Kevin Young has BYU basketball preparing for a sequel better than the original

OREM — Kevin Young hasn't been playing with a full deck through two weeks of early preseason workouts and a first look at the 2025-26 BYU men's basketball team, but he has ran through practices in the Marriott Center Annex is a sight to behold.

The No. 1 recruit in the nation, AJ Dybantsa, has been "as advertised" — and then some, as the 6-foot-9 jumbo wing who many consider to already be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has displayed an array of passing that caught even Young off guards at times.

The early practices were two-fold at BYU, Young explains: to give new players like Dybantsa, fellow freshman Xavion Staton, and a group of transfers like Idahos' Tyler Mrus and Washington's Dominique Diomande a chance to start working with a core group of returners that include leading scorer Richie Saunders, starting big Keba Keita, emerging stretch post Mihailo Boskovic, and shot maker Dawson — right down to former manager Jared McGregor, who for a moment was the only point guard on BYU's roster.

But it also gives Dybantsa a few extra workouts before he reports to training camp with USA Basketball, and the U-19 national team ahead of this summer's World Cup in Switzerland.

But what caught Young's mind the most — outside perhaps of Dybantsa's passing, Khadim Mboup's motor, and Brody Kozlowski's shooting — was how similar this year's squad was to last year's roster.

"It's been really competitive, which was a trademark of last year's workouts," Young told KSL.com, in between bites of a brisket taco at a fan event this week sponsored by Redmond Farms. "We're just trying to get these guys to understand how we want to play, and let them play a lot of basketball together. That was the goal, and so far it's been good."

Young was a special guest of the Orem-based company, as were many of his players, including Dybantsa, Saunders, Staton and Baker, among others. Fans got a chance to mingle with their favorite rising stars at BYU, collect autographs, and taking selfies with the roster of top-tier talent in Provo that has the Cougars as an early pick for a potential Final Four for the first time in program history.

Young is certainly scheduling like a top NCAA Tournament seed, with confirmed nonconference games against UConn (near Dybantsa's hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts); Dayton, Georgetown and Miami in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando; Villanova in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas; and Wisconsin in the Delta Center on Nov. 21.

Building on a talented roster ranked as high as third nationally by CBS Sports has some experts projecting the Cougars as a Final Four-caliber team.

But Young feels confident in the roster he and his staff have put together, which includes top-tier freshmen like Dybantsa and Staton but also veteran transfers like Mrus, a 38.2% 3-point shooter last year at Idaho who dropped 17 points Nov. 16 against the Cougars in the Marriott Center.

It's easy to focus on the newcomers BYU added, whether by high-level NIL offerings or the chance to play in front of one of the premier crowds in college basketball (the truth is, you need to both to assemble that level).

But the Cougars' start toward building on last year's Sweet 16 appearance for the first time since 2011 didn't just start with the top-rated recruit in the country. It started with retaining its core, including the Big 12's most improved player who averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game including 43% 3-point shooting in Saunders.

"Look at the teams who made it to the Final Four, and retention of last year's roster was a commonality in all of them," Young said. "I think we got back over 50% of our minutes played from last year, with Keba, Richie, Dawson, Mihailo, even to J Mac — he was super important throughout the season.

"We have guys who know what we're about, and we don't have to re-teach every little thing. Honestly, I probably underestimated how important that was. But we were able to pick up right where we left off with workouts, not just with players, but with staff, managers, GAs; that continuity piece was critical."

That continuity also extends to the coaching roster, where Young is currently set to bring back assistants Will Voigt, Brandon Dunson, Chris Burgess, Tim Fanning and John Linehan for a second season.

That's "currently" because Young recognizes — half joking, but with his candid dry sense of humor that includes a touch of realism — that his unique blending of coaches could see someone leave at a moment's notice for a job in Europe or the pros.

"But that was a point of emphasis, and I give our administration credit," he quickly added. "They wanted to keep everybody in there, and we were able to retain our group — which goes long past just the players."

Perhaps as long as the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next April. The road starts now.

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