BOSTON, Mass. – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was one of 30 players named to the Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List on Thursday afternoon.
The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at Arizona. During that stretch he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.
Through 11 games, Dybantsa is averaging a team-high 21.1 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from three and 74.3 percent from the free throw line. He is also averaging 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.
There are only two Div. I players averaging:
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) December 17, 2025
21+ PPG
7+ RPG
3+ APG
1+ SPG
while shooting 55%+ from the field--
BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer.
(Shout-out to Richie, who knew what was coming last night) pic.twitter.com/4MBCZkCd5M
The 6-foot-9 forward has scored 20 points in four consecutive games following his 23-point performance against Pacific on Tuesday making him the first Cougar to have 20-plus in four consecutive games since Tyler Haws in January 2015. During that stretch, he scored a career-high 28 points, 22 of those coming after halftime, in BYU’s comeback win over Clemson in the Jimmy V Classic.
No. 10 BYU returns to action on Friday, Dec. 19, when the Cougars host Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT on TNT.