Utah Valley University head men’s basketball coach Todd Phillips has announced the promotion of Ivory “Trey” Young to assistant coach. Young, a former Wolverine standout and UVU alum, has spent the past two seasons as the program’s Director of Player Development.
“Trey is a tremendous young coach who absolutely bleeds UVU green,” said Phillips. “He brings an infectious energy to our players every day, and his attention to detail makes our program better. He’s worked incredibly hard for this opportunity, and I’m excited to be a part of his journey.”
In his two seasons on staff, Young has helped guide the Wolverines to a combined 41 wins, including a 25-9 campaign in 2024-25 that saw Utah Valley claim the outright WAC regular-season championship with a dominant 15-1 mark in league play. The Wolverines earned the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament and advanced to their first-ever WAC Tournament championship game, finishing the season ranked No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll and earning their third all-time berth to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
UVU was among the nation’s best defensively in 2024-25, ranking fifth nationally in blocks per game (5.6), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (27.35), and 41st in total rebounds per game (38.21). Offensively, the Wolverines led the WAC in field goal percentage (46.8%), assists (15.6 per game), and rebound margin (+4.9). The season also featured the program’s first-ever undefeated home slate, going 12-0 at the UCCU Center with key wins over Grand Canyon, UTEP, California Baptist, UT Arlington, and a 100-59 victory over Southern Utah.
In 2023-24, Young helped Utah Valley finish strong by winning seven of its final nine games to conclude the season with a 16-16 overall record. UVU closed WAC regular season play by winning seven of its final eight contests, including a road sweep at Tarleton State and Abilene Christian, to finish tied for fourth in the league standings. The Wolverines also posted a 4-2 record against in-state foes with wins over Weber State, Southern Utah (twice), and Utah Tech.
Before returning to his alma mater, Young served as a graduate assistant at VCU under head coach Mike Rhoades for two seasons. He also spent time as an assistant coach at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas.
The Houston native was a two-year starter at Utah Valley from 2015–17, averaging 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists over 58 games. He helped lead the Wolverines to their first-ever national postseason wins in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), including a memorable 20-point performance in an 85-79 second-round win at Rice in front of his hometown crowd.
Following his collegiate career, Young played professionally in Australia with the Corio Bay Stingrays and South Adelaide Panthers. He earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Utah Valley in 2017 and later completed a master’s degree from the Center of Sports Leadership at VCU.
