BYU basketball player Yoeli Childs speaks to the media during a press conference Thursday, May 30, 2019 about returning to BYU after withdrawing from the NBA draft. (Courtesy Nate Edwards, BYU)
PROVO – Last night Yoeli Childs made an announcement that was sure to fire up Cougar fans as he released a video announcing he’s coming back for his senior year at BYU.
Thursday morning he held a press conference about the decision to return despite what many thought would be an opportunity to start earning some money playing basketball overseas.
“I had some overseas opportunities with what some people would consider a significant amount of money,” Childs admitted Thursday.
However, Bingham High product decided he wanted to come back, earn his degree, and see if he could take the program a step further next year.
“I’m going to be able to be a pro for a really long time, but I only have one more year to do something special here,” Childs said. “I owe it to this school. I owe it to these guys over here, my teammates, to come back and do something amazing. I just want to go all out and make something special happen for BYU.”
He still has his sights set on playing in the NBA and pro scouts has said his defense is something he needs to work on. So the BYU star wants to prove that by earning WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
“For this team this year, obviously the ultimate goal is to make the tournament and make a run,” he said. “My ultimate individual goal is going to be defensive player of the year in this conference. I think that’s very possible. That’s what I have my individual sights set on.”
BYU’s head coach Mark Pope is happy to see Childs return.
“He’s a great player,” Pope said. “You always want great players.”
The program will return its leading scorer from last year and the only player to make the All-WCC first team. Childs averaged 21.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, one block and one steal.
He may have been able to start playing overseas, but he says there are lots of things to weigh when coming to that decision.
“If I played this game just for money, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now,” Childs said. “Obviously, that’s important and it’s important to take care of your family, but I love this game. I love a lot of things about this game and money is definitely not at the top of that list.”