"I feel super great and confident knowing that I've got guys who can finish plays," BYU guard Robert Wright III smiled during a recent media availability.
"And make their own plays as well," he added.
Despite some uncertainty surrounding the BYU basketball program in the fallout of the AJ Dybantsa season, Wright opened up his statement by saying exactly what fans of the program wanted to hear: the Cougars have playmakers this season. The subtext of that statement speaks volumes, even if not stated allowed.
Anyone who tuned in for a BYU basketball game last season could tell that the team was lacking outside their star trio.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY 🎙️@robertwr1ght ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/RAzIqhcuC2
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) June 16, 2026
Few know better than Rob Wright III just how difficult the 2025-26 season was for BYU basketball. Despite having himself, a 5-star talent, AJ Dybantsa, the number one player in the class of 2025, and Richie Saunders, an All-Big 12 First-team honoree and veteran leader, the Cougars were simply ill-equipped to support their three-headed monster at the top.
As far as high-end talent, the Cougars could match up with anybody, and that was clear in games where Dybantsa and Wright willed the team to late-season victories over top-10 programs like Iowa State and Texas Tech, but without adequate depth and playmaking on the fringes, the Cougars often appeared to be playing 3-on-5 as more and more players caught the injury bug.
This year should be different in that regard, but only time can tell whether that will translate to wins.
"I've known [Syracuse transfer] Tyler Betsey since I was maybe 15, 14 [...] I know he can shoot the ball well. I've played Jake [Wahlin] in college every year. So I know what he can do on the court. Just adding a bunch of shooters on the court, I think coach did exactly what he said."
Kennard Davis Jr. couldn't bear the three-point load. Reserves like Tyler Mrus and Aleksej Kostic simply didn't create enough of their own offense or impact the defensive side in any notable ways. Veterans Mihailo Boskovic and Keba Keita took a noticable step back from their junior seasons.
Now without those players, who have left due to graduation or the transfer portal, Kevin Young had the chance to start brand new, and his offseason priorities have aligned in the exact ways to bolster the areas in which the Cougars were inadequate a season ago.
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