PROVO, Utah**— There is a flare of pro basketball courtside as Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy and owner Ryan Smith are on hand to see BYU take on Fresno State.
BYU (6-2) is hosting the Mountain West’s Fresno State Bulldogs at the Mariott Center on Wednesday, December 11.
Always great to see Coach Hardy pic.twitter.com/KOBBf7g3pV
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) December 12, 2024
Smith’s influence has paid dividends after the Cougar’s men’s basketball program landed its first five-star recruit in AJ Dybantsa earlier in the week. A senior at Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah, Dybantsa is the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class.
RELATED: BYU Coach Kevin Young On AJ Dybantsa: ‘Generational Talent’
The 36-year-old Hardy is in his third season leading the Jazz through a rebuild. Despite unloading All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell ahead of his first season, Hardy fielded a surprisingly competitive Jazz team in the early months of his first two seasons. Draft pick considerations and injury caused Hardy to go 68-96 in his first two years as head coach.
The Cougars are well on their way to a blowout win over the Bulldogs. Trevin Knell’s 18 points on 4-of-6 from deep leads four BYU players in double-figures.
BYU’s defense has limited the Bulldogs to 36.4 percent shooting and 34.6 percent from three.
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For more information on BYU football, follow our BYU insider Mitch Harper. Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on Twitter/X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.