NEW YORK — A new era has come to BYU basketball.
On Tuesday, AJ Dybantsa made BYU history when he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, the first player in school history to ever be selected No. 1 in the NBA draft.
Two years ago, BYU’s Egor Demin was also drafted in the top 10 as the No. 8 pick to the Brooklyn Nets, the third highest pick in BYU history. Denim has gone on to break multiple rookie records during his first season in the NBA.
“What we’re seeing right now is the culmination of decades upon decades of hard work and intention paying off,” said BYU director of athletics communications Jon McBride. “The amount of BYU brand recognition that is happening right now is remarkable.”
So, how did BYU send two back-to-back lottery picks to the NBA Draft?
First, nobody outside of the blue-goggled super fans could have ever imagined a BYU player being taken No. 1 in the NBA draft, much less two lottery picks in back-to-back years.
“BYU, over the years certainly has had some great talent,” said Mark Durrant, current BYU analyst and a former BYU basketball player. “But often, those players didn’t have the kind of physical attributes that the NBA looks for and so it was tough to get a lot of attention or high picks.”
Durrant pointed out that every once in a while, BYU would get a great player drafted as a lottery pick, such as Shawn Bradley and Jimmer Fredette.
“To have two lottery picks back-to-back,” said Durrant, pausing, “I didn’t think I’d ever see it.”
And it's safe to say that most other BYU fans would agree with him. BYU has seemed to be on the cusp of greatness for years, towing the line but never joining the bigger fish.
But that was the old era BYU. The new era BYU is adapting to the modern age of college sports and using it to promote its brand and bring in top talent.
“I think the changing landscape of college basketball actually has really worked well for (coach) Kevin (Young),” said Durrant. “His experience has been with the NBA, his experience has been with guys getting paid to play and getting traded … which are now part of college basketball.”
It is obvious that Young’s experience as a coach in the NBA has helped players make their decision on whether or not to come to BYU. However, his ability to navigate the changing landscape has BYU finally sitting at the “big kids” table.
Young has said himself that he is still learning how to navigate college basketball, but however he is doing it, it seems to be working.
Now, some may say, “Yeah, but we didn’t make it past the first round of the tournament last year” then remember Tuesday night’s events. The new era BYU isn’t perfect, but it is doing something right.
But a momentum shift like BYU is experiencing right now isn’t built in two years and with a single coaching change. It was the aforementioned decades of work that led BYU to becoming recognizable on the national stage.
That recognition paved the way for its true first steps into its new era, joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
Moving into a Power 4 conference is a big deal for any school, but it has elevated BYU in a way that others may not have anticipated. Not only that, but the Big 12 is one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country. So in order to fit in, BYU had to prove itself.
In 2024, the Cougars bought in big with Young. When Young brought Demin to Provo, there was buzz of a BYU player becoming a lottery. After a solid start to the season, heads were nodding in approval of the Young hire.
Then, Dybantsa announced his commitment to BYU in December of 2024. A commitment that set the BYU and college basketball world on fire with excitement.
Adding to the hype, the Cougars went on a hot-streak, winning eight consecutive games to end the season, earning themselves a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Still on a hot streak, the Cougars knocked off VCU and Wisconsin, making their way to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011.
Even though BYU lost in the Sweet 16, Young and his team did something that nobody was really expecting the Cougars to do. After a good season, Demin declared for the draft and was in the conversation to be a late lottery pick.
As if the hype couldn’t get any bigger, Denim was taken as the No. 8 pick, three spots higher than his highest projection.
Denim was the pioneer that took a chance on BYU. When he signed, some wondered why a kid from Moscow, Russia would choose a place like BYU?
And later when Dybantsa signed, even more people wondered why a top prospect from Brockton, Massachusetts, would ever go to Provo.
“Egor (Demin) and AJ (Dybantsa) definitely came from different backgrounds, but they both fully embraced what BYU could offer them,” said McBride. “BYU’s culture is not for everyone, but I think we are seeing that for the right recruits, they can absolutely thrive in this culture.”
Culture. A word and idea that is at the heart of this monumental upgrade that BYU is going through.
BYU is offering something that other schools can’t compete with. And yes, while money is a factor, schools like North Carolina and Duke could have easily paid for Dybantsa to come to their schools.
But the culture at BYU is buying players more than any amount of money. It is making BYU a destination school for athletes from around the world.
With Demin and Dybantsa, BYU is showing that it can make players from different countries, cultures and religions feel welcome. It is encouraging its athletes to pursue academic success, even though he is heading to the NBA, Dybantsa is still planning to finish his degree through BYU online.
How many 19-year-olds who just made it to the NBA that want to continue attending college? Yeah, not many.
“That is a helpful message for people to see,” said McBride. “The things that make BYU distinctive can be a benefit to even the best of the best.”
So how did BYU basketball send two back-to-back lottery picks to the NBA draft?
For years it built a culture of athletic and academic success and focused on becoming a landing spot for anyone, no matter their culture, nationality or religion. And, when the time was right, it brought in Young, a coach who believes in that culture.
Young went and found players, like Demin and Dybantsa, who believed in the culture at BYU and realized that BYU can take them where they want to go and help build them into the type of person they want to be.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Dybantsa said in an interview shortly after he was drafted. “I just give the most thanks to BYU, KY (Kevin Young) and all the staff for believing in me ... I knew I wanted to come when I went on that visit."
