The top story for BYU sports in 2024 belongs to a 17-year-old kid who has only visited campus a handful of times — but AJ Dybantsa’s decision to come to Provo to play basketball in 2025 takes the cake, according to the “Y’s Guys” podcast.
When the nation’s No. 1 prep recruit revealed his choice on ESPN’s “First Take” on Dec. 10, he took BYU basketball to a place it had never been before. Here was a young man with no previous attachment to the school or its church sponsor, who was picking the Cougars over his other finalists — Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama — because he felt BYU was a better place to prepare for the NBA and a better fit for his brief college experience.
The announcement dominated ESPN’s coverage and social media and gave BYU more instant street cred than at any time in program history, including the Danny Ainge years and Jimmermania. In short order, a season-opening game against Villanova at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was announced for next November, with more events like it to be announced.
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Time will reveal the true impact of Dybantsa’s decision to play at BYU, both in productivity and with future recruits. However, when it comes to putting the Cougars in the spotlight, what he did in one day far surpassed any of the days before him and makes Dybantsa the No. 1 BYU sports story of 2024.
Dybantsa edged out BYU’s 36-14 victory over Colorado for the top spot. The No. 17 Cougars dominated the No. 23 Buffaloes in front of 64,000 fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio and with millions watching on television. ABC’s ratings have not been released, but Saturday’s prime-time thrashing is expected to be the most watched BYU sporting event in history — and the richest, with the bowl payout at $8.25 million per team.
The rest of the “Y’s Guys” Top 10 BYU sports stories includes: 3) BYU football team finishes second year in the Big 12 with an 11-2 record; 4) The Cougars sign NBA prospects Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings; 5) BYU hires Kevin Young as new basketball coach; 6) Mark Pope leaves BYU for the head job at Kentucky; 7) BYU’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams sweep the national championships; 8) BYU basketball reaches the NCAA Tournament; 9) Lauren Gustin becomes BYU’s all-time leading rebounder; and 10) BYU Olympians competing in Paris.
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.
