Dybantsa named to Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Mid Season Top 10 List

PROVO, Utah – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Mid Season Top 10 list, the Naismith Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday morning.

The freshman is one of three players from the Big 12 on the list joined by Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou and Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic.

2026 Naismith Starting 5 - Julius Erving Small Forwarod of the Year Mid Season Top 10 List
Name	School
Tounde Yessoufou	Baylor
AJ Dybantsa	BYU
Thomas Haugh	Florida
Andrej Stojaković	Illinois
Milan Momcilovic	Iowa State
Ryan Conwell	Louisville
Coen Carr	Michigan State
Nate Ament	Tennessee
Dailyn Swain	Texas
Chad Baker-Mazara	USC

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2025-26 season

Dybantsa ranks second in the nation in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from three and 76.1 percent from the free throw line. He also ranks second on the team in rebounds (134), steals (26) and assists (58).

As of Wednesday morning, he also ranks in the Top 10 nationally in triple-doubles (3^rd), points scored (5^th), field goals (9^th), free throws (10^th) and free throw attempts (10^th).

He has scored in double figures in all 21 of his games as a Cougar which is the third-longest streak to begin a career in Big 12 history trailing only Oklahoma’s Trae Young and Texas’ Kevin Durant. His three 30-point games this season are the most by a BYU freshman program history breaking the previous record held by Danny Ainge and Mekeli Wesley.

The native of Brockton, Mass. scored a BYU freshman record 43 points in BYU’s 91-78 win over Utah on Jan. 24, going 15-of-254 from the field, 4-of-5 from three and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. His 43-point outburst is the tied for the eighth-most points in a single game in program history regardless of classification with Jimmer Fredette, who scored 43 in a Top 10 matchup against San Diego State on Jan. 26, 2011.

In BYU’s final non-conference game of the regular season, Dybantsa became the first player in Big 12 history with a 30/10/10 triple-double of the points, assists and rebounds variety as he finished with 33 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a victory over Eastern Washington. It was also the first 30/10/10 triple-double in program history.

Dybantsa and No. 16 BYU take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater tonight. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on FS1.

About the Julius Erving Award
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 both of the remaning round starting on Friday, Feb. 6, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.

In mid-March, the Mid-Season Top 10 list will be narrowed to just five, and in late 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.