NBA FACTORY: BYU Basketball & Kevin Young RELOAD With Bruce Branch III as Next SUPERSTAR | Luigi Suigo Emerges as Prime Center Prospect | Another 'Jane-rational' Showing

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

What's up everybody?

This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Lockdown Podcast Network, and if you haven't

heard yet, we started a club and we would love for you to join.

It's called the Everydayer Club, and one of the things that you get as a member is an

ad-free version of the podcast that you're listening to right now.

It works with whatever podcast app you already used, same episodes every day, just no

ad.

There's also a member's only group chat for fans of your team, plus a lot more.

You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes.

The NCAA transfer portal dominates a lot of the conversations we have around BYU basketball

and for good reason, but the good news is we need to remind ourselves they have a third

straight NBA lottery talent on that roster.

You are Lockdown Cougars, your daily podcast on the BYU Cougars, part of the Lockdown

Podcast Network, your team every day.

What's up everybody?

I'm Jay Katch.

Coming up on today's show, we dig into Bruce Branch III, and what is he offered to the

BYU basketball program?

Well, I think everything that they might be looking for next season allowed me to explain

a little bit more in just a moment.

We'll also talk about Luigi Swigo.

He has been a topic of conversation all weekend long when it comes to BYU and trying to

fill out this roster for Kevin Young, and well, what he offers is maybe exactly what BYU

is looking for in the middle of their lineup, and then we'll finish up today's show

with some of the notes from over the weekend, BYU baseball maintaining pace when it comes

to the big 12 race, and also another generational performance from the legend already that

is Jane Hendagrin.

She's yet another record.

We'll get to all of that ahead on today's show and do want to thank you guys as always

for making Lockdown the number one sports podcast network.

All right.

So, Bruce Branch III is taking part in the Jordan Brand Classic this past weekend, yet

another one of those events that brings the best talent from around the country when

it comes to this most recent recruiting class for college basketball and puts them

on the court together.

And he ended up helping a team air boys, a security 135 to 133 victory over team flight boys,

and he had the only double double in said game, 20 points, 12 rebounds long to go with

three assists and a block in this all-star game.

Now, obviously it's an all-star game, but these are not NBA all-star games.

This is not guys just hoisting up a threes and putting together crazy dunks.

Yeah, there is an element to it, but these are guys who are going out there and trying

to assert themselves as maybe being among, if not the best, in their recruiting class.

Think back to last year when we were getting ready to see AJD Bonson and a BYU uniform,

well, he was taking part in events like this and he was down at the Jordan Brand Classic.

He and Bruce Branch III took some pictures together, were seen associating with one another.

It's a really cool thing to see what a guy like AJD Bonson still means to a guy like

Bruce Branch with both of them set to represent BYU.

Now, Bruce Branch officially signed with BYU this past weekend and the nice part is looking

at his game, he looks like what BYU needs next season, yet another lottery-type talent

that's got all the skill in the world to be just a difference maker in every facet

of the game.

I didn't necessarily have the institutional knowledge that I felt like I needed to talk

as, I guess, openly about what he offers to the BYU basketball program, so that's

when I turn to people who know a whole lot more about this young man and associate with

him for more often than I ever have, and so I reached out to some of those folks and

I want to pass along some of the notes they had of what he offers to BYU in terms of

from their vantage point as to his skill set.

The number one thing is they point out is kind of a hallmark of what Kevin Young has

done in bringing in these lottery talents is they talk about the length and think about

it.

Yeager Duman was a six foot nine point guard and obviously he's translated extremely

well to the NBA level, AJD Bonson is a six foot nine, do everything forward and very

much looks to the part of the number one overall pick in the NBA draft later on this summer

and even if he's not the number one pick, is he two or three like he's not falling outside

that top three and while he hasn't formally announced he's leaving for the NBA, I think

it's a mere formality at this point that he will do just that, but the nice part is his

Bruce Branch continues that trend of being a long-rangey athlete, six foot seven, it's

got the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays with the ball in his hands,

but just as adept at making plays without the ball in his hands and that ability is that

was pointed out to me, he's a true three level score can score at the rim in the mid-range

and beyond the arc, even though I'm pointed out that the three points shot remains maybe

one of his chief concerns in terms of developing that into a more reliable ability and I think

in this day and age of basketball, especially when it comes to looking at the NBA and what

a guy like Bruce Branch probably aspires to be, yeah, you got to be able to shoot the three

effectively, so that'll be the thing he'll be working on, I'm sure during his time at

BYU.

Another thing was pointed out to me in terms of the skill set, I'm just kind of looking

at my phone here, the notes I wrote down, is that he has got the ability to create shots

from every angle seemingly out there on the court, but they also do point out that the

changes speed in the lane, now that may sound really kind of what are you talking about?

Guys can put their head down and barrel towards the lane as much as they want, but the ability

to change speed, it's obviously gave yourself an advantage, but more importantly, create

the windows to score, whether it is on that float or whether it is to get right to the

rim and jam it or lay it up, you've got to be able to mix up the speed and they say that's

one thing he'll be looking to improve on is that not playing at just one speed when

it comes to going to the rim and that'll be something I'm sure Kevin Young and his staff

will do a very, very good job of coaching him up on, they do point out he's a very good

rebounding player, even though he's a perimeter player and that is evidenced by what he did

at the Jordan brand classic with 12 rebounds, if he can rebound well for his position, that's

going to make BYU's ability as a team to be that much better, they have been a program

that is thrived on creating extra possessions for themselves with offensive rebounds and

just really controlling the pace of a game by not allowing the other team as well, he has

many offensive looks in terms of their ability to rebound.

So if he can rebound above average from his position, that small forward spot is probably

the best analogy I can use in terms of where he'll fit in this BYU lineup, that's a fantastic

thing to have and he got like Bruce Branch the third.

One other thing that did point out is that he's always looking to advance the ball, whether

it's with the pass or getting it up court, he wants to get out on the break and that's

got to be music to the ears of a guy like Kevin Young, that's probably a chief reason why

he was so high on recruiting Bruce Branch the third and bringing him to BYU is if he has

got heads up and trying to make plays with the ball in his hands and whether he's teaming

with a rob right to third or a Colin Chandler, as long as they're looking for one another,

that's going to make them that much more dangerous to get out on the break and that's one of

the hallmarks of Kevin Young's squad is they like to get out in transition and make life

absolutely miserable for opposing teams trying to set up a defense.

If you can get out on the break and make basketball fun, it makes it that much more easy to

play offensively in particular.

So very curious to see how Bruce Branch ultimately translates over to BYU, but the notes and

the people that know him better than I do were very high on him and think that he is

absolutely a lottery talent and it's evidenced by different websites out there who are

already projecting ahead to the 2027 NBA draft or saying that he is as high as the number

two overall pick in the NBA draft.

Yet again, it just makes good on the promise that Kevin Young made when he came to BYU

in that introductory press conference and said, I want this to be an NBA factory.

I want this to be a place guys can come work on their game and then emerge on the other

side as a better player and ultimately go on into the NBA and be absolute stars.

I think we're already seeing that with the eager dealman.

He has proven to be a building block type player for the Brooklyn Nets to build around

a JD Bonson, no matter where he ends up, very much looks like one of those franchise cornerstone

type players and if Bruce Branch continues to this trend that BYU is on in terms of bringing

high level lottery talents to Provo Utah, yeah, there's no reason to think that I come

the end of next season this time next year when we're looking at the 2027 NBA draft that

he is being talked about among the best in his draft class while it may not be as deep

it appears as the 2026 draft class doesn't matter, it's still good money and it's still

an opportunity to become an NBA player, which is I think what a guy like Bruce Branch is

aiming to do as a BYU Cougar and yeah, I know some of you say, well, I like the one in

Dunnature.

You know what?

Embrace it.

It's kind of par for the course.

If you want to be a top tier basketball program out there, yeah, you can retain certain

talents, but talents of this variety, the eager dealmans, the AGD Bonsons and now the Bruce

Branch of the thirds, yeah, enjoy them while they're there because they're not there for

very long, but the nice part is they can make a pretty impressive impact.

Look no further than AGD Bonson in seven or eight months time and I think we should all

celebrate that very fact.

All right.

Coming up next.

I think he's sweet.

He's been talked about all weekend long.

What is he and what is he offered to the BYU basketball program?

Well, I'll just put it this way.

He is the solution to the center problem BYU faces right now.

Today's show brought to you by indeed workplace chaos deadline stacking up your inbox over

flowing and that one position you got to feel is still sitting open.

Well, when the pressure is on, you need to make the right hire.

This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

They help reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for skills experience

and location.

So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post, but the nice part

is you can find the right option wherever they might be.

And here's the set that says it all in the minute I've been talking to you here companies

like yours make 27 hires on indeed according to indeed data worldwide.

So if you're hiring spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates, you

check all of your boxes and do it with indeed sponsored jobs.

And let's turn this over to this show.

You'll get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job.

The premium status it deserves and indeed dot com slash podcast, just go to indeed dot

com slash podcast right on support us always saying you heard about indeed on this podcast

to be going to locked on cougars indeed dot com slash podcasts once again terms and conditions

apply.

You need to hire.

This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

If you have not signed up for the locked on cougars every day or club one reminds you guys

to do that right now.

It's an opportunity to get ad free audio episodes is a way to get in on locked on merch.

If you want to have access to our members only discord server, bevy of other features

that are out there as well.

Go to locked on cougars dot super cast dot com is locked on cougars dot super cast dot com

sign up today or click the link in the show notes below.

All right.

So this has been bandied about across social media.

I know guys like Robin McCombs have written about him.

My own every day or club members know that this name has been popping up more and more

in terms of what we've been looking at in terms of center options for the BYU basketball

program Luigi Swigo is a name that cougars fans are becoming very familiar with very

quickly and for good reason because the seven foot to 250 pound a center prospect could

be the apple of the eye for the BYU basketball program because he has simply put a phenomenal

talent and looks very much the part of what Kevin Young wants from the center position

and what is that?

Well, namely a guy who is legit seven foot plus and I said seven foot two has some size

to him 250 pounds fits the bill there.

And then the other thing about this is not just a one trick pony.

That is where I think Luigi Swigo emerges as maybe the best center prospect BYU confined

right now.

Now there are other center prospects we have talked about.

There's Eric.

Reebe from Yukon who's been talked about.

There's been talked about guys like Mustafa, Chom, etc.

In terms of prospects out there, the BYU may look at but everything that I have heard

from my sources is the BYU kind of a shoot looking at the hey, that's a guy you want to

look at.

That's got you know, they're actually were very targeted and who they're targeting.

And that's why Luigi Swigo has kind of emerged here as a guy BYU wants now.

The debate kind of comes down to and I think sportando, which is a publication out of

Italy wrote about this yesterday is that there is a debate for Swigo whether it is do

I go to college route and collect on an NIL check or do I go to the MBA where he is currently

projected as his second round pick and this year's MBA draft.

Now deadlines for all of this are coming up pretty quickly.

But as a international prospect, Swigo can withdraw from the MBA draft as late as the

week before the draft takes place.

So this could be a longer term project than I think than any of you yours truly included

want it to be for the BYU basketball program in terms of having potentially what could

be your starting center waiting until mid June before he really decides what he's going

to do.

Now I'm sure that Kevin Young in the BYU basketball program will be pressing I got like Luigi

Swigo to decide what he's going to do before then.

But this is a young man who despite being 19 years old has a game that belies his youth

and what I mean by that is that he can shoot from the outside doesn't necessarily shoot

it a high high clip in terms of his overall percentage, but he plays in the Euro league.

He is obviously playing against grown men legit established professionals and he's been

holding his own.

So that is a nice part of the ability to play both inside out as a center prospect,

especially the size he is.

And you can't teach I'm talking about off time spot catch can't teach high and that

comes from people that I trust in the college basketball sphere that know a whole lot more

that they say there's one thing that you can't teach young men Jake that's the size that

they are.

I'm like okay valid obviously genetics play a role in that.

But the thing about Swigo is he's not afraid to use his frame to his advantage whether

it's rebounding.

He blocks it a pretty decent clip his ability to score on the inside as well as as he said

from beyond the arc.

That makes him a multi level threat and that's I think exactly what Kevin Young wants in

his lineup.

Yes, I'm sure that he speaking of Luigi Swigo would be expected to patrol the paint

more often than maybe what he's done in the Euro league so far maybe during his kind of

youth years playing for team Italy and funny enough there's a clip I saw and with you

to I have to be careful about what clips I show on the show.

But there was a clip of him actually blocking a JD Bonson the U 17 world cup of basketball.

So this is a guy who's played against guys who have played a BYU and are legit talents

and he's got ability to impact games whether it's offensively or defensively and the other

thing is what I saw based on kind of the the highlight reals I was looking at is a young

man who's capable of playing the pick and roll that's that's a big part of what Kevin

Young wants in this offense is that ability to come out set a screen and then roll hard

to the basket and create that the one of the defense type kind of collapse and that

ability to whether it's Rob Wright has the ball in his hands or if it's dished off to

Swigo and he doesn't feel like he has the ability to get it on the rim in terms of scoring

well you kick it out to the perimeter for three all of that is in this young man's game

and that that's the exciting part if you're a Cougar fan and trust me I've had a conversation

I've had conversations I should say with a number of you out there via text etc talking

about well hey what's BYU going to do when it comes to their center prospects and trust

me I was wondering just as much as any of you were about okay they've got some wing players

they got some guards they've got Rob Wright the third back obviously they've got a lot

of pieces but there is a glaring hole and BYU's lineup at that center spot and yes among

players committed and or signed the BYU basketball program right now I think BYU center

would be a Hadeem Boop but he is best served as a small ball five in shorter sports versus

being a full-time center and I think that's what Luigi Swigo could be for the BYU basketball

program is he is that out and out star at the center spot and I think the the messaging

from a guy like Kevin Young to a Swigo is hey come here collect a healthy and an NIL

check that would rival anything probably that you'll get as a second round pick in the

NBA and yes I know that there's that debate ongoing for various talents of various abilities

when it comes to the NBA draft but in particular a second round prospect BYU's NIL ability should

rival that if not make it look like a very no brainer type situation if they're willing

to do that but then also sell them on the fact that hey we develop Yeager dealman as an

international prospect coming over here look at what Hadeem Boop's become already in the

short time he's been a BYU and you kind of go down just kind of the checklist of what they could

do for him in terms of developing a skill set and essentially sell them on the fact that you're

going to bring him here he's going to play high level basketball against some of the nation's

most physical rugged lineups he's going to face in terms of the big 12 and the hope is you

sell him on this that he comes out on the other side as at worst yet again another second round

draft prospect but if he plays to the level you think he can play at does he move himself into

the first round does he become yet another NBA draft success story coming out of the BYU

basketball program that is I think the selling point the BYU has to make when it comes to a guy

like Swigo yes I know you can go to the NBA yes I know you can become an out and out professional

and can obviously hone your craft will allow us to work with you for at least a year and show

you what we're capable of because that's the other thing about BYU's whole setup is they've

got an NBA trainer who works with these guys on a daily basis who's worked with championship

caliber squads in the NBA he obviously have the nutritionist and the they got the strength staff

in there everything that BYU's done in building up Kevin Young's program is to make it NBA

ask I call it NBA light if you will and they're doing everything with the whole thought process

that young men are didn't come here they're gonna work on their game and then they're gonna merge

I talked about on the other side as NBA draft prospects that the NBA is just salivating over that

that's what the goal is of what BYU's establishing here and I hope that Swigo I can see that for

himself and yeah if they need to get him on the phone with a year or a deal men and say hey I know

you're an international prospect I know you're playing in the Euro League what can BYU do for me

that I can't do in terms of jumping from the Euro League straight to the NBA and get Yegor and

say hey tell him what your experience was like and that that hopefully can sell him on okay yeah

I want to be what be a BYU Cougar and I want to come over and yeah bypass the NBA for at least a

year and the hope is that as I said on the other side of it a guy like Luigi would come out on

the other side as an even better prospect than when he arrived in Provo and when he would have left

KK megabass basket where he's been playing almost recently in the Euro League and yeah become

that out and out star that hope BYU can find slash develop slash establish in this lineup there's

a major major opportunity here and yeah if Luigi Swigo doesn't take that opportunity I'm sure Kevin

Young will turn to his next option or options and trying to sell them on it's very same thing but

it sure feels like Luigi Swigo is option number one for BYU when it comes to their center spot

all right we will finish up today show coming up next talking about some of the news and notes

from this past weekend BYU baseball Jane Hendagrin who's just been become an absolute sensation

when it comes to the track and field world at the NCAA level even though she is a true freshman

she said yet another NCAA record we'll get to all that next right here on Lockdown Cougars

thank you once again for making Lockdown Cougars your first listen of the day if you have not

subscribed rated reviewed share the show with your family and friends and just help us build

this audience please do so obviously we are getting a deeper and deeper into the off season we're

under 140 days away from start a BYU football but we've got plenty of transfer portal coverage

when it comes to BYU basketball we trust we will have plenty of football coverage to come I've

still got a number of interviews from spring camp we need to get into so as always thank you for

all of your support of this podcast it really doesn't exist without all y'all out there so really

do appreciate any and all support you guys lend to this show and hopefully we'll be lending

in future down the line I should say in the future when it comes to Lockdown Cougars all right

let's talk a first off about BYU baseball from this past weekend now they end up losing this

series to the Arizona State Sun Devils ranked 23rd in the country speaking of ASU and BYU in the

the series clinching loss to ASU on Saturday had something that happened that hadn't happened

all season long and that was after leading after the sixth inning BYU had shown a really really

strong ability that if they got a lead as the game wore on got kind of those later innings they

would close the door on opponents but Arizona State was able to break that curse or whatever you

want to call it and win 12 to 8 so BYU was now 2018 on the year they have now dropped to 9 and

9 in big 12 play they're tied with three other teams right there in the middle of the big 12

standings but doesn't mean that BYU baseball is out of by any means Trent Pratt and company

have shown an ability to play with the best and I think it's evidenced by their series opening

win over Arizona State winning 19 and 9 now would you have liked to have maybe eight or nine of

those runs and what ended up being a 13 nothing shut out lost the next night yeah sure but

you you move on now they're back in action by the way today Utah Tech is going to be in town

taking on BYU the Utah Tech was here at UVU in a whack play and the trailblazers and the

coolers will be playing at Miller Park by the way should be phenomenal weather this evening 80 degrees

I think is the forecasted high here along the wasatch front and five o'clock first pitch with

that backdrop that is Miller Park yeah I may have to see if I can find a way to get down to

Miller Park and check that out myself because that sounds absolutely awesome but big weekend ahead

for BYU because I said you're now 9 and 9 and big 12 play you're trying to kind of stay right

there in the mix when it comes to the big 12 in terms of the postseason there but bigger than that

if you can find yourself top half of the league come the end of the season the RPI the the numbers

would bear out the BYU's right there kind of on the cusp of being an NCAA regional team and

that would be a phenomenal accomplishment if they can pull it off and they got a big weekend ahead

they will head back to the desert headed to Tucson this weekend to face off against the Arizona

Wildcats now Arizona talk about a season to season drop off this was the Arizona Wildcats that

won the big 12 last year and were one of the darlings when it came to the postseason and they are

struggling right now speaking of the Arizona Wildcats so could be right for the picking here

for BYU they'll play a Thursday Friday Saturday a 7 o'clock starts on both Thursday and Friday

and then a 1 o'clock start on Saturday but that is a big opportunity for BYU baseball to kind of

get back into the mold of what they've been doing all year long and handle their business and if

they can continue to just kind of work their way along and avoid losing multiple series in a row here

this next final month of the regular season could bear out that yeah a regional could be in BYU

baseball's future and I've said it before on this podcast will reiterate here for any of you who

are first time listeners considering where we thought BYU baseball was going to be before the season

got going and where they're at right now it's pretty impressive stuff all things considered and if

you pull off an appearance in the NCAA regional at the end of this season yeah color that a major

success for Trent Pratt and company for the BYU baseball program all right other thing I wanted to

point out from this past weekend as we needed to continue just to kind of marvel at what Jane

Heddegrin is doing in her third NCAA she said her third NCAA record in the 5,000 meter

invitational the Brian Clay invitational just two weeks after the setting the 10,000 meter record

she clocked a 14 minute 50 second 50.5 second 5,000 meters to break Florida Florida's Parker

Valby's previous 5,000 meter record by more than a second she led from the start and pulled away

over the final 2,000 meters to set the record she is just she's Jenny we use the term

generational speaking of Jane Heddegrin and this is awesome to watch her doing what she's doing

on the track I I've talked about her on this podcast a handful of times at this point but what else

is she really going to do is she going to just kind of reset these records time and time again

during her time as a BYU athlete because I'll remind you she's a true freshman she's doing this

in her very first year as a collegiate athlete she's setting indoor records outdoor records

is this going to be I don't want to like invoke the name of Katie Ladecki too heavily because

you know who Katie Ladecki is she is like one of the all timers when it comes to swimming especially

distance swimming she is reset and reset the record of like these distance races in Olympic swimming

and she was a phenomenal athlete at Stanford and I think she might still be a Stanford athlete but

she's on the Olympic scene but I'm telling you are we looking at kind of what Katie Ladecki has done

in the Olympics where she kind of just sets reset set like just she owns it's owns these distances

so much that she just ends up becoming all-timer is that what we're going to see from Jane Henddegrin

because it kind of feels that way and that that man we're spoiled to watch this happen as in as a BYU

athlete and who knows maybe at some point down the line she decides to cut shorter collegiate

career and ultimately turn pro because the the Olympics in LA in 2028 obviously are out there and

we're two years away could Jane be a junior at that point at BYU and be one of the faces of team USA

sure feels like she could be and that that would be something and I hope that she ultimately does

just that but man we're watching one of the preeminent talents in all of sport I'm including I

talk a lot of football and basketball in the show I think any of you who watch and or listen to

the show know how heavily we are invested in BYU football and basketball but you can't deny

greatness and that's what Jane Henddegrin has got she's got greatness in her and we're privileged

enough to watch her do her thing and yeah three NCAA records already is a true freshman how many

more is she going to set and reset during her time as a BYU athlete I'm eager to find out and

that that we trust we will talk about these each time they come up but man what an impressive

impressive performance from Jane and what she is doing on the track we need to I think

enjoy it more than you or I might be doing already I know that track doesn't pull the same

in terms of interest is other sports but man she is one of one and that's really cool to be able

to say about a BYU athlete all right that is going to do it for today's edition of the show as

always thank you for your continued support of the show please subscribe rate and review wherever

you get your podcast follow the show on social media Facebook Instagram or Twitter search out

locked on cougars you can find me Jacob C. Hatch is my personal handle and as always if you're

interested in becoming a true every dare join the every day or club it's a great opportunity to

support the show get access to audio ad free episodes and a whole bevy of other features go

to locked on cougars dot supercast dot com and if you're watching this on video now we're going to

send you over to the first ever 24 seven national locked on podcast network YouTube channel for more

great locked on content there or if you're listening on audio go make your second listening

today locked on college football locked on college basketball or heck even locked on big 12 will

give you your pick of the litter it's a great opportunity to catch up with some of the other

shows you got on this fantastic network but as always thank you for supporting the show and

as always come back tomorrow and be in every dare with us right here on the locked on cougars podcast