In one season at BYU, AJ left a legacy for the ages

AJ Dybantsa could have gone anywhere in the country and he chose BYU. He could have made more money at other places and he chose BYU. He could have found a larger media market to play in and he chose BYU.

He could have also returned for another season, but he chose the NBA.

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To no one’s surprise, Dybantsa announced Thursday from his former middle school in Brockton, Massachusetts, that he will declare for the NBA draft, where the 6-foot-9 superstar is widely projected to make BYU history as the No. 1 overall pick.

During his lone season in Provo, Dybantsa did more for BYU basketball than anyone could have imagined.

First: He announced his decision on ESPN and told the world that BYU was a better place for him over North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama and everybody else.

Second: His presence on the team boosted the Cougars to their highest preseason ranking (No. 8) in program history.

Third: Because of his national intrigue, TNT put BYU on its opening night double header against Villanova in Las Vegas.

Fourth: Playing undermanned, he scored 25 points in a furious second-half rally, only to fall short to No. 3 UConn in Boston, 86-84.

Fifth: In front of a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden, he triggered BYU’s largest second-half comeback in program history, scoring 22 of his 28 points after halftime to erase a 21-point deficit and stun Clemson on Rob Wright’s buzzer-beater, 67-64.

Sixth: He broke Danny Ainge’s freshman scoring record with 43 points to sweep Utah 91-78 in Provo.

Seventh: He scored 29 points and played all 40 minutes in an emotional 79-69 victory over No. 6 Iowa State at the Marriott Center.

Eighth: His 21 points helped BYU knock off No. 10 Texas Tech in Provo, 82-76, during the regular-season finale.

Ninth: He set a Big 12 Tournament scoring record with 40 points against Kansas State in BYU’s 83-73 first-round victory.

Tenth: With his teammates struggling to make shots, he poured in 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in BYU’s 79-71 loss to Texas in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/one-season-byu-aj-left-171430273.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-23 17:14:00

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