PROVO, Utah – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was one of five players named to the AP Preseason All-American on Monday morning.
Dybants becomes the second Cougar since 1986 to earn the honor and first since Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11. He is the lone underclassman on the list and is joined by Purdue’s Braden Smith, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, Florida’s Alex Condon and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.
The 6-foot-9 forward scored a team-high 30 points for the Cougars on Saturday in their exhibition contest at Nebraska. He went 10-of-19 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
AJ Dybantsa put up 30 in his BYU debut 👀 @AJ_Dybantsa (via @BYUMBB) pic.twitter.com/dGVlfL3Va7
— Overtime (@overtime) October 18, 2025
The No. 1 recruit in the country enters his freshman season as three-time FIBA gold medalist after leading USA Basketball to the gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland during the summer. He was named the Most Valuable Player after averaging 14.1 points per game and helping the American win their ninth team title.
No. 8 BYU concludes the exhibition portion of its schedule on Friday, Oct. 24, when the Cougars host No. 25 North Carolina at the Delta Center as part of The Bad Boy Mowers Series. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.