BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa was on fire during the No. 7 Cougars’ narrow 86 – 84 loss to the No. 3 UConn Huskies on Saturday evening to drop them to 3-1 for the season. After only tallying four points in the first half, Dybantsa was unplayable in the second half, finishing the game with 25 points and six rebounds.
Dybantsa is averaging 20.3 points on 57.4% shooting from the field and 40% from 3-point range, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for the Cougars this season.
Jalen Rose Challenges Kevin Young To Better Utilize AJ Dybantsa’s Talent
The Huskies had 21 assists, while the Cougars had just seven in the game, prompting TNT Sports analyst Jalen Rose to drop a challenge to BYU coach Kevin Young about better utilizing Dybantsa’s talents.
“Every time you see AJ score the ball, it’s unassisted,” Rose said. “The next level for BYU’s team is somebody’s got to make the game easy for him every now and then. You know what you gotta know? AJ is our guy! Find him! I don’t care if he is in the stands, that’s what you gotta do! You know what it is, we all know this!”
Dybantsa was considered the final piece added to the BYU roster to take the Cougars to the next level after a fantastic run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Dybantsa was the No. 1 prospect in the country in the class of 2025 and was heavily recruited by all the college basketball blue bloods, but ultimately chose to play under Young in Provo for a team that has never reached the Final Four. The star forward was also reportedly paid up to $7 million to become the program’s first-ever No. 1 recruit.
During an interview with ESPN, Dybantsa revealed that the Cougars’ playing style, which closely matches the NBA, is the factor that tipped the scales in favor of BYU.
“There were a lot of pillars for me. Obviously, my main goal is to go to the NBA and I wanted the closest thing to an NBA playing style, the closest thing to an NBA coach,” Dybantsa said. “But there was a family aspect that went into it. It felt like home when I was here on my visit. I was like, ‘I can’t not come here.'”
Young, who had an eight-year coaching career in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns, has worked with several elite players, including Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul. Dybantsa has long been predicted to be the NBA Draft class of 2026’s No. 1 pick, although he’s fighting for that place with Duke Blue Devils star Cameron Booze and Kansas Jayhawks sensation Darryn Peterson.