Yoeli Childs to focus on NBA after senior season cut short

Whether or not athletes who play winter sports for the NCAA will be granted an extra year of eligibility, BYU PF Yoeli Childs will be focusing on “his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA.” Childs, the senior, announced this on Twitter Monday night. And although it was largely expected, it’s still sad. Especially considering the way Childs’ stellar senior season came to an abrupt end.

BYU Basketball played its last game of the year on Mar. 9 in the WCC Tournament against Saint Mary’s. That was a very uncharacteristic 51-50 loss for the Cougars, and a taste that Cougar Nation hoped they’d be able to wash out of their mouths with a stellar run in the NCAA Tournament — Which was cancelled due to coronavirus a few days later.

Although BYU’s season came to a disappointing end, the team still ended the year ranked 18th in the AP Poll, and this year will still go down as one of BYU’s best in history — Yoeli Childs, of course, a huge part of that.

Like the true class act that he is, Childs’ Twitter announcement focused mostly on his gratitude for BYU, the fans, and his family. You can read the full statement, below:

Though Childs didn’t get the chance to shock the world with an unforgettable NCAA Tournament run by BYU, he did definitely improve his draft stock by returning to play for one more year, with excellent and consistent play, in addition to countless awards and honors throughout the college basketball world. (Keep voting for him for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year.)

Childs hit a new career highs in points (38 at Pepperdine) this season. He played in and started in 19 games for the Cougars (would of course be more if it weren’t for that stinking NCAA suspension and a finger injury), averaging 22.2 points per game and 9 rebounds. He was also named to the All-WCC First Team. Oh, and he ended the season as BYU’s all-time leader in rebounds. More stats, below:

We can’t wait to see where the future takes him, despite the sadness and injustice. We here at Vanquish the Foe are forever grateful for Coach Pope for helping convince Childs to come back, and more importantly, to Childs himself, for being willing to. We really will never forget this season.

Which NBA team do you hope to see Childs suit up for? What are some of your favorite memories of him from this season? Leave those thoughts or any others in the comments below.

You can also hear Childs’ thoughts about the end of the season, and much more in the YouTube video below (Childs was on BYUSN Monday morning, prior to his announcement in the evening):