How BYU built its roster to maximize the season of AJ Dybantsa - ESPN

Shortly after AJ Dybantsa announced his commitment to BYU in December 2024, coach Kevin Young and the Cougars' staff hit pause on their celebrations to answer the next question: How could they build around him?

The No. 1 prospect of the 2025 high school class and the program's first five-star recruit since the ESPN recruiting database started in 2007 would be the Cougars' foundational building block, but they needed to assemble a winning team.

«Everybody had a different point of view,» Justin Young, BYU's director of recruiting and Kevin's brother, told ESPN. «Do we need to have specific positions around him? Or specialists?»

BYU ultimately focused on retaining and recruiting players who could play off Dybantsa in a dynamic offense — clear the lane and create opportunities for the Cougars star but also take shots when needed — and ended up with a balanced mix of stars and role players. Now the Cougars are developing the chemistry they'll need to make another deep NCAA tournament run a year after a trip to the Sweet 16. And all of it is an effort to maximize what's expected to be the only season of Dybantsa, ESPN's projected No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, in Provo.

«You can't squander [a chance like this] at a place like BYU,» Justin Young said. «You just can't. It's malpractice. When you have the buy-in — like, AJ is trying to win [a title], that dude honestly believes it every day he wakes up — you have to capitalize.»

Here are the three steps the Cougars, who face Clemson at Tuesday's Jimmy V Classic (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), have followed in pursuit of making the most of this season's opportunity.

BYU's staff knew it needed a backcourt star to pair with Dybantsa and All-Big 12 returnee Richie Saunders. With Dallin Hall