'Headband Richie' Saunders has No. 20 BYU dreaming of March magic

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The origin story of Richie Saunders' headband, which has earned something of a mythical reputation along the lines of former Jazz fan favorite Joe Ingles during BYU's magical 2023-24 season, isn't all too exciting.

The idea came from his wife, former BYU women's basketball player Sierra Johnson, when the newlywed couple decided Saunders should grow his hair out for his sophomore season — at least, as far as the grooming section of the BYU honor code would permit.

"You know, it's strictly utility," he explained. "My hair gets in my eyes. It was a together decision to grow out my hair and now I need something so I don't drown in my sweat."

But does the mystic band of cloth grant Saunders superpowers?

"It does, it does," he said with a laugh. "I should have added that, yes."

Super-powered headband or not, Saunders' play has been magical for the 20th-ranked Cougars. The Riverton product by way of Wasatch Academy who averaged 5.5 points per game as a freshman substitute has nearly doubled his offensive output from a year ago, averaging 9.6 points on 53% shooting to pair with 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.9 minutes per game, almost exclusively off the bench.

That includes 13 points and four rebounds in the Cougars' 87-73 win over the Knights in a Big 12 tournament second-round game, when Saunders shot 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from the outside, and helped stave off a comeback after scoring just 2 points before the break.

"Oh, man, never seen anybody like Richie, you know?" said BYU forward Fousseyni Traore, the former Wasatch Academy teammate who had 14 points and 10 rebounds against UCF. "Like, I'm just trying to live with him; he's got no chill. He's got something going on all the time. Sometimes I would like to feel like him, how he's flying around everywhere. I should never play anybody, hopefully, as hard as Richie. I say it's amazing, what he adds to the team. He just helps everybody, and I try to be like him."

For Saunders, the feeling is mutual for his 6-foot-6 teammate who he calls his "little brother."

"Come on, man; really, I look up to him like none other and I don't show him that enough," Saunders playfully chided BYU coach Mark Pope when he lovingly mocked Saunders' faux familial line. "But Fouss is just — he's a monster. When you need 2 points, you go to him. When he's flying up and contesting every shot, I don't want any other shot blocker behind me. I love playing with him."

In large part to Traore, BYU built a lead as high as 18 points in the first half of Wednesday's late-morning tip against the Knights. But in large measure thanks to Saunders, the Cougars kept it.

BYU never trailed in its Big 12 tournament opener, but was saddled at one point on their heels by Darius Johnson, who scored 19 of his game-high 32 points after the break.

The junior from Boyds, Maryland poured in a 6-0 spurt to pull the Knights within 59-56 on a fadeaway 3-pointer with 13:37 that had the formerly front-footed BYU squad back on its heels. After Spencer Johnson and Fousseyni Traore went to the free-throw line, Noah Waterman ended a three-minute scoring drought with a layup two minutes later to keep BYU in front.

Then 22 seconds later, Waterman made perhaps his biggest move of the game — he passed to the Cougars' hottest hand.

Saunders' open triple with 11:18 on the clock restored BYU's lead to double digits, 67-56, and helped the Cougars advance to face No. 25 Texas Tech in Thursday's quarterfinals at the T-Mobile Center (10:30 a.m. MDT, ESPN2).

Pope gave credit to "Headband Richie," Traore and Dallin Hall — who had 13 points, three rebounds and four assists — for the win, in addition to contributions from a wide-ranging supporting cast and nine players who all scored at least 1 point.

"(Hall) and Richie and Fouss really set the tone," the fifth-year BYU coach said. "The challenge for us in a game like this with a team that is so athletic and so physical and so aggressive, that made such big shots, is as things are starting to get hairy and complicated, do we stay aggressive? And Dallin helped us stay aggressive.

"Richie Saunders was a star helping us stay aggressive tonight and Fouss definitely helped us stay aggressive, security wise. I thought Dallin was the leader of that push and probably the deciding factor in the game."

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