BYU’s Nick Emery announces retirement from basketball

BYU’s Nick Emery has played his final college basketball game.

The guard announced his retirement from the sport on Instagram Tuesday. He played three seasons for the Cougars and had one year of eligibility remaining.

“I am at a point in life where I am happy with what I’ve accomplished with basketball and I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life with my wife and son,” he said in the post.

The news brings an abrupt end to Emery’s controversial career. He showed flashes of being the next Jimmer Fredette as a freshman in 2015-16, averaging 16.3 points and shooting 38% from three. He broke out for 37 points and 10 threes in a February 2016 win at San Francisco.

But he fell into a sophomore slump and saw his production slip to 13.1 points per game in 2016-17.

However, things really started to unravel following that season. Emery filed for divorce in May 2017 and became the subject of an NCAA investigation ahead of the 2017-18 season.

Emery was accused of accepting improper benefits from BYU booster Brandon Tyndall, including the use of a Volkswagen Jetta and trips to Universal Studios Hollywood and a U2 concert in Toronto.

BYU was forced to vacate 47 wins because of the violations. The Cougars were also put on probation until November 2020 and lost one men’s basketball scholarship.

After sitting out the entire 2017-18 season, Emery was reinstated to the team last summer. He sat out the first nine games of the season and struggled when he returned to the court. Emery averaged just 6.1 points in 23 games last season.