How Melissa Young’s influence led to a career choice and a clean shave
Kevin Young will make his BYU head coaching debut on Nov. 13 at the Marriott Center against Queens College. For some, the game is a long seven months away, but for Young, considering the to-do list he is looking at, it might feel like seven days.
In addition to coaching the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs, he has a staff to build, a roster to secure, recruits to find, NIL money to raise, media to address and a schedule to finalize. And that’s just the basketball part of it.
On the human side, the kids have a school year to complete in Arizona, there is a home to sell, bags and boxes to pack and a new home to buy as the Youngs move to Utah. When it comes to the coaching, the 42-year-old is wise beyond his years, but when it comes to recognizing the person who will oversee the move, Young is even smarter.
“She has been my rock for 13 years,” said Young of his wife Melissa during Tuesday’s news conference in Provo. “The coaching world is one that is not easy on family. It’s not easy on raising little ones and we have three of them — Jude, Van and Zoey.”
Young met Melissa while she was a student at BYU. They married in the Salt Lake Temple in 2011.
When athletic director Tom Holmoe made his game-changing phone call to the Youngs last week, Melissa helped shape the answer.
“I was flying from Sacramento to Minnesota, and she sent me a really long text and let me know how she felt about everything that we had going on,” Young said. “That was really impactful for me. She had a major influence on me coming here and what it would do for our family life. She is amazing. I honestly wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t in the mix.”
Living in the high-octane world of the NBA provided a nice life for the Youngs, but they wanted something more.
“The thing that really moved the needle for me and my wife was the environment at BYU, what this university stands for and what the mission of this university is,” Young said. “I’m a lifelong member of the church so to be able to do what I love at the highest level from a career standpoint and blend that with my faith and be able to do it with my wife and three little ones, that’s why we came here.”
Perhaps Melissa had an alternative motive to get him to BYU?
“My wife has wanted me to shave for 13 years,” said the newly beardless Young. “So, she is happy about that.”
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com
