4-Star Forward Kanon Catchings has committed to BYU

BYU gets a huge piece on next year’s roster as 2024 4-star forward Kanon Catchings has committed to BYU. The former Purdue player and Indiana native was ranked as a top 40 prospect by 247 Sports and was recently released from his National Letter of Intent by the Boilermakers. He chose BYU over other finalists N.C. State and Florida State.

The 6-foot-9 forward played for Atlanta’s Overtime Elite team his senior year where he was coached by Tim Fanning, one of BYU’s assistant coaches. Fanning quickly reached out to Catchings once he was released from his NLI.

Catchings can play either 3 or 4 and will have the opportunity to start in her first year for BYU. He is a high-level shot maker who can take contested shots and create his own shot off the bounce. During his lone season at Overtime Elite, he averaged 14.4 points and shot 55% from the field and 36% from three-point range. Catchings can score from all levels on the floor and can stretch the defense with his ability to knock down outside shots.

Kanon is the highest-rated recruit BYU has ever signed, according to the 247 Composite Rankings (Egor Demin doesn’t have a ranking yet). Catchings has NBA upside and could potentially be a one-man player. ESPN drafted him 22nd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Catchings’s aunt is WNBA Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings and his mother, Tauga, were an all-conference player at Illinois and briefly played at WNBA.

Catchings will likely play both forward positions at BYU, although BYU has a greater need at the 4 position. Catchings will need to get stronger and could struggle with some of the athleticism he will see in the Big 12, but he would be a perfect fit in the stretch four he is a builder Shoots and provides great positional size and length when playing the three. Catchings raises the ceiling for BYU and gives Kevin Young a talented scorer who can get a bucket on his own, something BYU lacked at times last season.

Thinking about the bigger picture, Cannon’s signing could be transformative for BYU. Kevin Young is looking to build an NBA pipeline in Provo, but he needs to put guys in the NBA for the court to resonate. Both Demin and Catchings are considered NBA prospects, with both potentially being first-round picks in 2025. NBA draft It would be huge for BYU’s future recruiting efforts.

You can watch the Canon highlights below.