BYU basketball is sending two players to the NBA Draft via the class of 2026. For AJ Dybantsa, he approaches this evening clinging to the hope that he will be the first name called from the podium of the Barclays Center. For Richie Saunders, BYU's senior leader, he simply hopes to hear his name before the second round stretches into tomorrow.
It's a milestone moment for the BYU program, a program that has been fundamentally revolutionized since the injection of Kevin Young's NBA-tier program, with the mission statement to transform Provo, Utah, into the premier destination for young players to develop and prepare for a career in the National Basketball Association.
Egor and Kevin Young having a laugh together on the red carpet. Wholesome content. pic.twitter.com/kQmjxpzEVN
— Jackson Payne (@jackson5payne) June 23, 2026
Kevin Young is in attendance at tonight's draft. Joining him is Egor Demin, last season's eighth overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets and the first name Coach Young was able to help cross the threshold into the pros. To major figures in BYU basketball lore: the first star of a new era, and the man who showed him the way forward.
Let me know if this is at all too dramatic. I'd never intentionally crank up the exaggeration meter on one of these articles, you know that.
In the final moments leading to Adam Silver's first appearance at the podium, AJ Dybantsa is projected to edge out Kansas' Darryn Peterson for the first overall pick and will therefore become a Washington Wizard, if all goes according to the tea leaves. For the Utah Jazz, who await at the number-two slot, the debate would then turn to Darryn Peterson vs Cameron Boozer.
AJ Dybantsa and his family are so certain that he'll be an early draft pick that Ace Dybantsa, AJ's father, sent Brian Windhorst a picture of two T-shirts -- one for Washington, one for Utah -- to wear at the announcement of his son's selection.
Richie Saunders' path is much less concrete, with projections ranging across the second round, but clear momentum is swinging him near the beginning of the draft's second day. Watch until the end of the first round tonight, just in case a team takes a shot at a player whom I believe could be the biggest sleeper in the class. If not, the second round will be broadcast tomorrow, where his name should be called fairly quickly.
There is no certainty in the moments leading up to the NBA Draft, but the class of 2026 should be one that BYU basketball fans won't soon forget.
It's a landmark in the history of Cougar hoops, and a sign of what's on the way in the coming years.
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