Memoirs from the Mount: AJ Dybantsa was the perfect ambassador for Brigham Young University

Welcome to Memoirs from the Mount, a weekly adventure through the twisting catacombs of my ever-decaying stream of consciousness. From the solitary peak of Mount Fuji to the cascading slopes of Mount Timpanogos, I'm sending a telegram of my perspective on current events surrounding BYU athletics.

Last week's Memoirs: The disappointment of the AJ Dybantsa era has forever damaged me

Two straight weeks of Memoirs? What is this, some sort of record?

In light of AJ Dybantsa's shocking decision to forgo his three seasons of remaining eligibility at BYU in favor of the likely number-one overall pick and its associated $62.7 million contract (ish), I feel compelled to take a moment of reflection to remember the collegiate career of the greatest basketball player to ever breach the concourses of the Marriott Center.

The whole story has to begin with, hilariously enough, Jack Gohlke, a barrel-chested three-point chucker from Oakland University (in Wisconsin, of course. What, do you know a different Oakland or something?). In the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, this white boy with a dream and a proposterous affinity for taking long-range jump shots ignited at the perfect moment to lift the 14-seeded Golden Grizzlies over the third-seed Kentucky Wildcats.

I know it seems silly in hindsight, but Big Blue Nation out in Kentucky had grown fatigued of their legendary head coach, John Calipari, and this loss was the final blow that toppled the wobbly Jenga tower that once stood strong in Lexington. Some random kid that nobody had ever heard of lit the fuse and watched as Kentucky blew up their time-tested foundation.

Gohlke observed the fallout of his tournament explosion with impressive maturity and perspective.

"I know they [Kentucky] have draft picks, and I know I'm not going to the NBA, but on any given night, I know I can compete with those types of guys."

For a guy who only enjoyed one weekend of fame in the basketball world, Gohlke flapped his wings and sent the first domino of what would be a monumental shift to the landscape of college basketball on a national scale.

John Calipari was out at Kentucky, leaving a vacuum in the historic coach's place.

Naturally, the head coaching search for one of college basketball's blue bloods wound up circling... BYU?

Yeah, that's right. Mark Pope (who just so happens to be a Kentucky alum) was enjoying a shockingly successful inaugural season in the hyper-competitive Big 12 Conference, and when some of the higher-profile names reportedly bowed out of contention, the eyes of Lexington turned to Provo.

It didn't take long for Pope to be named as Calipari's replacement, and the carousel turned on BYU.

Having to start over from scratch after just one season in a power conference was a daunting task for that private school out in Utah, but despite the initial sense of doom surrounding the program, losing Pope to Kentucky may have been the best thing that could ever happen to BYU basketball.

Enter Kevin Young, the NBA's highest-paid assistant coach currently fighting through the NBA Playoffs with the Phoenix Suns, who touched down in Provo with the promise that using his background and skill set, he could transform BYU into the premier destination for elite talent to develop and prepare for a career at the next level. In his first season, he brought in eventual 8th-overall pick Egor Demin. His second major acquisition was a 6'9" star out of Brockton, MA.

Here's where AJ Dybantsa enters the frame. Having transferred to Utah Prep in Hurricane around the same time as Young's arrival to the Beehive State, the number-one player in the class of 2025 was right in BYU's backyard. I asked a simple question: should BYU even bother offering the best high school player in the nation?

They did. And the meter measuring BYU's recruiting went from "no way, no how", to "may as well hear them out", to "BYU is in the mix", until finally, "BYU is the favorite to secure AJ Dybantsa."

I fist-pumped and unleashed a victory roar on my drive to work that fateful morning, dangerously watching ESPN First Take out of my right eye as my left eye kept my vehicle from plowing through helpless pedestrians. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face with a magic eraser when the best player in the nation took to national television to announce his commitment to play at BYU.

It was a dream. It was a mirage. Surely, there was no way a non-LDS superstar would ever consider BYU basketball, right?

Wrong. And don't call me Shirley.

Despite all the external struggles Dybantsa faced during his time at BYU, he delivered in every way imaginable. On the court, he led the country in scoring, broke a program freshman record for points in a single game. He carried the scraps of Kevin Young's original vision through two Big 12 Tournament victories, and the 6th seed in March Madness. He was a natural leader on and off the court -- a stabilizing pillar for his teammates to lean on.

But off the court, AJ Dybantsa was an amazing ambassador for Brigham Young University. A lead-by-example type of player who bought-in entirely during his time at the famously strict religious university -- a religion which AJ has practically zero relation to outside of his college home.

AJ proudly attended local church services.

He raved about his religion courses and his appreciation toward his college education, going so far as to call his Book of Mormon course his favorite class.

And the true value of investing in AJ came to light when he visited the Lindon Temple open house and spoke with Elder Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

He was the loudest fan in the ROC student section at women's basketball games. He worked a shift at the local McDonald's on Freedom Boulevard. In every sense, BYU couldn't have asked for a better representative out of its basketball program. For an individual who draws as much attention as Dybantsa, AJ amazed me with his maturity, respect, and unbridled admiration for his community during his time at BYU.

He will always be remembered for his accomplishments on the court while at BYU, but as the face of the university off the court, AJ Dybantsa has been incredible.

Thank you for spending your freshman year at BYU. From all of us fans to you, go be legendary in the NBA.

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