America awakened Tuesday to one thing it had by no means seen earlier than. The nation’s prime prep basketball recruit was on ESPN asserting his intention to play at BYU — selecting the Cougars over Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama.
“I believe it reveals the arrogance individuals have in Kevin Young and the workers. I believe it reveals the relevance of BYU as a program and as an establishment and group. If you may land the No. 1 recruit within the nation, you may go (get) anyone.”
— former BYU star Travis Hansen
AJ Dybantsa didn’t select BYU as a result of he’s a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He isn’t. It wasn’t as a result of his father, Ace, performed there. He didn’t. It wasn’t as a result of the Cougars supplied probably the most NIL incentives. They didn’t. Dybantsa picked BYU along with his eyes fastened on the longer term.
“He needs to be a one-and-done. He needs to be right here for 9 months and put together for the subsequent leap in his profession,” former BYU star Travis Hansen informed the “Y’s Guys” podcast. “I’m biased, however I believe BYU is the perfect place to develop these males to play professionally. There is a motive Egor Demin is right here.”
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Demin, a 6-foot-9 freshman from Moscow, Russia, is a projected lottery choose for subsequent 12 months’s NBA draft. Hansen and Demin’s father, Vladimir, each performed at Real Madrid in Spain. Dybantsa, additionally 6-9, is taken into account a robust risk to be the highest general choose within the 2026 draft.
“I believe it reveals the arrogance individuals have in Kevin Young and the workers,” stated Hansen, who was drafted by Atlanta in 2003 and performed seven years in Europe. “I believe it reveals the relevance of BYU as a program and as an establishment and group. If you may land the No. 1 recruit within the nation, you may go (get) anyone.”
Young shortly turned heads by signing Demin and 6-9 Kanon Catchings, one other projected NBA draft choose, in his first recruiting class. The two 18-year-olds have began all eight video games, together with final week at Providence, the place they hit a chilly spell and mixed to make 1 of 18 photographs in an 83-64 defeat.
The proficient tandem, unprecedented in Provo, will look to bounce again when BYU (6-2) hosts Fresno State (3-6) on Wednesday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
“I believe it’s fairly surprising they’re nearly as good as they’re proper now,” Hansen stated. “If I used to be a fan, I’d be having fun with it. I’d be pondering, ‘I can’t consider we’ve that kind of expertise right here’ and let’s see what they’ll do all through the season. We are early on, and early indicators say they’re fairly unimaginable children.”
Demin and Catchings, whereas entrenched in adapting to the school recreation, are anticipated to be at BYU for one season earlier than shifting on to the NBA. Young and his workers have made even bigger headlines discovering their replacements.
Prior to the Dybantsa announcement, Xavion Staton was set to be the highest-rated addition in program historical past. The 7-foot middle from Las Vegas, who 247Sports ranks because the twenty ninth finest general recruit within the 2025 class, signed with the Cougars in November after selecting BYU over Michigan, Stanford and UNLV.
“It’s simply altering. Everything is altering,” Hansen stated. “To a point, once we had been there (at BYU) we thought too small. I believe Kevin Young is pondering greater.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and present host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the creator of the youngsters’s e book “C is for Cougar,” obtainable at deseretbook.com.
