3 Takeaways from Hoopfest
BYU targets shine on National Stage
AJ Comes to Town
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.