Looking back at AJ Dybantsa’s best BYU performances

AJ Dybantsa provided hundreds of highlights during his freshman year at BYU.

But one moment in particular stands out most for me.

It wasn’t part of a special showcase matchup or prestigious TV window. It didn’t come in a tournament setting, nor against an NCAA Tournament team. BYU didn’t even win the game where it happened.

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Instead, it occurred on an undistinguished Wednesday night in early February, and in a half-empty arena in Oklahoma.

As the Cougars visited Oklahoma State on Feb. 4, Dybantsa poured in 36 points with seven rebounds and four assists, making 13 of 20 total shot attempts and going 5 for 8 from 3-point range.

It was another elite offensive outing for Dybantsa, as those had seemingly become routine for him by that point in the campaign and would continue to occur into the postseason.

However, as outstanding as Dybantsa was that night, his scoring 36 points and netting five triples aren’t what made it such a significant memory.

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Instead, I was most struck by what his scoring showcase did to the people around me.

As I watched from press row at Gallagher-Iba Arena, the handful of local Oklahoma media members sitting nearby were in absolute awe of Dybantsa. Every time he got a bucket, whether it came on an outside jumper or tough trip down the lane, resulted in an audible, unbridled reaction from the media folk. Some gasped or exclaimed in amazement. Others would say something along the lines of “you can’t be serious” or “this is crazy.”

None of them could believe what they were seeing, and I had never witnessed such captivation on press row. It felt how I’d imagine the initial audiences for “Star Wars” reacted back in 1977.

It wasn’t like these media members hadn’t seen great basketball before. Some of them covered the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and their league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2021, Cade Cunningham, had played at Oklahoma State, and plenty of other top Big…

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Publish date : 2026-05-26 01:00:00

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