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Jeff Borzello
shortly after AJ DiBantsa announced its commitment to BYU In December 2024, coach Kevin Young and the Cougars’ staff paused their celebration to answer the next question: How could they build around him?
The No. 1 prospect in the 2025 high school class and the program’s first five-star recruit since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007 will be the Cougars’ foundational building block, but they needed to assemble a winning team.
“Everyone had a different approach,” Justin Young, BYU’s recruiting director and Kevin’s brother, told ESPN. “Do we need specific positions around that? Or experts?”
BYU ultimately focused on retaining and recruiting players who could play off DiBantsa in a dynamic offense – clearing lanes and creating opportunities for the Cougars’ stars but also taking 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 it’s all an effort to maximize the only season in Provo for DiBantsa, ESPN’s projected No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“You can’t waste [a chance like this] At a place like BYU,” Justin Young said. “You can’t do that. This is misconduct. When you have buy-in – like, AJ is trying to win. [a title]That person honestly wakes up every day and believes in it – you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Here are three moves for the Cougars, who will face Clemson in Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic (6:30 pm ET, ESPN), looking to make the most of this season’s opportunities.
Step 1: Recruit a specific guard
BYU’s staff knew it needed a backcourt star to pair with DiBantsa and All-Big 12 returnee richie saunderswith dallin hall Initially expected to return, the Cougars did not know whether they needed a combo guard who could play alongside Hall, or someone to run the point when Hall was not on the floor.
However, six days after the Cougars lost to Alabama in the Sweet 16, Hall entered the transfer portal and his need became clear: even with Young’s plan to put the ball in DiBuntsa’s hands, he needed a pure point guard.
Five days later, the boiler Robert Wright III Also entered the portal – and immediately became BYU’s target.
Kevin Young said, “It was pretty obvious he was the best point guard in the portal.”
Wright was a top-25 recruit in the 2024 high school class who established himself as one of the country’s most dynamic freshman point guards after joining the Bears’ lineup for the second half of last season. Young and his staff saw Wright’s impact when he had 22 points and 6 assists against the Cougars last January.
Justin Young had Was monitoring Wright Since he was the starting point guard at Montverde Academy (Florida) – a team that also landed him a first-round selection in the 2025 NBA Draft cooper flag, derrick queen, Asa Newell And Liam McNeely,
“This might be the best high school team I’ve ever seen,” Justin Young said. “and he [performed] Every single game.”
The Cougars had found their star guard answer in Wright. However, Saunders’ return was just as significant, which was lost in the hype surrounding his inclusion – he was one of the best players in the country during the previous season, averaging 20.0 points on 44.8% shooting from 3 over the final 11 games.
“He’s one of the best closeout players in college,” Kevin Young said. “And in a quote from the Big Three, he fits in next to the ball-dominant guys.”
With Saunders, Wright and DiBantsa, BYU’s perimeter core was determined: Wright as the playmaker at point guard, DiBantsa on one wing as the do-everything offensive focal point, and Saunders on the other wing finding open catch-and-shoot opportunities. On paper, this trio was as explosive as anyone in the country.
“It not only makes my life easier, it makes their life easier,” Dyabantsa said last month. “For us it’s not all about points, it’s just about winning, and whoever gets down gets down and we’re happy for each other. … We can space the floor, so it gives each other open shots.”
Step 2: Find role players to complement the big three
There are cautionary tales about programs that typically don’t recruit elite talent from unexpected lottery prospects — and don’t maximize the potential of the teams they lead.
Ben Simmons was the No. 1 recruit in 2015 when he committed to LSU, which also brought five-star guard Antonio Blakeney. The Tigers did not make the NCAA Tournament. Markelle Fultz was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft after one season in Washington. The Huskies went 9–22 in his lone college campaign. And most recently, Rutgers finally recruited 2025 NBA draft lottery picks dylan harper And Ace BaileyThe Scarlet Knights faltered and lost 15–17,
Kevin Young said, “The real moral of those stories is that just picking one or two good players is not good enough.” “The one thing that really gets lost at every level is roster structure and team-building.”
Young knew this from firsthand experience. He worked with top-heavy rosters as an NBA assistant, most notably with the Phoenix Suns, who traded bradley beal to make a big three with Kevin Durant And Devin Booker In 2023. They lost in the first round of the playoffs and missed out entirely, with both Beal and Durant gone in 2025.
Kevin Young said, “Sometimes you’re paralyzed with talent, so it’s still about trying to get everyone playing together and not trying to be stuck at a ‘Big Three’ position.” “It doesn’t matter if you’re not winning.”
Kevin Young gets the first inside look at what he hopes will be a winning roster. Keba KitaOne of the nation’s best defensive veterans, who started 35 games last season, was set to return. also brought back cougars Dawson Baker And mihailo boskovicas well as Khadim Maboup Who wore a redshirt last season.
“I don’t want to say [retention is] The secret sauce in this era of college basketball, but it’s a divisive one,” Kevin Young said.
Next was the transfer portal. After securing Wright’s commitment, the Cougars had budget to spend on another star – Yaxel Lendeborg And Darrian Williams BYU was among the in-demand transfers — but opted for depth after consulting with DiBantsa and Saunders about the type 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 that,'” Justin Young said. “The NBA does this all the time. Talk to your franchise guys, your max contract guys, figure out what works well in your mind. … When you have four Tier 1, alpha-male college players, the ball doesn’t move as much.”
BYU was focused on finding floor-spacers, guys who would be happy to take and create open shots while keeping the opposition’s attention on DiBantsa, Wright and Saunders.
Southern Illinois Transfer Kennard Davis Jr.Was the best in the group, He was immediately inserted into the starting lineup as a 3-and-D piece after averaging 16,3 points for the Salukis last season, He has transitioned well into the complementary role BYU hoped he would fill and also proved he can step up when needed (see: his 18 points against Miami on Thanksgiving),
Washington transfer Dominic Diomande Was a high-ceiling addition who was the ideal bench option with the SC Next 100 recruit xavien statonWho played at Utah Prep with DiBantsa. UC Riverside Transfer Nate Pickens and transfer to idaho tyler mrswho had big games against the Cougars last season (Pickens with 18 points and Emres with 17 points), gave the Cougars two more perimeter shooters.
Despite losing Pickens (ankle) and Baker (ACL tear) to injury since the start of the season – and missing Davis for three games (one due to injury and the other two due to injury). suspension) – The results so far have BYU boasting the nation’s fifth-best offensive rating with 124.7 points per 100 possessions, as the final (and ongoing) phase of the Cougars’ roster construction process is put to the test.
Step 3: Develop Chemistry
BYU’s big three are living up to expectations from a numbers perspective: DiBantsa is averaging 19.4 points on 54.4% shooting, Wright is averaging 16.9 points and 6.3 assists, and Saunders is averaging 18.9 points and shooting 42.6% from 3.
How well they play off 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. His return after a 20-point loss against UConn on November 15 was a turning point.
“I’ve definitely noticed a change,” Wright said. “It’s just that we’re 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 tough games, that’s where 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 3-pointers. The team shot 14 on 34 from 3 and dished out 18 assists on 31 made baskets.
“Feeled good that game,” Kevin Young said. “That’s what I told them after the game. This is BYU basketball for 25-26. That’s what we want it to look and feel like.”
Following Tuesday’s game against Clemson, BYU returned to the Marriott Center for the first time in more than 30 days to host four consecutive games. This extension until the start of Big 12 play in January will give the Cougars a chance to explore ways to improve the offensive flow even more, as they did last season, when they finally found their stride in the second half of conference play.
With the possibility that this is the only season in which BYU is home to a potential No. 1 pick and multiple All-America candidates, the team knows it has a short window to make the most of these efforts.
Kevin Young said, “When you have great talent, it’s a great responsibility to do everything you can… and not waste something that could be a really good thing.”
