Fast forward to the beginning of 2026 and Bruce Branch looks like a lock. Not to play varsity, but to play in the NBA. NBA mock drafts have him as the potential number 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft. He just has to finish high school and dominate a year of college basketball first.

During the summer of ‘24 Branch earned his first offer from Fresno St, playing for the Compton Magic. During the 24-25 high school season Branch cracked the starting line up at Perry. Perry was nationally ranked and led by the number eight player in the country Koa Peat, also a member of the Compton Magic. Branch had grown to 6’7” and showed himself to be an elite defender, but still found himself the 4th option behind Peat and seniors D’Andre Harrison and NoNo Brown who were future college players and had started the past two seasons during Perry’s championship run. Branch made huge contributions in the state championship game and Perry rolled 63-44. The story in the paper focuses on Peat playing through a broken hand and Perry completing the 4-peat.

In January of ‘25, Branch was not ranked among the top 25 players in the class of ‘27, but he was being noticed. His 7’1” wing span and elite skill set stood out even if he wasn’t getting many shots during the high school season. The number of college offers climbed into double digits. During the summer club season, Branch played against players a year older than him and thrived. He ended up averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds and shooting 42% from three. In late May, he was invited to the prestigious Adidas Euro Camp. Once again, he was a year younger than everyone on his team. He took home the “Rising Star” award as his team went undefeated.

Back at Perry, Koa Peat had moved on to the University of Arizona. The rest of the starting line up graduated and even Coach Sam Duane Jr. retired. Branch transferred to P

rolific Prep Academy, where Darryn Peterson made a name for himself. In the rankings, Branch was climbing. 10th, then 6th and finally ranked 2nd in the class of ‘27 as the summer ends. In August, the number one player in the class of ‘27, Baba Oladotun from Maryland, reclassified to the class of ‘26, making Branch the de facto number one ranked player in the ‘27 group.

On November 22, Branch announced that he would reclassify and graduate with the 2026 class. With the announcement came an ESPN article that made it clear that BYU was heavily involved. It’s hard to know exactly when BYU entered the recruitment of Branch. There was never an Instagram post acknowledging an offer from BYU, the instagram post functioning as the official notary of offers between schools and players. A Sam Lance post on X acknowledged a BYU Assistant Coach attending a number of Compton Magic games in May.

It’s clear the value Branch would offer the Cougars. There’s a lot of comparisons to AJ, but he might be even more valuable sliding in for Richie Saunders at the 2. He has great positional length, could carry a lot of the ball handling load and shoots threes at a high percentage. For a class without a clear cut future pro, the brain trust of PROvo has invested heavily in Branch.

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Branch has not taken any official visits. Prolific Prep has league playoffs March 13-22 and should qualify for the Chipotle Nationals the first week of April. Branch will likely make his decision in early April. Arizona is thought to be the Cougars biggest competition. The Wildcats scored big with a number of high ranked spring commitments last season, including Koa Peat.

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Ahmed is 6’10” and likely projects as the starter next year at the Center position. Ahmed plays very similarly to current BYU big man Keba Keita. Ahmed blocks a lot of shots. He’s a rim runner and finishes at a high level out of the pick and roll. He doesn’t handle the ball and isn’t know for shooting from range. Barring transfers, the big men returning for BYU are Brody Kozlowski, Khadim Mboup and Xavion Staton. Kozlowski has perimeter shooting range and Mboup has shown an ability to defend smaller players and be aggressive on the wings. Both could play either the 4 or 5 position. Staton has unique physical gifts, but is probably limited to playing Center. Ahmed is likely to have two years of eligibility, if Ahmed wins the starting job, it will be worth watching if the former #32 ranked player in the country (Staton) is willing to wait until his senior year to start.

Most American players are able to bring their parents along on their official visits. Ahmed visited Provo over the weekend and brought Luca Desta and Ahmed Awadallah. The two are high ranking in the Basketball Africa League. Desta has been an NBA scout and executive at three different NBA teams, including most recently the Utah Jazz. Awadallah has worked as a scout and agent and has ties to former Cougar Aly Khalifa as well as local high school star Omar Mowafak. Assistant BYU Coach Will Voight has vast ties in Africa, including coaching the Egyptian professional team Zamalek in 2022.'

Pennsylvania

‘26 Anthony Thompson is a top wing who has included BYU in his final 15 schools he’s considering.  He’s 5th in scoring on the Adidas club circuit at 19.8/game.  His Western Reserve Academy school team will be playing in the Mid Atlantic Independent Team Camp in Allentown Pennsylvania this weekend.

Maryland

DMV Live II in Maryland will feature many players BYU has contacted including Darius Bivins and Derek Daniels.  BYU’s only offer for ‘28 so far belongs to Isaiah Carter who will be playing at this event with Highland.

California

The Cali Live event in Ladera Ranch, CA will certainly draw some attention.  Players on BYU’s radar include Cameron Holmes who is the 18th ranked player in the ‘26 class.  Class of ‘27 stars Darius Wabbington and Gene Roebuck and ‘28 Adan Diggs are some players BYU will have an eye on.

Rueckert Lights Up From Three

Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview) seemed to be priority number one for the Cougars as Coach Kevin Young, Coach Brandon Dunson and Director of Recruiting Justin Young were at all of his games. Rueckert shot the ball well as Timpview went 2-2, essentially earning 6th as they beat teams from California and Arizona. Here is Rueckert hitting four threes against eventual bracket champion Salesian.

Millennium has BYU’s attention

The Arizona high school won the other top bracket at the event beating Owyhee (ID) in the final. Millennium features the 18th ranked player in the class of ‘26 Cameron Holmes (6’5” Goodyear, AZ, Millennium)

as well as the the number 10 player in the class of ‘28 Adan Diggs. Both are athletic wings, with good positional height and the ability to shoot the three. In this article Holmes mentioned BYU as school that saw him often, but in a later article he mentioned five schools he wanted to visit and didn’t mention BYU. The Cougars maybe loading up on their pursuit of ‘28 recruit Diggs.

Arizona Big Man Impresses

BYU contacted Darius Wabbington, an elite center from the class of ‘27 as soon as they could contact players from the ‘27 class. Wabbington led his Sunnyslope (AZ) team to a 3-1 record (essentially 3rd) in one of top brackets. Wabbington likely has a relationship with BYU friend of the program Travis Hansen as Hansen was the Assistant Director of Wabbington’s club team for a time. Here are some highlights of Wabbington in his opening game against Utah 5A State Champ Olympus:

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If you’ve ever been to a high level national event, you’ve seen BYU assistant Brandon Dunson, he may have sunglasses on and will likely be on the phone.  He will know everyone in the building and be sitting by other elite coaches.  While all BYU coaches contribute to recruiting, Dunson is often the first point of contact for nationally ranked prospects.  Which begs the questions, where will Coach Dunson be this weekend? 

Currently the only players with public BYU offers are on the Nike(EYBL-Memphis) or Adidas(3SSB-Iowa) circuits, but the coaches will also be scouting at the UAA(UAA-Ohio) and Puma (PRO16-Kansas) events.  Let's take a closer look at 4 games where you could see Coach Dunson:

Vegas Elite vs AZ Unity, May 16 2 p.m.

Vegas Elite features Utah Prep’s Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep) who will be a big priority for the Cougars this summer.  Felesi has taken an unofficial visit to BYU, spent many years growing up in Orem and recently told a national blog of his interest in BYU.  Felesi was hampered a bit by injury in the first EYBL session and was forced to miss a game.  He still managed to average 9 points a game helping Vegas Elite to a 2-1 record.

BYU offered AZ Unity’s Cameron Holmes (6’5” Goodyear, AZ, Millennium) last summer.  Holmes is the brother of Denver Nugget DaRon Holmes II.  Holmes is ranked 19th in the ESPN rankings and averaged 16 points a game in the first EYBL session.  Holmes, like recent BYU signee A.J. Dybantsa, has let his father handle much of the early recruiting process.  It’s unknown if BYU is making progress, Holmes has a visit to Oregon scheduled for September.

Utah Prospects vs Team Final, May 17 8 p.m.

The Utah Prospects feature more players with BYU offers than any other club team and went 2-1 in the first EYBL event in April:

 Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian)

Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview)

Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy) 

Jamyn Sondrup (6’9”, Springville, UT, Springville)

Alozie averaged 21.7 points in the first session, with County and Rueckert also averaging in double figures.  

April 30, was the last day Coaches could visit players at their high schools and the Cougars visited Team Final’s Luca Foster.  Foster is from Pennsylvania and the 36th ranked player in the nation.  Foster averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds a game in the first session.

Wildcat Select vs Washington Warriors, May 17 12:30 p.m.

Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell) leads the 3SSB league in steals and assists after one event.  He scored 16.5 points a game to lead his Washington Warriors team to a 4-0 start on the circuit. The Cougars offered Bivins last summer and his stock has only gone up.  The Warriors will be challenged by the Select who feature Adam Oumiddoch who is fourth in the 3SSB in scoring at 22.0.

JL3 vs Oakland Soldiers, May 18 2 p.m.

The Cougars have offered JL3 star Elijah Williams (6’6” Birmingham, MI, Texas Military Institute).  Williams had a slow start in the first EYBL session, but finished by scoring 27 and 35 in his final two games.  Williams is the son of Monty Williams who coached the Phoenix Suns with BYU Coach Kevin Young.  This matchup will be especially fun to watch as it’s just been announced that the number one player in the country, Tyran Stokes, who did not play in the first EYBL session will play for the Oakland Soldiers in this event. 

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Cougars Offer Montonati

Wednesday it was officially announced that BYU has offered Jalen Montonati (6’6” Owasso, OK, Owasso).  BYU coaches visited Montonati at his school on April 30, which was the last day of the recruiting period.  Montonati is the 14th ranked player in the nation and widely considered one of the top shooters in the country.  He is the Oklahoma Player of the Year after scoring 34 points and leading his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game.  In a recent EYBL game, he scored 13 points, including hitting three threes in the final five minutes of the game, bringing his team from an 11-point deficit to eventually take the lead before surrendering it at the end.  Montonati broke on to the scene averaging 26 points-a-game in the prestigious City of Palms Classic in December and leading his team to multiple wins over nationally ranked teams.

Cougars in Thompson’s Top 15

Anthony Thompson (6’7” Lebanon, OH, Western Reserve Academy) is the 24th ranked player in the class and recently narrowed down the group of schools he is considering to 15.  This isn’t a huge accomplishment for BYU, as there’s clearly still water left to go under the bridge, but Thompson would fit in nicely with what the Cougars are building.  He has great positional height and can knock down the three.  He recently averaged 16 points a game in the first session of the Adidas circuit helping lead his team to an undefeated record.

Darius Bivens and Arafan Diane

BYU offered Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell) last summer and he’s continued to be one of the top true point guards in the country.  In October, he told PipelineProvo that BYU was in his top 3, but in recent interviews it seems as though Virginia and Georgetown have join the Cougars and Rutgers in his top echelon.  The Cougars offered Arafan Diane (6’11”, Montreal, QC, Iowa United Prep) last fall and Coach Linehan was in the building when Diane played two games in Salt Lake City in March.  After the first weekend of Adidas events, Bivens is leading the circuit in assists and steals.  Diane is leading the circuit in rebounding. 

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As summer arrives, the staff will turn their attention back to the high school grassroots or club circuit.  Tournaments began the last week of March and will continue into July, with June featuring tournaments for school teams instead of clubs.  The first Nike EYBL event this weekend in Mesa, Arizona will feature at least 10 players with offers from BYU.  Here are three trends to watch throughout the summer:  

1. PROvo 

BYU fans would love for the Cougars to continue to build their reputation as a place for future professional players.  BYU is actively pursuing players of that ilk and has offered the number 2, 4, 10 and 20 players in the class of ‘26 as well as a smattering of players ranked between 25-60 in the ESPN rankings.  Number 28 Austin Goosby (6’4” Melissa, TX, Melissa) and number 44 Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep) have taken visits to Provo, but we don’t know of a lot of other progress.  Comparing the time table to last year, it was almost exactly right now last year that the Dybantsa family came to Utah and toured Utah Prep as well as meeting with newly hired BYU Coach Kevin Young.

Speaking of Utah Prep, their roster creation could be a key sub plot for Cougar fans to monitor.  In the fall of 2023, Utah Prep lost to local public school Dixie in a tournament in Vegas.  By the fall of 2024 Utah Prep was nationally ranked and invited to every important tournament in the country.  Utah Prep hired a former NBA Coach, but now lost a lot of high contributing seniors.  It’s difficult to imagine Utah Prep regressing to where they were, so they’ll have to recruit a number of big names to stay at their current level.  It came out in Dybantsa’s recruiting story that many of the Utah Prep donors are also BYU donors.  It’s likely whoever Utah Prep adds will also be highly considering BYU.

2. Best Local Class Since 1990

Going into the fall of 1990, BYU was adding a nationally ranked recruiting class filled out mostly by kids from the state of Utah.  Surefire NBA prospect 7-6 Shawn Bradley, high school All-American Ryan Cuff and Randy Reid who scored more than 2000 points in high school (roughly equivalent to 28 points a game, every game since he was a freshman).  

This year’s crop of Utah players would match up well with that group.  The aforementioned Felesi is ranked 44th nationally, Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview) is ranked 59th.  The ESPN rankings only go to the top 60, but Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy) is ranked 37th by the 247sports recruiting service and Jamyn Sondrup (6’9”, Springville, UT, Springville) is just outside the top 100.  In addition, the number 10 player in the country Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian) goes to high school in Arizona, but will play on the same club team as Rueckert, County and Sondrup, so it’s likely the BYU staff will be at every game he plays this summer.  Rueckert and Sondrup have already taken a visit to Washington and Felesi and County have already taken a visit to Houston.  

It’s not a given that players from Utah immediately want to go to BYU, but BYU seems to convert local kids at a higher rate.  Rueckert lives in Provo and goes to every home football game and Felesi lived in Orem for a lot of years and likely knows a lot of alumni.  Sondrup has been coached by Travis Hansen, who assists with a lot of BYU athletic department activities, since he was young.  If BYU can continue to gain traction with this Utah group, it will give a strong foundation to the class. 

3. Third week in July Offers

The grassroots season mostly wraps the third week in July, or specifically July 20th this summer, when each shoe company will host their season ending events.  In the ‘25 class, two of the three players received their offer from BYU during this period of what is essentially the last week of the grassroots season.  Xavion Staton was offered July 11th and Chamberlain Burgess was offered July 16th.  The staff had obviously seen both players long before then, there’s many reasons they might not have offered before these dates.  I’m not a master in negotiation, but there must certainly be an urgency to offers placed at the end of the season where the team might make an extra effort to close the deal and make up for lost time.  It’s worth paying closer attention to whom the Cougars offer as the grassroots season wraps up in July.

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1.  A big that can handle or shoot.  BYU loves running the pick and roll and Keita is a fantastic rim runner off of the pick.  The problem comes when BYU is trapped off of the ball screen.  They can’t throw it back to Keita 35 feet from the hoop, unless he makes a big jump in his ballhandling.  They need a big that can pick-and-pop and even make decisions against pressuring defenses away from the hoop.

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• Almost no post players have commented publicly about interest from BYU.  It’s possible the Cougars are in talks with a foreign player.  It’s unlikely BYU will go this direction, but former local star Matthew Van Komen of Pleasant Grove High School is 9th best Center available and former Utah Ute Lawson Lovering is the 11th best Center available.

2. 3 and D guy taller than 6-5.  We’re looking for a mix of Trevin Knell with Mawot Mag.  If we’re chasing the National Championship we can’t be deciding if it’s time for defense or offense, we need a guy that brings both.  Positional height is the buzz word for the summer and BYU needs it as evidenced in the Houston and Alabama game.

• Multiple media outlets are reporting that BYU is the leading candidate for 6’6” Darrion Williams.  Williams is the third best player available in the portal and is still considering the NBA.  He was First Team All Big 12, last year as a member of Texas Tech.  When the Red Raiders beat the Cougars in Provo he had 18 points, 7 rebounds and hit 2 threes. 

3. A guard that can come off the bench and defend and make good decisions.

     BYU doesn’t have a clear backup point guard right now, but they probably don’t need one.  A.J. is probably the backup point guard and end of game point guard, so this position could be more of a wing player than a point.

• BYU hosted a visit over the weekend for Tanner Toolson.  Toolson was Second Team All Wac for UVU, shooting 35% from three.  Toolson started his career at BYU and his father and cousin both played here.  He is visiting Iowa, Gonzaga and Memphis as well.

• BYU will host a visit today and tomorrow for Martin Somerville.  The 6’3” Somerville played at Umass Lowell last season and shot 40% from three and had an effective shooting percentage of 70% in catch and shoot situations.  

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EYBL Conference Tournament

Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy)

Miikka Muurinen (6’9” Jarvenpass, Finland, AZ Compass Prep)

County and Muurinen’s teams are part of the NIKE EYBL Scholastic Conference.  A national group of 14 teams participating in events nationwide.  The top ten teams will face off in a season ending conference tournament in Fishers, Indiana on March 5-8.  County’s Wasatch Academy team is currently sitting in third place, but could tie for first place in the regular season with a victory this weekend over current number one CIA Bella Vista.  Murinan’s Arizona Compass Prep is in the clubhouse in ninth place.  They won their final three of the season and in the first round would likely face Link Academy whom they beat by 17 on February 7th.  

Utah 5A State Tournament

Chamberlain Burgess (6’9” Highland, UT, Orem)

Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview)

Jamyn Sondrup (6’9”, Springville, UT, Springville)

The second biggest classification in Utah boasts three players BYU has interest in.  All three were in the same region during the season, with Burgess’ Orem team beating Timpview twice and Springville once.  Orem secured the number one seed for the tournament.  Timpview beat Springville the only time they played and earned the three seed.  Springville got the seventh seed.  Springville could potentially play Timpview on February 26th with the winner potentially playing Orem in the State Championship game on February 28th at the University of Utah.

The Grind Session

A.J. Dybansta (6’9” Brockton, MA, Utah Prep)

Xavion Staton (6’10” Las Vegas, NV, Utah Prep)

Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian)

Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep)

Arafan Diane (6’11”, Montreal, QC, Iowa United Prep)

The Grind Session has three weekends remaining before beginning postseason play.  They’ll be in Philadelphia this weekend, Napa, California next weekend before making a stop in Jamaica.  The first round and quarterfinals will be held March 14 and 16 in Salt Lake City.  The semi finals and finals will be held the following weekend in Dallas.  If the tournament were to start today, Alozie’s Dream City Christian team would get the two seed and likely a first round bye.  Utah Prep would get the sixth seed and play Accelerated Prep who they beat by nearly 40 in November.   Arafan’s Iowa United squad would get the five seed and play Balboa, who they beat by 22 in November.

Individuals

Austin Goosby (6’4”, Melissa, TX, Melissa)

Goosby’s Melissa High team qualified for the 5A Division 1 Texas State Tournament, but fell in the first round 57-42 to Lufkin High.

Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell)

Bishop O’Connell begins play in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday. In the first round they’ll face St. Johns, who O’Connell beat by 5 both times they played this summer.  If they win, they would likely face Paul VI, who beat O’Connell by 12 the only time they played this season on February 8th.  After the conference tournament, O’Connell will play in the Virginia Division 1 State Tournament.

Jeremy Jenkins (6’7” Miami, FL, Riviera Prep)

Last night Riviera Prep defeated Miami Country Day to advance to the semi finals of the Florida 2A State Tournament.  Riviera Prep has won the 3A State Tournament the previous two years.

Darius Ratliff (6’11”, White Plains, NY, Archbishop Stepinac)

Stepinac will face St. Raymonds in the Bronx/Manhatten Archdiocesan Final on Saturday.  Stepinac beat Raymond twice during the season, both by single digits.  After the final, Stepinac will play in the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association City Tournament.

Elijah Williams

It was made public earlier this month that BYU had offered Elijah Williams.  Williams is a 6’6” wing that plays at Texas Military Institute and is ranked 25th in the class of 2026 by ESPN.  Williams is the son of Monty Williams, a former NBA Coach that has a long relationship with BYU Coach Kevin Young.  

Williams and Young were assistants together with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2018-19 season.  Williams became the Head Coach for the Phoenix Suns, where Young joined him and became his Associate Head Coach.  Williams and Young coached the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals.  Thought BYU was not mentioned in the article as one of the programs he most hears from, it’s possible, if not likely, that Coach Young has known Elijah Williams since he was 10-years-old and may be able to leverage his relationship with his father. 

Darius Ratliff

Darius Ratliff is 6’10”, plays for Archbishop Stepinac in New York and is ranked 51st in the class of 2026 by ESPN.  Ratliff is the son of NBA player Theo Ratliff.  Theo played 16 season in the NBA and was number one in blocked shots three different seasons.  Theo was also a thorn in the side for Cougar nation as he attended Wyoming from 91-95.  Darius has a twin brother named Adonis, but apparently BYU has not officially offered Adonis.  Ratliff fits well in trajectory of BYU recruiting length for their NBA style offense.

Nate Ament Update

Ament had 22 points and 11 rebounds as his Highland high school team defeated highly ranked Prolific Prep at the prestigious HoopHall event in Massachusetts.  Ament is the number 4 ranked recruit in the country and top remaining unsigned recruit.  Ament recently included BYU in his list of final schools he’s considering.  It’s likely no decision will be made until late February, early March.

Nate Ament (6’9” Manassas, VA, Highland) is the number four player nationally and the top undecided player in the country.  Today, he released a list of the final 11 schools he’s considering and included BYU on his list.  Since at least September, BYU Coach Brandon Dunson has been seen at many of Ament’s games.  BYU’s inclusion is a little bit of a surprise as Ament never mentioned an official offer from BYU.  His instagram lists 36 schools that have offered him and does not include BYU.  He has taken visits to Notre Dame, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, Virginia, Duke and Virginia Tech.  The two Virginia schools didn’t make his final 11.

Ament played against A.J.’s Utah Prep team in November.  You can see the highlights, stats, and analysis of the game.  Ament, like Dybantsa has great length and shoots and dribbles at an elite level.  Signing him would certainly raise BYU to an even higher stratosphere, but questions remain.   Is BYU one check away from signing two top five players in the country?  After hearing of Dybantsa’s financial arrangement, is Ament using BYU to leverage higher offers from another school?  The betting site Fanstake currently has Louisville as the favorite, with BYU in 6th.  The recruiting website 247 that frequently offers crystal ball predictions for players, currently has no guess on Ament.

Ament has commented: “I’ve heard from BYU some, and they’ve been to a practice. I’ve actually talked with AJ since he committed. You know, having me and AJ on the same team, two high-level wings, would be enticing for us to both grow as freshmen, pursuing our dreams of the NBA. So that would put them a little more into play for me since AJ committed.”

Players of the Week

Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian) Alozie showed out this weekend at the Grind Session event in Kentucky.  Matched up against a Kansas commit and Prolific Prep, Alozie went for 30 points 10 rebounds and 3 assists. 

Arafan Diane (6’11”, Montreal, QC, Iowa United Prep) At the same event, Diane had 21 points and 14 rebounds as his Iowa United team won by 22 points.

Cougar on Cougar Crime

Two games featured BYU targets playing each.  Junior County’s Wasatch Academy (UT) team defeated Darius Bivins Bishop O’Connell (VA) te

am in the Bahamas 64-52. Dean Rueckert’s Timpview (UT) team defeated Jeremy Jenkin’s Riviera Prep (FL) team 66-64 in Las Vegas.

Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview)

Rueckert’s stock may have risen as much as anyone in the nation as Timpview played at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas the week before Christmas.  Rueckert averaged 27 points, 6.25 rebounds and hit 19 threes in four games as the T-Birds went 3-1 against some of the top teams in the nation.  Timpview beat Nevada State Champion Bishop Gorman and Florida State Champion Riviera Prep.  

Rueckert drew rave reviews for his performance against Tyran Stokes, the number one player in the nation for the class of ‘26.  Stokes had 32 and led his team to the victory, but Rueckert matched him basket for basket and finished with 31 points and 6 threes.

Cameron Holmes (6’5” Goodyear, AZ, Millennium)

Cameron Holmes was perhaps on the biggest stage of any BYU prospect as his Millennium High team played in the City of Palms Classic in Fort Meyers, Florida, which has been called the top tournament in the country.  Holmes averaged 22.7 points and 8 rebounds in three games.  He had a 27 point, 10 rebound performance against the number one team in the nation Montverde Academy.  He was able to keep the game close, but Millennium fell by five.

Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian)

Alozie’s Dream City Christian squad also played in the City of Palms Classic, but only played two games in the showcase division.  Alozie, who is playing point guard for the first time this year, nearly averaged a triple double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in his first game and 11 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in his second game.

A.J. Dybansta (6’9” Brockton, MA, Utah Prep), Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep)

Utah Prep spent Christmas on the islands.  They played in Iolani classic the week before Christmas, winning the tournament title with wins over nationally ranked Brewster Academy and Oak Hill Academy.

After Christmas Utah Prep participated in the Grind Session event in Hilo, Hawaii.  In their first game Dybantsa had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.  Felesi added 12 points as Utah Prep won by 42 over Elite Prep.  

The next evening Dybantsa had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  Felesi had 12 points and Utah Prep beat Albuquerque Prep by 40.

Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell)

Bivin’s Bishop O’Connell team played two games in the Bahamas before Christmas and then played four in South Carolina for the Beach Ball Classic.  Bivins was the MVP of the Beach Ball classic with an 18 point 6 rebound performance in the finals.

Chamberlain Burgess (6’9” Highland, UT, Orem)

Burgess averaged 18.6 points per game as his Orem High team went to Tennessee to play some of the best teams in the south. Burgess was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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Five players with BYU interests will take the court at Lehi high school this week.  The event will feature national level teams and has produced memorable moments over the years.  This will be the first game fans can see A.J. Dybansta (6’9” Brockton, MA, Utah Prep) since his signing to BYU was announced.  This will also be a good weekend to catch class of 2026 targets Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep) and Dean Rueckert (6’6” Provo, UT, Timpview) who both moved into the ESPN Top 60 rankings after previously being unranked.

Thursday December 12th

8 p.m. Wasatch Academy (UT) vs iSchool of Lewisville (TX)

Wasatch won this matchup 83-54 when these two met last January at a different event. Wasatch is coming off an undefeated weekend in Maryland where they beat two tough Washington D.C. teams.  BYU target Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy) averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in those two games.  A few NBA players hail from Lewisville, including the Utah Jazz’s Keyonte George, but iSchool is still relatively new and up and coming.

Wasatch Academy

Isiah Harwell (Houston) #14 ESPN

Katrelle Harmon ‘26 (Texas Tech, USC, Auburn)

Junior County ‘26 (BYU, Purdue, Houston) 

iSchool of Lewisville

David Iweze (Utah State)

Jaylen Lawal (Tulsa)

Friday December 13th

3 p.m. Wasatch Academy (UT) vs St. Raymond (NY)

St. Raymond is currently ranked in the top 50 nationally in various publications.  In November, St. Raymonds went undefeated on a trip to play against some of the best teams in Texas.  The Ravens are making their first trip to the Lehi event.

Wasatch Academy

See Above

St. Raymond

Brandon Stores (Georgia Tech)

Tai Turnage (Creighton, Mississippi St., Fordham)

6 p.m. Orem (UT) vs Duncanville (TX)

This is a revenge game as Orem beat Duncanville at this event last year 86-81. Duncanville won the 2022 MaxPreps National Championship. That year they beat American Fork at this event. Orem is 7-0 this season and has already beat two teams from out-of-state (Sierra Canyon(CA), Kahuku (HI))

Orem

Chamberlain Burgess (BYU) 

Jax Allen (Utah State) 

Chance Dastrup (Long Beach St.) 

Duncanville

Kayden Edwards (TCU)

Cameron Smith (St. Bonaventure, UTEP, Arkansas St.)

Beckham Black ‘27 (SMU, TCU, USC)

Christopher Hunt ‘27 (Sam Houston, Texas St.)

Saturday December 14th

4:30 p.m. Timpview (UT) vs Harvard-Westlake (CA)

Harvard-Westlake is the defending California Open Division State Champion.  They are currently ranked number 17 in the nation by ESPN.  This game is a rematch from a summer event in Phoenix in which BYU target Dean Rueckert had 16 points and 9 rebounds.  Timpview was ahead at halftime, but Harvard-Westlake was able to pull ahead and win 49-44.

Timpview

Dean Rueckert ‘26 (BYU, Utah, Washington) 

Will Openshaw ‘26 (Offer from Pepperdine)

Harvard-Westlake

Nik Khamenia (Duke)

Isaiah Carroll (Offer from Cal Poly)

Joe Sterling ‘26 (San Francisco, Washington, Utah Tech)

Cole Holden ‘27 (Offer from Vanguard)

6:00 p.m. Duncanville (TX) vs Utah Prep (UT)

Last chance local Utah fans will have to see Dybantsa until March.  Utah Prep is looking to get on the right track after going 0-2 last weekend in an event in Kentucky.

Duncanville 

See Above

Utah Prep

A.J. Dybantsa (BYU) 

J.J. Mandaquit (Washington)

John Southwick (Utah Valley)

Jackson Rasmussen (Idaho)

Anthony Felisi ‘26 (BYU, Kentucky, Houston) 

9:00 p.m. St. Raymond (NY) vs Orem (UT)

BYU Signee Chamberlain Burgess (6’9” Highland, UT, Orem) is averaging 14.9 points a game this season for Orem.  After this tournament they gear up for an event down south where they could play top teams from Tennessee, Georgia, California or Texas.

Key players from both teams - See Above

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Friday, the 33rd ranked player in the 2026 class announced he had an offer from BYU.  Austin Goosby is a 6’5” wing from Melissa, Texas.  He has 11 offers, including Kansas and Texas.  He has taken an unofficial visit to Texas and was at the Texas vs UCONN game yesterday.  He also has a relative or friend, Trevor Goosby, who is an offensive lineman on the Texas football team.  You can check out some Goosby high lights here, here or here.

A.J. Update

Thursday A.J. Dybansta (6’9” Brockton, MA, Utah Prep) revealed the final four schools he’s considering: BYU, Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina.  The biggest surprise on this list is the omission of Kansas St. as many thought they were serious contenders.  Dybantsa recently signed a deal with Nike, so Kansas, an Adidas school, is thought to be on the outside looking in.  Dybantsa’s father, Ace, was in attendance Wednesday as Alabama won at North Carolina.

Utah Prep played at the Grind Session stop in Kentucky this weekend.  Saturday night, Utah Prep played Prolific Prep.  Prolific Prep is Dybantsa’s former team and features the #2 player in the country Kansas-bound Darryn Peterson.  Prolific Prep emerged victorious, but Dybantsa had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.  In a loss Friday to Dream City Christian and ‘26 BYU target Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian), Dybantsa had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

Upcoming Games

12/13

Miikka Muurinen (6’9” Jarvenpass, Finland, AZ Compass Prep)

#18 Brewster(NH) vs #25 Arizona Compass Prep(AZ) - As part of the NBA Cup, some of the top teams in the country will gather in Las Vegas this weekend. Compass Prep will play Brewster, the alma mater of BYU point guard Elijah Crawford.  

12/14

Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell) 

Bishop O’Connell(VA) @ #16 Sidwell Friends(DC) - This is a matchup of two of the top teams in Washington DC area. Sidwell is the Washington DC AA State Champions.

12/12-14

Holiday Hoopfest (Lehi, UT)

The hoopfest will bring together five BYU targets over the course of three days.  The most interesting games will feature St. Raymond from the Bronx.  St. Raymond is ranked #44 nationally and will play Orem (Chamberlain Burgess (6’9” Highland, UT, Orem)) and Wasatch Academy ((Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy))

Despite playing for a school named Utah Prep, number one ranked recruit A.J. Dybantsa (6’9” Brockton, MA, Utah Prep) will play a maximum of five games in Utah and two of those games were this past week.  Fans looking to see the version of Dybantsa that scored 43 points in a game earlier this season settled for a more nuanced version of Dybantsa.  

Checking out the box scores for his games against Link Academy and Mt. Zion two things stand out: 1) He was the leading rebounder both games. 2) He shot more free throws than the opposing team in both games.  It’s not absurd that he would be the leading rebounder.  He’s 6’9”, has long arms and freakish athleticism.  It’s worth pointing out that he’s essentially a point guard, rebounding from the wing, which would give the coaching staff the flexibility to pair him with other bigs to create juggernaut rebounding lineups.  His free throw rate would be a huge addition to the Cougars.  Last season BYU made fewer trips to the line than their opponent in 14 out of 18 games in Big12 play and ranked 289th in attempts in the NCAA for the season. 

Who’s next?

As fun as the ride has been, Dybantsa is likely to commit this month.  Whether Dybansta commits to BYU or goes elsewhere, come January fans will be thinking about the portal and the 2026 class.  One might wonder, will there be a Dybansta in the 2026 class?

If you think about Dybansta as the number one player in the country, yes, BYU has offered the current number one player in the 2026 class Brandon McCoy Jr. (6’4” Bellflower, CA, St. John Bosco).  McCoy was not at this tournament and BYU doesn’t seem to be in a position of strength for his services, but the same was true at this point last year in regards to Dybantsa.  If you think about Dybantsa as an elite athlete that would be difficult for any opponent to matchup with, Miikka Muurinen (6’9” Jarvenpass, Finland, AZ Compass Prep) fits the bill.  At his size he displayed a great touch from deep and an outstanding ability to defend on the wing and in the post.  Murrinen has offers from nearly every traditional power and has already taken an official visit to rival Utah, but will likely be a high priority for BYU as the summer kicks in.

Player Comparisons

Difficult to compare current high school players and forecast how they would fit in a system years from now, but a few players at the tournament this weekend didn’t seem much different from the players rolled out in San Diego over the weekend. It’s worth noting there are not point guard comparisons, BYU has offered three of the point guards in the country and will hope to maintain Dallin Hall and Elijah Crawford. There are also not Trevin Knell comparisons, finding a pure shooter will likely be an area of focus for the Cougars in the portal.

Fousseyni Traore - Jamyn Sondrup (6’9”, Springville, UT, Springville)

As BYU evolves into a more NBA style program, they will recruit less and less back-to-the-basket big men.  Early this season Traore, who is 3rd on the team in scoring and 2nd on the team in rebounding, is showing there’s still a spot for a traditional Center.  Sondrup has similarities to Fouss with his soft hands around the basket, high level passing ability and ability bang with bigger bodies under the hoop.

Richie Saunders - Junior County (6’4”, Highland, UT, Wasatch Academy)

County is a high level glue guy.  He can score on all three levels, but doesn’t need to shoot to impact the game.  He can guard the opposing team’s best wing.  He raises the energy of his team by sprinting on every cut and frequently diving for balls.  He’s already taken visits to Purdue and Houston.

Kanon Catchings - Anthony Felesi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep)

A lot of people went to the Utah Prep game expecting to see highlights from Dybansta walked away from the game talking about Felesi.  He had a number of transition dunks and played elite wing defense. BYU is thought to be an interesting destination for Felesi, but he also has interest from Houston and Kentucky.