Shortly after AJ Dybantsa announced his commitment to BYU in December 2024, coach Kevin Young and the Cougars staff paused their celebrations to answer the following question: How could they build around him?
The No. 1 high school prospect in the class of 2025 and the program's first five-star recruit since ESPN's recruiting database began in 2007 would be the Cougars' cornerstone, but they needed to put together a winning team.
“Everyone had a different point of view,” Justin Young, BYU's recruiting director and Kevin's brother, told ESPN. “Do we need to have specific positions around them? Or specialists?”
BYU ultimately focused on retaining and recruiting players who could play against Dybantsa in a dynamic offense (clearing the lane and creating opportunities for the Cougars star, but also shooting when necessary) and ended up with a balanced mix of stars and role players. Now the Cougars are developing the chemistry they will need to make another deep NCAA tournament a year after a trip to the Sweet 16. And this is all an effort to maximize what is expected to be the only season for Dybantsa, ESPN's projected No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, in Provo.
“Can't be wasted [a chance like this] at a place like BYU,” Justin Young said. “You just can't do it. It is bad practice. When you have the buy-in, that is, AJ is trying to win. [a title]”That guy honestly believes it every day he wakes up: you have to take advantage.”
These are the three steps the Cougars, who face Clemson in Tuesday's Jimmy V Classic (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), have taken to make the most of this season's opportunity.
Step 1: Recruit an Elite Guard
The BYU staff knew it needed a star on defense to pair with Dybantsa and All-Big 12 returnee Richie Saunders. With Dallin Hall initially expected to return, the Cougars didn't know if they needed a combo guard who could play alongside Hall, or someone to run the point when Hall wasn't on the court.
However, six days after the Cougars lost to Alabama in the Sweet 16, Hall entered the transfer portal and his need became apparent: Even with Young's plans to put the ball in Dybantsa's hands, they needed a pure point guard.
Five days after that, Baylor's Robert Wright III also entered the portal and immediately became BYU's target.
“It was pretty clear he was the best point guard in the portal,” Kevin Young said.
Wright was a top-25 recruit in the 2024 high school class and established himself as one of the most dynamic freshman point guards in the country once he was inserted into the Bears' lineup for the second half of last season. Young and his staff witnessed Wright's impact when he scored 22 points and 6 assists against the Cougars last January.
Justin Young had been monitoring Wright since he was the starting point guard at Montverde Academy (Florida), a team that also featured 2025 NBA draft first-round picks Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Asa Newell and Liam McNeeley.
“That might be the best high school team I've ever seen in my life,” Justin Young said. “And the [performed] every game.”
The Cougars had found their star guard answer in Wright. However, lost in the expectation of his addition, was the equally important thing that was the return of Saunders: he was one of the best players in the country during the final stretch of last season, averaging 20.0 points on 44.8% shooting from three in the last 11 games.
“He's one of the best closing players in college,” Kevin Young said. “And quote-unquote, the big three, he fits in with the ball-dominant guys.”
With Saunders, Wright and Dybantsa, BYU's perimeter core was established: Wright as the playmaker at point guard, Dybantsa on one wing as the do-everything offensive focal point and Saunders on the other getting open catch-and-shoot opportunities. On paper, the trio was as explosive as any in the country.
“It not only makes my life easier, but theirs as well,” Dybantsa said last month. “For us it's not just about points, it's about winning, and whoever gets it will leave and we will be happy for each other… We can space the court, so that everyone has open shots.”
Step 2: Find actors who complement the big three
There are cautionary tales about programs that typically don't recruit elite talent that unexpectedly land lottery prospects and fail to maximize the potential of the teams they lead.
Ben Simmons was the No. 1 recruit in 2015 when he committed to LSU, which also signed five-star guard Antonio Blakeney. The Tigers did not make the NCAA tournament. Markelle Fultz was the top pick in the 2017 NBA draft after one season in Washington. The Huskies went 9-22 in their only college campaign. And most recently, Rutgers recruited eventual 2025 NBA draft lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The Scarlet Knights stumbled to a 15-17 finish.
“The real moral of those stories is that it's not enough to get one or two good players,” Kevin Young said. “One thing that is really lost at all levels is the composition of the squad and the formation of teams.”
Young knew this from firsthand experience. He worked with high-level teams as an NBA assistant, most notably with the Phoenix Suns, who acquired Bradley Beal to form a big trio with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in 2023. They lost in the first round of the playoffs before losing them completely, and Beal and Durant left in 2025.
“Sometimes talent paralyzes you, so it's more about trying to get everyone to play together and not obsess over the status of the 'big three,'” Kevin Young said. “It doesn't matter if you're not winning.”
Kevin Young first looked internally to find the rest of what he hoped would be a winning roster. Keba Keita, one of the country's best defensive bigs who started 35 games last season, was scheduled to return. The Cougars also returned Dawson Baker and Mihailo Bošković, as well as Khadim Mboup, who redshirted last season.
“I don't want to say [retention is] secret sauce in this era of college basketball, but it's a divider,” Kevin Young said.
Next was the transfer portal. The Cougars had the budget to spend on another star after securing Wright's commitment (Yaxel Lendeborg and Darrion Williams were among the in-demand transfers linked to BYU), but opted for depth after consulting with Dybantsa and Saunders about the types of players they work best with.
“We went to them and said, 'What players can we put around you to be successful? Help us think about this,'” Justin Young said. “The NBA does it all the time. Talk to your franchise players, your max contract players, what works well with you in mind… When you have four Tier 1 alpha male college players, the ball doesn't move as much.”
BYU focused on finding space on the floor, guys who would be happy to take open shots with the opponent's attention on Dybantsa, Wright and Saunders.
Southern Illinois transfer Kennard Davis Jr. was the best of the group. He was immediately slotted into the starting lineup as a 3-and-D after averaging 16.3 points for the Salukis last season. He's transitioned well into the complementary role BYU hoped to play while also showing he can step up when needed (see: his 18 points against Miami on Thanksgiving).
Washington transfer Dominique Diomande was a high-end addition, the ideal bench option alongside SC Next 100 recruit Xavion Staton, who played at Utah Prep with Dybantsa. UC Riverside transfer Nate Pickens and Idaho transfer Tyler Mrus, who had big games against the Cougars last season (Pickens with 18 points and Mrus with 17 points), gave the Cougars two more perimeter shooters.
Despite losing Pickens (ankle) and Baker (torn ACL) to injury since the start of the season, and missing Davis for three games (one due to injury and the other two due to suspension), the results so far have given BYU the fifth-best offensive rating in the country at 124.7 points per 100 possessions as the final (and continuing) step of the Cougars' roster-building process is put to the test.
Step 3: Develop the Chemistry
BYU's big three are living up to expectations from a numbers perspective: Dybantsa is averaging 19.4 points on 54.4% shooting, Wright is putting up 16.9 points and 6.3 assists, and Saunders is averaging 18.9 points and shooting 42.6% from 3.
How well they play with each other is still a work in progress (there were some signs of “my turn, your turn” early on), but it has improved over the first five weeks of the season. Their near comeback from a 20-point deficit against UConn on Nov. 15 was a turning point.
“I definitely noticed a change,” Wright said. “It's just about us getting more comfortable and building chemistry with each other. We're a new team, so we have to build chemistry faster than other teams. And in the toughest games, that's when you learn something.”
The Cougars' 98-70 win over Wisconsin a week later showed their true potential as the trio combined for 54 points, 16 assists and 8 three-pointers. The team finished 14 of 34 from 3 and had 18 assists on 31 made baskets.
“That game felt good,” Kevin Young said. “That's what I told them after the game. That's 25-26 BYU basketball. That's what we want it to look like and feel like.”
Following Tuesday's game against Clemson, BYU returns to the Marriott Center for the first time in more than 30 days to host four consecutive games. That stretch leading up to the start of Big 12 play in January will give the Cougars a chance to find ways to make the offense flow even better, like they did last season, when they finally hit their stride in the second half of conference play.
With the potential for this to be the only season in which BYU is home to a potential No. 1 pick and multiple All-America candidates, the team is aware that it has a short window to make the most of these efforts.
“When you have great talent, it's a big responsibility to do everything you can… to make it work and not waste something that could be something really good,” Kevin Young said.
