PROVO, Utah – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is one of five players from the Big 12 named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watchlist on Wednesday morning.
The nation’s top recruit according to ESPN’s Top 100 is one of six freshmen to make the list, joined by Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou, Duke’s Dame Sarr, Houston’s Isiah Harwell, Tennessee’s Nate Ament and UConn’s Baylon Mullins.
| 2026 Naismith Starting 5 - Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List | |
| Name | School |
| Karter Knox | Arkansas |
| Tounde Yessoufou | Baylor |
| AJ Dybantsa | BYU |
| Dame Sarr | Duke |
| Derrion Reid | Oklahoma |
| Isiah Harwell | Houston |
| Andrej Stojaković | Illinois |
| Tucker DeVries | Indiana |
| Milan Momcilovic | Iowa State |
| Coen Carr | Michigan State |
| Darrion Williams | NC State |
| Devin Royal | Ohio State |
| Fletcher Loyer | Purdue |
| Miles Byrd | San Diego State |
| Nate Ament | Tennessee |
| Dailyn Swain | Texas |
| LeJuan Watts | Texas Tech |
| Eric Dailey Jr. | UCLA |
| Braylon Mullins | UConn |
| Chad Baker-Mazara | USC |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2025-26 season
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward, has averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in BYU’s two exhibitions this season, including a 30-point performance against Nebraska on Oct. 18. He went 10-of-19 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 8-of-8 from the free throw line against the Huskers to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
Dybantsa followed that up with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, three blocks and an assist in BYU’s 78-76 win over fellow Top 5 recruit Caleb Wilson and No. 25 North Carolina last Friday evening in Salt Lake City.
casual @AJ_Dybantsa behavior
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 25, 2025
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/6O4sPo7fG4
In the summer, the native of Brockton, Mass. was named the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U19 World Cup after leading USA Basketball to the gold medal for a ninth time in program history. He averaged 14.3 points per game, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 84.0 percent from the free throw line.
The Cougars open the 2025-26 season on Monday, Nov. 3, when they face-off against Villanova at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
About the Julius Erving Award
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 12th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in Divsion I men's college basketball.
The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 17-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 12th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
Fans are encouraged to participate in fan voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees are composted of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five.