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PROVO — It's been a rough week for BYU basketball fans.
The Cougars braced for hit after hit as up to five players entered the transfer portal, including fan-favorite Gavin Baxter and starting forward Caleb Lohner, all while dealing with the fallout of assistant coach Chris Burgess' return to his alma mater in Salt Lake City on Craig Smith's staff.
The tumult was calmed briefly by news that Gideon George, who entered his name in the NBA draft last week before briefly putting his name in the transfer portal, had reconsidered his transfer decision. Barring a late opportunity to turn pro (he has until June 1 to fully withdraw and maintain his final season of eligibility), George will return to Provo.
But it hasn't been easy.
And yet it hasn't dimmed the faith of the future bluebloods of the program, either.
"There are a lot of things happening, but I think a lot of things are happening with every program in America," said Farmington star Collin Chandler, the highest-rated recruit to sign with BYU in the ESPN 100 era at No. 29 in the Class of 2022. "It's just how college basketball is going.
"But knowing Mark Pope, we're going to come back stronger."
Making an appearance on BYUtv while commencement and convocation exercises roamed across the rest of campus, Chandler told the hosts "this is my new home," which had to sound like reassuring mana for a BYU fan base that has been rocked by defections since a disappointing end to the season in the NIT quarterfinals.
Nate Hansen and Hunter Erickson hit the portal, two reserve guards from Timpview High who saw little playing time this year but were expected to provide a solid foundation moving forward. Shortly thereafter was the similar defection of Jeremy DowDell, the walk-on from Olympus who will look for better opportunities elsewhere.
Then came the big one. Just a week after George entered the draft and Burgess agreed to join the Utes, Lohner's name appeared in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-8 sophomore from Dallas, Texas, was initially thought to follow Burgess to the U., where he was signed, but is now expected by most to head elsewhere than the state he's called home for four years since transferring to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant.
And yet, if there's one constant in the turmoil, it's Pope. The third-year BYU head coach has been reliant on the portal since his days at Utah Valley, and 2022 won't be any different. With as many as seven scholarships now available to him, and only a couple of standout guards like Fremont's Dallin Hall and Wasatch Academy's Richie Saunders expected home from missionary service, Pope will once again hit the portal and try to re-up and rebuild a program one year removed from joining the Big 12 — quite possibly the toughest conference in college basketball.
He's reportedly already been as far as Mexico, visiting former Louisville signee Fredrick King and convincing the four-star big man from the NBA's Latin American Academy to visit Provo. He's also reached out to a number of players in the portal, including Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis, one of the nation's top scorers a year ago who averaged 24.6 points and 4.3 assists per game on 41% shooting.
"That's who we put our faith in; that's the guy," said Chandler, like a soldier following his commander. "He's going to bring guys in. We're going to be better.
"With the Big 12 news, it's going to attract a different type of basketball player," he added. "We're going to get guys who can play in the Big 12."
The Gatorade Utah Player of the Year and Deseret News Mr. Basketball has been busy over the past month, too. The 6-foot-4 four-star recruit rated tops in the state played in an exhibition game at the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in New Orleans, went viral on social media for a hammer dunk laid down in a Team USA scrimmage in Portland, and received his mission call for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Sierra Leone, Africa.
"Embarrassingly, I didn't know where it was. I had to look it up," Chandler said with a laugh. "But I just talked to a group of missionaries who just got back, and they all loved it."
He's expected to report to the MTC on July 25, bringing him home the summer after BYU's first season in the Big 12.
And he couldn't be any more excited to hoop it up with the best of the best.
"It's the best league in the country," Chandler said. "We're putting the pieces together, and I'm just excited to compete against those guys.
"Every night is going to be a battle."
