The confluence of joining the Big 12 and the introduction of NIL into college sports have leveled the playing field for BYU basketball in attracting some of the top high school prospects, international players, and transfer portal entries.
Throw in new head coach Kevin Young’s NBA background, a slew of NBA-seasoned coaches, and top-flight basketball staff and facilities, and Provo is becoming a college hoops hotbed.
But there’s one unique recruiting advantage BYU has that other schools can’t compete with:
The Honor Code.
Yes, the Honor Code and the safe, serious, focused environment it creates at BYU is a positive, compelling factor for many top basketball prospects and their parents. Some of the top one-and-done talents view the principles in BYU’s Honor Code, which follow the moral teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as helping them to focus on their craft, develop as a person, and essentially stay out of trouble during their relatively short stints in college.
The Honor Code played an important role in attracting AJ Dybantsa to BYU.
Here’s what CBS Sports reported about the positive impact the Honor Code played in Dybanta’s decision, also quoting Leonard Amato who acts as AJ’s financial advisor:
“In addition to (Kevin) Young's NBA background, Dybantsa himself said Tuesday on ESPN's ‘First Take’ that BYU's unique campus culture was an alluring component to the recruiting pitch. The BYU honor code was not a deterrent; just the opposite. He wants to go somewhere where it will be almost entirely business. Not many (any?) uber-talented basketball players from Massachusetts have ever opted into playing at a Mormon university. For Dybantsa to break the mold, it makes this story even more compelling.
"’There's not as many distractions,’ Armato told CBS Sports. ‘He's not a party kid, he's not interested in distractions. He wants to play basketball, have his family and keep to himself. He's articulate and a confident young man, but he's not an outgoing party person where he's got to be in the clubs all the time.’”
Yes, you read that correctly. The Honor Code was a positive differentiator for BYU when compared to Dybantsa’s other top schools including North Carolina, Kansas, and Alabama.
AJ’s father, Ace, played a major role in overseeing AJ’s recruiting and decision-making process. It’s fairly easy to see why the parents of a future NBA star like AJ Dybantsa would want their son to attend a school where it’s unlikely he’ll derail himself with distractions or negative influences. When a basketball prodigy needs a positive, serious environment to be in for nine months before heading to the NBA, why not send him to the university that wins the Princeton Review’s “Cancel the Keg” award every year?
And the positive impact of BYU’s Honor Code isn’t limited to Dybantsa. The Deseret News quoted assistant coach Tim Fanning about the role BYU’s unique environment played in signing Egor Demin and Kannon Catchings, both of whom could be first round picks in next year’s NBA Draft. Fanning noted how Demin wanted an environment that “didn’t have a lot of discrations.” Similarly, Fannings said the Honor Code was a “key point” in Catchings deciding to come to BYU.
BYU sports fans have seen the pros and the cons of the Honor Code for decades when it comes to recruiting. In the pre-NIL, pre-Big 12 days it was a magnet for top LDS athletes but also a deterrent for many of the nation’s top non-LDS recruits. The Honor Code is a positive for creating the right culture and environment for BYU sports given its affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it has also traditionally lowered the ceiling of the caliber of recruits BYU could attract on the whole.
Times have changed.
BYU can now offer what other elite basketball programs bring to the table in terms of NIL, Power Four conference exposure, outstanding coaches and staff, and top-end facilities.
But in addition to those elements, BYU can also offer a unique, focused, non-distracting environment for serious athletes looking to spend two semesters in college then enter the NBA Draft.
Recruiting is all about finding advantages over other top schools.
When it comes to some one-and-done NBA-caliber talents, the environment in Provo created by the Honor Code gives BYU a distinct recruiting advantage. And for the first time in BYU's rich basketball history history, NBA talents are now regularly calling Provo home.