BYU gained an immediate impact point guard late Friday night as Brandon Averette, a 13 points per game scorer for the UVU Wolverines committed to the Cougars as a graduate transfer.
I would like to thank God for putting the talents and the people in my life to help me grow and succeed. Thank you to my family, all my coaches, and teammates that have helped me to this point. I’m excited to announce that I will be playing my senior season at BYU. #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/qrCTAjXc0i
— Brandon Averette (@BAforever_4) June 13, 2020
The newest Cougar Hoops player chatted with Ben Criddle immediately following his commitment to discuss why he decided to join Mark Pope and the BYU Hoops team for 2020.
Averette, originally from the state of Texas, has spent the past two seasons in Orem after now-BYU Head Coach Mark Pope recruited the 5-11 point guard from Oklahoma State.
“[Mark Pope] literally said everything and more that I was looking for in transferring to a school,” Averette said when discussing why he decided to leave the Cowboys to play for Pope at UVU. “I just got the vibe that he was a [really] good up and coming coach and that he was going to be big-time one day and I wanted to catch him early, catch him when he was on the lower level. And I really felt that he could definitely advance my game and help me get to the next level that I wanted to be in. Most importantly we both have the winning mindset, and we’re both competitive, both have the same goals and it’s almost the perfect fit. I was bummed that he left but everything seems to happen for a reason so I’m happy now.”
🔐😈 #Cougarnation @BYUbasketball pic.twitter.com/otFm2wT3Kq
— Brandon Averette (@BAforever_4) June 13, 2020
Averette, who has now been recruited by and committed to Pope twice, received interest and scholarship offers from other schools across the country, including some that provided a chance to play closer to home and family, but Coach Pope and BYU ultimately offered the best chance for success, according to the guard.
“I just felt like this was the best situation for me and the best opportunity for me and my future. There were definitely a lot of other options that I had and I thought about going closer to home, but essentially I just thought that this was the spot for me. [I felt like] it was destiny.”
When deciding which school he would spend his final year of eligibility at, Averette said that the chance to be an impact player right away is what led BYU to stand out from his other options.
“The most important thing is I wanted to be an immediate impact player for somebody and I wanted to have a family feel. I’m only here for one year so I wanted to make sure that everything was going to fit my game, the coach was going to fit my style of play, I had a good relationship with the coach … It was mainly just an immediate impact. I wanted to have an immediate impact on a bigger stage. Something that I feel like would help me get to the next level.”
While BYU offered the best chance at success in 2020, Averette also has his sights set higher, hoping to one day suit up for an NBA team. And he believes that Coach Pope and the BYU Staff will be the ones to help him achieve that dream, along with the rest of his goals for his future.
“Ultimately I want to go to the NBA, that’s what I’ve been working my entire life for,” Averette told ESPN 960 Sports. “But I just want to be a pro-basketball player for as long as I can play. And hopefully, one day, I want to own my own gym and help kids in my community just to be on that next level. Some kids don’t have the platform that I’ve had, so I want to help a lot of kids get to that next level.”
Hit that FOLLOW button and show our guy @BAforever_4 some love!!#BYUhoops #BLRA #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/oL0siW3PTD
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) June 13, 2020
For Averette, his decision to come to BYU focussed around opportunity. Opportunity to play. Opportunity to contribute to a winning team. And the opportunity to reach the next level both in his game and professionally. All of which centered around the BYU Coaching Staff, a Staff that Averette has been waiting two years to finally play for.
“I love them. I love them all. They’re all very genuine people,” Averette said when asked what he thought about the BYU Coaching Staff. “They’re [one] of the best group of people I’ve been around. Coach Cody Fueger, he is the guy that recruited me, and I just love him to death. He is one of the most genuine coaches I’ve ever been coach by or been around, period. And it feels good to be coached by him again.”
Averette found a home in Provo playing for Coach Pope and the rest of the BYU Staff and a situation that should give him every opportunity to succeed. BYU fans should expect to see a lot of Brandon Averette this season for the BYU Hoops team. As a graduate transfer, the guard is eligible to play immediately and as a result, should be an immediate impact player for the Cougars.
If you missed any of Brandon Averette’s Interview with Ben Criddle, you can listen to the full conversation here:
