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PROVO — A BYU men's basketball starter filed a not guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence.
Kennard Davis Jr., 20, submitted a not guilty plea Wednesday to driving under the influence, first offense in 10 years — a Class B misdemeanor — according to documents filed in Utah's Fourth District Court.
The charges contained a recommended fine of $1,390 from Provo City prosecutor Robert Trombly, and scheduled an in-person, pre-trial conference for Jan. 12, 2026 before judge Stephen H. Schreiner, according to court documents obtained by KSL.com.
Davis was cited for DUI and marijuana possession after a two-car crash last Thursday around 11:45 a.m., when the responding officer "began to suspect impairment from one of the drivers" and "ultimately arrested (Davis) for driving under the influence," according to a brief narrative released Tuesday in a redacted police report by the Provo police department.
Davis did not play in last week's home game against Delaware due to Achilles' soreness, and he was "held out" for a violation of team rules for Saturday's 86-84 loss to No. 3 UConn in Boston, BYU coach Kevin Young said, adding that the length of Davis' absence was yet to be determined.
Speaking generally, a few days later during his weekly availability with local media by video conference, Young cited four words related to his philosophy around team discipline: Do the right thing.
"If you don't, there are consequences based on our own internal team rules and rules of the university," he added. "There are nuances ... but that's just my general philosophy, trying to get these guys to do the right thing.
"At the same time," he added Wednesday, "if there's ever a situation that comes up where that's not the case, then we handle it appropriately."
Young said he would defer to BYU, both the athletic department and the university, to respond to Davis' situation.
"I know exactly what happened; I'm very aware of all the details," Young said. "But at the same time, I'm going to let the school handle it the way that they've asked me to handle it, and that's for them to be the people to talk about it. If there's a forum where I'm opened up to speak on it further, I will. But I think to this point, they've said what they've said."
Davis' immediate availability remains questionable, including for Friday's game against No. 23 Wisconsin at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (2 p.m. MST, Peacock). So, too, is starting center Keba Keita, who exited the loss to UConn woozy and shaky after apparently taking a blow to the head.
"Anything that deals with medical, whatever the medical people say, I do," Young said of Keita, a senior who averaged 5.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in the first four games. "I've gotten good feedback that he is doing better, but at the same time he's currently still out. It's more positive than its not. But the situation that he's in is more of a day-to-day type thing."
The Cougars (3-1) were already shorthanded since Nov. 8, when senior Nate Pickens was sidelined following surgery to repair an offseason injury.
The UC Riverside transfer averaged 7.2 points on 73.2 percent shooting in 97 games with the Highlanders before transferring to BYU, and was expected to bring much-needed shooting and and perimeter defense, as well as being a sub for starting guard Robert Wright III as a secondary ball handler and catch-and-shoot 3-pointer shooter.
In the two weeks since, Dawson Baker has begun to step into that role, Young noted.
"I thought Dawson was great the other night, came in and shot the ball really well. I thought he made some really good defensive plays, too," Young added. "It was good for him to play on a big stage and be able to make a big shot. Hopefully he can carry that on."
