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Yoeli Childs talks about why he returned to BYU, NBA workouts, expectations for next year’s team, and more

NCAA Basketball: Brigham Young at Gonzaga James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

After announcing Tuesday night that he will return to BYU for his junior season, Yoeli Childs talked to the media Thursday morning touching on different topics. Here are some of the highlights:

NBA Workouts

Yoeli said that he worked out with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets. The three main things NBA teams told him to work on are 1) being able to guard multiple positions 2) stretch the floor and 3) “play harder than anyone else on the court.”

Expectations for next year’s team

Yoeli believes that the 2018-2019 team will be the “best team he’s played on by far.” He cited BYU’s experience and additions of Nick Emery, Gavin Baxter, Connor Harding and Gavin Baxter for why he believes BYU will make the NCAA tournament.

In terms of BYU’s offense, he believes that BYU will find a middle ground between pushing the tempo and slowing things down like the Cougars did last year.

Odds and Ends

  • Yoeli has been on a vegan diet for the past 7 weeks
  • Former teammate Eric Mika was a mentor and influence throughout the process for Yoeli
  • Childs is on track to graduate in four years

You can listen to the entire 17-minute media session below: