PORTLAND, Ore. — For one last time at the Moda Center, AJ Dybantsa walked off the court in front of BYU faithful and threw up a shaka and a thank you for what may be the last time in front of a fan base that has embraced him.
The five-star freshman from Brockton, Massachusetts, hasn't officially decided if Thursday night's 79-71 loss to 11th-seeded Texas in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament will be his last in a Cougar uniform.
But if it is, and assuming it is for a presumptive top pick in June's NBA draft, the 6-foot-9 jumbo wing left it all on the court.
Dybantsa had 35 points and 10 rebounds, assisted on another bucket, and made nearly half of BYU's 24 made field goals in the loss. He and teammate Robert Wright III combined for 49 of the Cougars' 71 points, as well as four of the sixth-seeded Cougars' six assists.
But when asked how long it might take until he reveals his future plans, he offered only an ethereal "plenty of time" and "weeks" to let his decision be known.
"Just talk to my family; my mom, ultimately," he said with a smile. "She kind of is the big boss. She kind of makes the decisions in life."
The decision will come down to an NBA career that his been Dybantsa's goal his entire life, or a return to a place that has grown on the longtime draft prospect who finished high school at nearby Utah Prep before what many assume would be his lone season of college basketball.
"I love this place," Dybantsa said. "I'm happy I chose here. I definitely made the right decision.
"I knew coming in I made the right decision," he added. "Ever since my visit with the coaching staff, how it's just a family atmosphere, talking to the academic adviser, everything about this place; I'm just happy."
As BYU barrels into a premature offseason, the composition of a roster that will never be the same is top of mind. Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, Jared McGregor and Mihailo Boskovic have played their final minutes as seniors.
Dawson Baker could have been a part of that group, but a mid-season knee injury will give the former UC Irvine transfer another season of eligibility "if he wants it," assistant coach Brandon Dunson said.
Kennard Davis Jr. told reporters in Thursday's postgame locker room the former Southern Illinois transfer who averaged 8.5 points in 32 starts plans to return to BYU next season.
Wright's decision hasn't been made. But the former All-Big 12 freshman at Baylor said it will come down to turning pro, or returning to BYU.
As far as this year's team, Young said Wright was "a humongous get for us" to pair with Dybantsa and Saunders, an attempt to build a "Big 3" with enormous expectations and Final Four dreams once the former No. 1 recruit in the country came to Provo for the first time in program history.
Those expectations never materialized, though not for lack of trying.
Five season-ending injuries — as early as the season opener when former UC Riverside shooter Nate Pickens was pronounced done for the year, but also Baker, Brody Kozlowski, Xavion Staton and finally Saunders — curtailed expectations almost before the season began.
But it didn't curb expectations for Dybantsa, whose development from five-star prospect into NBA draft lottery pick also helped lead to the commitment of 2026 five-star wing Bruce Branch III.
"I think there's not guys like AJ that come around too often," Young said. "I think we tried to build it around a unique player."
Next year's centerpiece could be Wright, who could pair with Branch in a way that is different from Dybantsa but still impactful.
It might be someone else. BYU signed the No. 1 junior college guard in the country in KJ Perry, who has spent the past three months on the bench as a redshirt while he acclimates to the system.
Maybe there's another prospect in the transfer portal that is yet unknown but becomes too impossible to pass up. The Cougars will need to replace the four departing seniors, as well as any openings via the transfer portal, and will likely do so with shooters to pair with the returners.
"We'll have some deep reflection on what the roster looks like for next year," Young said, "and they'll all have choices as well. That's what so different about college; in the NBA, you get multi-year deal.
"Here, every year is a contract year. … What I learned last year is the portal season is a 'buckle-up' type deal. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."
