BYU Cougars’ portal dominance continues with 39.2% 3-point sharpshooter

Kevin Young and the BYU Cougars made a solid addition from the transfer portal by landing sharpshooter Nate Pickens from UC Riverside.

Pickens announced his transfer to the Cougars on Wednesday per CBS Sports' insider Jon Rothstein. He leaves the Highlanders after three seasons, averaging 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 97 appearances.

This past season saw him have the best offensive season of his collegiate career to date. In 33 games, he put up 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per contest. He shot 39.4% from the field, including 39.2% from beyond the arc.

What's next for BYU after adding Nate Pickens?

With the addition of Nate Pickens, Kevin Young and the BYU Cougars improve their ability to shoot the 3-ball at a high level.

Pickens scored a career-high 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting against Long Beach State on Feb. 20. The 47 3-pointers he made throughout the campaign with an accuracy of 39.2% was the best on UC Riverside's squad.

He will look to add another offensive layer to a BYU squad that went 26-10 in the 2024-25 campaign, having gone 14-6 in Big 12 play. They averaged 81.4 points on 48.2% shooting from the field, including 36.8% from beyond the arc. As a result, they beat opponents by a margin of 8.9 points per game.

The Cougars finished fourth in the Big 12 standings as they reached the semifinals of the conference tournament before losing to Houston. They secured an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, making a run to the Sweet 16, where they lost 113-88 to Alabama.

It marked their first appearance at that stage since 2011, indicating the program is making a big step forward in becoming a national contender.

In the meantime, the Cougars will look forward to building the rest of their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season. This includes having AJ Dybantsa aboard, who will look to break out as one of the best freshmen in college basketball.