AJ Dybantsa just about single-handedly demolished BYU social media in an interview with Deseret News.
🔗: https://t.co/Ez2IfUQj5E
— Deseret News (@Deseret) March 3, 2026
“I might not leave college”
The projected No. 1 NBA draft pick, @AJ_Dybantsa, just dropped a bombshell on “Deseret Voices.” What’s behind him weighing a return to Provo for another season?
Listen to the @BYUMBB star and @mckaycoppins on the full… pic.twitter.com/xIjthCPKHs
"I might not leave college," Dybantsa said, battling the grin forming at the corners of his mouth. "My mom wants me to graduate. Yeah, so I might not leave [for the NBA Draft]."
A smile breaches AJ's defenses, flashing his teeth and chuckling, he admits, "But I might leave."
Obviously, if Dybantsa were to reject convention -- and a nearly guaranteed top-three selection in the NBA Draft -- to return to play for Kevin Young's program as a sophomore, next season's BYU basketball team would once again be touted to challenge the best of the Big 12 Conference.
Dybantsa, Wright, KJ Perry, Dean Rueckert, and the newly committed five-star guard Bruce Branch III would be a formidable squad on paper. Having learned their lesson and prioritizing more depth in 2026-27, BYU basketball could very well rock the college basketball world in Dybantsa's second stint.
Heck, with the current state of the NCAA, why not bring Egor Demin back to the Marriott Center fresh off his exceptional rookie campaign in Brooklyn?
Dream as we may, however, we'd be fools to expect Dybantsa to stick around in Provo. Top prospects tease a return every season. Even Cooper Flagg, the surefire number-one pick in last year's batch, dangled the prospect of a sophomore season at Cameron Indoor Stadium. If Mrs. Dybantsa is insistent that her son should graduate, BYU Pathways is an excellent option for AJ to get a degree while playing in the pros.
Most of all, AJ's draft stock may be at an all-time high. Without cornerstone Richie Saunders, who went down with an ACL tear just a few weeks ago, Dybantsa has been placed in a heavier leadership role and thrived, even as the team around him withers.
The Athletic's most recent mock draft posts Dybantsa as the number-one pick, and with Darryn Peterson's projection losing much of its luster in recent weeks, how many franchises could say no to a sure-thing star like AJ? Should BYU basketball make a run in March, he could solidify his position as the prize of this year's draft class.
As much as it pains me to say, AJ Dybantsa must not return to BYU basketball. He's too good for that.