The good news is that BYU basketball will be seeing plenty of this 7-footer on the court next season. The bad news is that another of BYU basketball's targets to fill the vacancy at starting center in Kevin Young's lineup, 7-foot Julius Halaifonua from Georgetown, has committed to Big 12 rival Oklahoma State.
NEWS: Georgetown transfer Julius Halaifonua has committed to Oklahoma State, @AgentMoldovan tells DraftExpress.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 27, 2026
The 7-foot, 19-year-old center from New Zealand averaged 9.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20 minutes per game this season, shooting 65% from two. pic.twitter.com/nm8bBuFRfv
Halaifonua's commitment could mean one of two things for Kevin Young and his BYU basketball program.
First, and this is the more optimistic spin, Halaifonua committed to the Cowboys because BYU didn't throw everything they had at the former Hoya. With big fish like 5-star Obinna Ekezie Jr and Italian NBA Draft entrant Luigi Suigo at the top of Kevin Young's big board, it's unsurprising that Julius would commit to a program where he'd likely be a day-one starter. With Oklahoma State, he'll get to play in the high-exposure Big 12 Conference and be the starting center. That seems like a complete win for the New Zealand native.
Secondly, and this is where we start to spiral, BYU took a full swing at the Georgetown transfer, complete with an offer as the starting center, and he just straight-up said no. With all of BYU's resources and Kevin Young's NBA pitch, he still didn't have enough to sway Halaifonua. Maybe the honor code issue got in the way. Maybe Oklahoma State was willing to toss a heftier NIL package his way. Whatever the case, BYU missed out on a player they were closely connected to, and that is a serious concern when the Cougars' top priority is that roster spot -- the elusive starting center.
Call me an optimist, but something about the first possibility feels much more likely, considering recent news of reclassification candidate Obinna Ekezie Jr. The top-5 prospects in the class of 2027 could be class up to play at BYU next season. Off the heels of his official visit to Provo and naming BYU as one of his top five schools, it's hard to imagine Kevin Young and his staff focusing much of their attention elsewhere.
Don't mourn the loss of Halaifonua -- I certainly breathed a sigh of relief knowing I wouldn't have to type out his last name throughout the course of the next basketball season -- but look to the possibilities. BYU basketball is in a very strong position to compete with the elites of the Big 12... so long as they can round out their starting 5.
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