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PROVO — Chris Burgess, the former 17-year-old high school basketball standout who "let down 9 million Mormons" when he committed to Duke over the Cougars, will make a second return to BYU as a coach after spurning the Cougars as a teenage prospect.
The University of Utah assistant will return to BYU as an assistant under incoming head coach Kevin Young, who replaced Mark Pope after the Kentucky alum accepted the same position at his alma mater.
The news, which BYU announced Wednesday night, was first reported by Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 Media and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
"Chris and I quickly connected," Young said in a university statement. "I was impressed with how he sees all the aspects of college basketball. He has a bright mind for the game and is very forward thinking. He will be a great asset to our players and our program. I'm excited about bringing Chris and his family back to BYU."
Burgess is the second hire under Young, joining former Stanford assistant Brandon Dunson.
Burgess, 44, returns to BYU after two years on Craig Smith's staff at Utah, where he helped tutor the development of center Brandon Carlson into an NBA draft prospect who averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game in Burgess' first season.
Thrilled to have @chrisburgess34 in blue. pic.twitter.com/75LqD3OCkM
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) May 1, 2024
Before that, he was a top assistant under Pope at both BYU and Utah Valley, helping the Cougars snap a six-year NCAA Tournament drought with a bid in 2021.
Under his tutelage, BYU center Matt Haarms was named West Coast Conference defensive player of the year before the Cougars went 24-11 with an NIT quarterfinal appearance in his final year in Provo.
Known for developing standout post players, Burgess' pupils also include Akolda Manyang, who won Western Athletic Conference all-defensive team honors in 2017-18, and Wyatt Lowell, WAC freshman of the year in 2019.
In his second stop at BYU, Burgess will inherit a roster that currently only has one true post player — rising junior Fousseyni Traore, the 6-foot-6 forward out of Bamako, Mali, whom Burgess helped recruit out of Wasatch Academy. Former center Aly Khalifa has committed to Louisville, backup big Atiki Ally Atiki has entered the transfer portal, and 6-foot-11 stretch forward Noah Waterman has redoubled his commitment to the Young era, by all accounts.
Four-star forward Brody Kozlowski and power forward Isaac Davis are expected to join the team as true freshmen in time for the 2024-25 season.
Before all that, Burgess — who played 11 seasons professionally in Turkey, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Poland and the United Arab Emirates — was the No. 1 recruit in the country and a McDonald's All-American out of Woodbridge High School in Irvine, California.
For those who believe in BYU legacy players, Burgess was it. His sister, Angela, was a star on the women's basketball team from 1997-99; two brothers, Josh and David, played basketball for the Cougars, as well as his cousin Sam; and Burgess' father and uncles all attended the university.
But Burgess passed on the chance to play at the school — eventually twice — which led to then-BYU coach Roger Reid to quip his now-infamous refrain to a former Salt Lake Tribune reporter that would go viral in Latter-day Saint circles before the modern internet and social media.
Reid, who initially apologized to Burgess and his family and reunited as friends on campus some two decades after the recruit ended up committing to Duke and playing for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski for two seasons. He finished his final two seasons of college eligibility with the Utes, averaging 13.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and a .667 shooting percentage as a senior before tearing his right plantar fascia for a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Burgess also has coaching experience at Indiana Hills and Salt Lake community colleges and was a student-assistant under Larry Krystkowiak while finishing his undergraduate degree at Utah in 2013-14.
He eventually made his way to BYU as an assistant coach on Pope's staff from 2019-22. That's when he reunited with Reid, and the duo took a photo together after a long, friendly conversation that rekindled a friendship.
"It took a long time, but you finally made it to BYU," Reid told Burgess, per the Deseret News. "I just want you to know I love you, and I'll do anything I can to help you."
He and his wife Lesa, a former Utah soccer player, are the parents of three daughters and two sons. His daughters KJ and Zoey were standout volleyball players at Lone Peak before moving on to Oklahoma and Kansas, respectively.
