AJ Dybantsa provided hundreds of highlights during his freshman year at BYU.<\/p>\n
But one moment in particular stands out most for me.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t part of a special showcase matchup or prestigious TV window. It didn\u2019t come in a tournament setting, nor against an NCAA Tournament team. BYU didn\u2019t even win the game where it happened.<\/p>\n
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Instead, it occurred on an undistinguished Wednesday night in early February, and in a half-empty arena in Oklahoma<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the Cougars visited Oklahoma State<\/a> on Feb. 4, Dybantsa poured in 36 points with seven rebounds and four assists, making 13 of 20 total shot attempts and going 5 for 8 from 3-point range.<\/p>\n It was another elite offensive outing for Dybantsa, as those had seemingly become routine for him by that point in the campaign and would continue to occur into the postseason.<\/p>\n However, as outstanding as Dybantsa was that night, his scoring 36 points and netting five triples aren\u2019t what made it such a significant memory.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Instead, I was most struck by what his scoring showcase did to the people around me.<\/p>\n As I watched from press row at Gallagher-Iba Arena, the handful of local Oklahoma media members sitting nearby were in absolute awe of Dybantsa. Every time he got a bucket, whether it came on an outside jumper or tough trip down the lane, resulted in an audible, unbridled reaction from the media folk. Some gasped or exclaimed in amazement. Others would say something along the lines of \u201cyou can\u2019t be serious\u201d or \u201cthis is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n None of them could believe what they were seeing, and I had never witnessed such captivation on press row. It felt how I\u2019d imagine the initial audiences for \u201cStar Wars\u201d reacted back in 1977.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t like these media members hadn\u2019t seen great basketball before. Some of them covered the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> and their league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>. The NBA\u2019s No. 1 draft pick in 2021, Cade Cunningham<\/a>, had played at Oklahoma State, and plenty of other top Big 12 talents had come to play in Stillwater over the years as well.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Yet Dybantsa had the Oklahoma media practically in hysterics. I always believed Dybantsa was a special player, but perhaps watching his consistent excellence made me a bit numb to just how impressive he truly was. Seeing others around me so blown away by Dybantsa helped me put it all into perspective.<\/p>\n In a little less than a month, Dybantsa will hear his name called at the NBA draft, potentially as its No. 1 selection. BYU may not land another player quite like him ever again, but the show he put on in Provo this past year will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n Truthfully, I don\u2019t think Dybantsa\u2019s Oklahoma State outburst was even among his five best games as a Cougar \u2014 it\u2019s probably barely inside his top 10. That\u2019s just how good he was.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look back at the most premier performances from Dybantsa at BYU.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Conference tournament takeoverMarch 10 against Kansas State<\/a> in the Big 12 tournament<\/p>\n Prior to the start of the Big 12 tournament, it was announced that Arizona<\/a>\u2019s Jaden Bradley<\/a> had been named conference Player of the Year over Dybantsa.<\/p>\n Bradley\u2019s selection was somewhat surprising, considering Dybantsa had led the nation in scoring and would go on to make the All-America First Team.<\/p>\n While Dybantsa did offer praise in saying Bradley\u2019s honor was \u201cwell-deserved,\u201d he made quite a statement regarding the snub in his next time on the court.<\/p>\n Facing Kansas State \u2014 and win-or-go-home stakes \u2014 in the Big 12 tournament\u2019s opening round, Dybantsa exploded for 40 points<\/a>, nine rebounds and six assists in his first taste of postseason play.<\/p>\n Prior to Dybantsa, only one player had ever scored 40 points in a Big 12 tournament game, with Dybantsa becoming the first freshman to accomplish the feat.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Of BYU\u2019s 86 points from its starting five, nearly 47% came from Dybantsa, who shot 15 of 21 from the field, swiped three steals on defense and finished with a plus\/minus of +25 in the Cougars\u2019 105-91 victory.<\/p>\n Dybantsa scored 93 total points across three Big 12 tournament appearances, breaking Kevin Durant<\/a>\u2019s 19-year scoring record at the event.<\/p>\n History over the holidaysDec. 22 against Eastern Washington<\/a> at the Marriott Center<\/p>\n Three days before Christmas, Dybantsa put a perfect bow on BYU\u2019s nonconference slate.<\/p>\n Dybantsa posted 33 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Eastern Washington, notching a triple-double<\/a> \u2014 the first at BYU since 2016 \u2014 in just his 13th collegiate contest.<\/p>\n Until Dybantsa, no Cougar had ever put up 30 points in a triple-double \u2014 it had never happened in 124 seasons of basketball at BYU.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Dybantsa also became the youngest owner of such a stat line in NCAA history, along with the first Division-I player this century with a 30-point triple-double on 80% shooting.<\/p>\n Rocking the rivalryJan. 24 against Utah at the Marriott Center<\/p>\n While his time in Provo only saw two matchups against rival Utah, Dybantsa clearly made the most of them.<\/p>\n Dybantsa\u2019s second meeting with the Runnin\u2019 Utes resulted in a career-high 43 points, cementing his place within rivalry lore forever.<\/p>\n Utah chose to double-team Dybantsa rather infrequently, allowing him to sink 15 of 24 shot attempts \u2014 and 4 of 5 3-pointers \u2014 in BYU\u2019s highest-ever individual scoring performance against Utah.<\/p>\n The 43-point effort also broke the Cougars\u2019 record for most freshman points in a single game \u2014 a mark held by Danny Ainge for 43 years before Dybantsa\u2019s dominant night, which also included six rebounds, three assists and a block.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Greatness at the GardenDec. 9 against Clemson<\/a> in New York City<\/p>\n Dybantsa will likely make dozens of visits to Madison Square Garden during his NBA career, especially if he\u2019s drafted by the Washington Wizards<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, his first time playing at \u201cthe Mecca of basketball\u201d for the Jimmy V Classic will be hard to top.<\/p>\n You may remember Rob Wright III\u2019s game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap a historic BYU comeback<\/a> and stun Clemson \u2014 but don\u2019t forget about Dybantsa\u2019s late heroics in helping to erase such a daunting deficit. He completely took over the game.<\/p>\n After BYU trailed Clemson by 21 points at halftime, Dybantsa scored or assisted on 34 of the Cougars\u2019 45 second-half points. He scored more second-half points on his own (22) than Clemson did as a team (21), outshooting the Tigers (7 of 11 against 7 of 27) during that same span.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Additionally, after having scored 20 points after halftime, Dybantsa pivoted to playmaking, leveraging his immense gravity to dish out assists on four straight possessions.<\/p>\n In all, Dybantsa tallied 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists \u2014 all personal bests at the time that were each surpassed in his next three games.<\/p>\n But those numbers become even more impressive when factoring in the stage and circumstances involved.<\/p>\n Playing in the world\u2019s most famous arena and in front of a national television audience, Dybantsa turned into a do-it-all, dynamic one-man wrecking crew capable of putting the team on his back.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Stunning the CyclonesFeb. 21 against No. 6 Iowa State<\/a> at the Marriott Center<\/p>\n BYU\u2019s signature win of the past season also proved to be Dybantsa\u2019s signature performance as a Cougar.<\/p>\n Against the No. 6-ranked Cyclones, Dybantsa played all 40 minutes to provide a near triple-double of 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, leading BYU to an electric 79-69 upset victory.<\/p>\n The offense was certainly tremendous, but Dybantsa\u2019s defense was his most valuable contribution by far. He drew the assignment of guarding Cyclones leading scorer Milan Momcilovic<\/a> and essentially rendered him invisible, as the typically prolific shooter was held to just five points with one made field goal.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In addition to locking down Momcilovic, Dybantsa had a block, steal and forced nine Cyclone stops.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re lukewarm on Dybantsa as an NBA prospect, watch his film against Iowa State. It\u2019s some of his best evidence for being the No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n Other notable performances<\/p>\n Nov. 3 against Villanova in Las Vegas: 21 points, 9 of 18 shooting, six rebounds, three assists.<\/p>\n