America woke up Tuesday to something it had never seen before. The nation’s top prep basketball recruit was on ESPN announcing his intention to play at BYU — picking the Cougars over Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama.
“I think it shows the confidence people have in Kevin Young and the staff. I think it shows the relevance of BYU as a program and as an institution and organization. If you can land the No. 1 recruit in the nation, you can go (get) anybody.”
— former BYU star Travis Hansen
AJ Dybantsa didn’t choose BYU because he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He isn’t. It wasn’t because his father, Ace, played there. He didn’t. It wasn’t because the Cougars offered the most NIL incentives. They didn’t. Dybantsa picked BYU with his eyes fixed on the future.
“He wants to be a one-and-done. He wants to be here for nine months and prepare for the next leap in his career,” former BYU star Travis Hansen told the “Y’s Guys” podcast. “I’m biased, but I think BYU is the best place to develop these men to play professionally. There is a reason Egor Demin is here.”
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Demin, a 6-foot-9 freshman from Moscow, Russia, is a projected lottery pick for next year’s NBA draft. Hansen and Demin’s father, Vladimir, both played at Real Madrid in Spain. Dybantsa, also 6-9, is considered a strong possibility to be the top overall pick in the 2026 draft.
“I think it shows the confidence people have in Kevin Young and the staff,” said Hansen, who was drafted by Atlanta in 2003 and played seven years in Europe. “I think it shows the relevance of BYU as a program and as an institution and organization. If you can land the No. 1 recruit in the nation, you can go (get) anybody.”
Young quickly turned heads by signing Demin and 6-9 Kanon Catchings, another projected NBA draft pick, in his first recruiting class. The two 18-year-olds have started all eight games, including last week at Providence, where they hit a cold spell and combined to make 1 of 18 shots in an 83-64 defeat.
The talented tandem, unprecedented in Provo, will look to bounce back when BYU (6-2) hosts Fresno State (3-6) on Wednesday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
“I think it’s pretty shocking they are as good as they are right now,” Hansen said. “If I was a fan, I’d be enjoying it. I’d be thinking, ‘I can’t believe we have that type of talent here’ and let’s see what they can do throughout the season. We are early on, and early signs say they are pretty incredible kids.”
Demin and Catchings, while entrenched in adapting to the college game, are expected to be at BYU for one season before moving on to the NBA. Young and his staff have made even larger headlines finding their replacements.
Prior to the Dybantsa announcement, Xavion Staton was set to be the highest-rated addition in program history. The 7-foot center from Las Vegas, who 247Sports ranks as the 29th best overall recruit in the 2025 class, signed with the Cougars in November after choosing BYU over Michigan, Stanford and UNLV.
“It’s just changing. Everything is changing,” Hansen said. “To some degree, when we were there (at BYU) we thought too small. I think Kevin Young is thinking bigger.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.
