranked 23rd in the AP Poll. The former associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns is one of six first-year head coaches in program history to win 20 games as the Cougars are 21-8 heading into a Top-25 showdown against No. 10 Iowa State.

BYU ranks first in the Big 12 and fourth in the nation in effective field goal percentage. They also rank first in the league in field goal percentage, having shot 50.0 percent or better 15 times this season, including in four consecutive games.

In wins over No. 23 Kansas, No. 19 Arizona and Arizona State, BYU became the first team this century to score at least 90 points, shoot 50.0 percent or better, have 12 or more assists and fewer than 12 turnovers in three straight games.