Utah Valley's Tanner Toolson has no hard feelings, regrets in transferring from BYU

Former BYU guard Tanner Toolson, middle, with teammate Trevin Knell before a West Coast Conference Tournament game against Saint Mary's in March 2023. Toolson transfer to Utah Valley over the summer. (BYU Photo)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

OREM — Tanner Toolson has no hard feelings, ill will or grudges.

But neither does he hold any regrets after the BYU legacy product transferred away from the Cougars and across town to Utah Valley, where he is expected to suit up for the Wolverines when they open their season Monday.

For most of his life, Toolson dreamed of playing for BYU, where his dad, Andy, was a star before a 10-year professional career that included a pair of seasons with the Utah Jazz. He chose the Cougars in high school over a final four that included Utah, Utah State and Boise State.

But when the younger Toolson arrived after serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jacksonville, Florida, he found little playing time.

Toolson appeared in just six games as a freshman, averaging 3.5 points while shooting 44.4% from the field, including a season-high 10 points against Western Oregon and 7 more in a win over Division II Westminster before a foot injury sidelined him late, leading to a career-altering decision.

"I had a little bit of a rough experience at BYU, but I've got no hard feelings for BYU or the coaching staff; it was a great learning opportunity for me," Toolson told KSL.com. "Things just didn't work out like I thought they would. I think hitting the transfer portal was the best thing for me and an opportunity for my game, to be able to develop and grow."

Toolson remembers putting his name into the transfer portal around 8 p.m., then setting his phone down with his head swimming. By then, Utah Valley first-year head coach Todd Phillips was already talking to his staff about the 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman shooting guard.

"He was definitely a priority for us," Phillips said. "We recruited him out of high school, as well, and so we had watched him for a while and knew his family really well. To get a kid of his quality and to know his situation, where he fit in and everything with transferring, we were super excited to try to get him."

The next morning, he awoke to a flurry of text messages from Phillips and his staff, who had coached Toolson's older brother, Connor, to a national championship at Salt Lake Community College and then at UVU.

Westminster forward Gabriel Oliviera (32) fouls BYU guard Tanner Toolson (13) at the hoop during the game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022.
Westminster forward Gabriel Oliviera (32) fouls BYU guard Tanner Toolson (13) at the hoop during the game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Photo: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)

Right away, Toolson felt wanted and he quickly scheduled a visit to campus.

"You always want to play for a coach that believes in you, has a priority in you, and believes you can do some special things," Toolson said. "That action from coach Phillips and his staff was huge."

Toolson committed to UVU in late May — one of a handful of new transfers to the program that included former Westlake High and Southern Utah standout Drake Allen — and by late summer, he was on a plane with his new teammates to play some exhibition games against local semipro and high-amateur clubs in Italy.

How soon did he know he had made the right decision for his game? If no earlier, probably the time he went 7-for-7 from 3-point range against Italian professional competition on that trip.

"Tanner brings a high-energy kid who can really shoot the ball, but also has a good body," Phillips said. "He's 6-5 and has some muscle and some athleticism to him. I think he's more than just a shooter; he's a guy who can get to the rim and dunk the ball, even get out in transition and run for us.

"We're really excited for him; I think there's a little bit of untapped potential there for us, trying to figure out what he can be really good and also what he can add to his game. He's always been a big-time shooter since high school, and we want to add to that game to make him a little bit more of a creator on the offensive end, to create his own shot and create for others."

Toolson joins a team that won 28 games a year ago en route to the NIT semifinals, before losing head coach Mark Madsen to Cal and reinventing itself with transfers like Allen and Utah State center Trevin Dorius and four-star freshman Osiris Grady from Wasatch Academy.

"My whole life, I've been a little bit of an underdog and never had a crazy expectation to do things. It's a little bit new for me, but I'm excited to get going and have these expectations. My goal is to play against the best, and I think our whole team can agree with that. I'm just so stoked to be here and to compete for something that is a little bit bigger than something the basketball program has ever competed for."

Most recent UVU Basketball stories

Related topics

UVU BasketballCollegeSportsBYU Cougars
KSL.com BYU and college sports reporter
KSL.com Beyond Series

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button