Let me make something perfectly clear: there will never be another AJ Dybantsa at BYU. His unique and entirely individual blend of skill, size, and competitive drive makes him the obvious top selection in the upcoming NBA Draft class. A player so exceptional that, even on a team severely depleted by injuries, he was largely expected to drag the Cougars through the first round of the NCAA Tournament is not a player who will enter the threshold of the Marriott Center on a regular basis.
And Dybantsa was so great, he nearly dragged the Cougars past the Longhorns in the round of 64, scoring nearly half of his team's points in a losing effort. He was better than advertised, leading the nation in scoring and pushing his team beyond top-10 teams like Iowa State and Texas Tech.
Despite the disappointing 10-seed in the Big 12 bracket and a first-round upset in the Big Dance, the year of AJ Dybantsa was an incredibly special one for Kevin Young's NBA boot camp.
But let me make one more thing clear: this year was a complete failure by any stretch.
Expectations were astronomical entering the year, with Big 12 first-teamer Richie Saunders returning for his senior season, 5-star point guard Rob Wright III joining from Baylor's sinking ship, and a handful of promising new additions filling in the gaps via the transfer portal, this team entered the season ranked in the top-10 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, and held sincere Final Four aspirations.
And the craziest part? Believing this year's BYU team could climb into the upper-eschelon of college hoops' hierarchy was not an unpopular belief. This team boasted real star power, and a proven track record off a Sweet 16 run the year before dumped gasoline on the roaring bonfire.
Blame injuries, coaching issues, or personnel failure, but a first-round exit is a failure with a player like Dybantsa, full-stop.
So with another five-star recruit in the pipeline, and another promising season on the horizon, Kevin Young and company will bear the weight of this year's failure, with the promise to improve and advance.
BYU basketball recruiting class 2026-27
5-star: Bruce Branch III
4-star: Dean Rueckert, KJ Perry
RM: Brooks Bahr
Branch will enter the year hoping to become the third straight NBA Draft Lottery selection for Kevin Young in as many years with the program, while Rueckert and Perry enter with potent star power. But with a severe lack of size underneath, Coach Young must prioritize rebounding, defense, and complementary role players as key contributors exit the program for good.