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BYU commit A.J. Dybantsa, left, and his father, Ace, attended the Cougars game at the Marriott Center against Fresno State on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU forward Kanon Catchings, right, works out before the Cougars play Fresno State at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU defenders try to make a tackle during the Big 12 game against Houston in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

Marcia Harris, Special to the Herald

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Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Jared Lloyd give their opinions on the hot BYU sports topics this week:

1. How big a deal is it that BYU just signed the No. 1 men’s basketball recruit in the country, A.J. Dybantsa?

DICKSON: BYU fans should be very excited for the future with the way that Kevin Young and his staff are recruiting. The talent coming to Provo is beyond anything I’ve ever seen in covering the program for more than 20 years. I just finished watching some Dybantsa highlights and I can’t believe the things he can do on the court as a teenager.

BYU men’s basketball is truly entering uncharted territory in following Young’s vision for the program and that’s the one thing that gives me pause. The plan is working but the future is unknown.

How will “one-and-done” affect the program? How will Young handle road bumps along the way? What if the Cougars struggle during Big 12 play? Are some of the players being recruited a questionable fit for living in Happy Valley? Will the big donors continue to feel like investing if a player doesn’t work out?

The new era is exciting but at the same time, it is a little precarious. Personally, I think Young and his staff are doing things the right way in building this program. Time will tell how it will change results or the perception of Cougar basketball.

LLOYD: I think there are two very different ways to look at Dybantsa’s decision to come to Provo.

The first is the over-the-moon excitement that most BYU fans are feeling right now, and for good reason. The Cougars have limitations to the types of players they can get that many other schools don’t, so to have an elite prospect choose BYU even with those differences (or partially because of them) is thrilling. It just hasn’t happened for the Cougars very often.

But I’m going to temper the ecstasy just a little bit with a cold splash of reality: Neither Kevin Young’s BYU team nor Dybantsa have actually won anything significant in college basketball yet.

Could they? Sure.

Does getting players like Dybantsa and Egor Demin and Kamon Catchings and others give reason to be more optimistic? Definitely.

But there are no guarantees in college basketball. These are talented young athletes but they will have good games and bad games. And if the bad game happens at the wrong time, regardless of talent, you can find your NCAA tournament run over before it begins.

The bottom line is that Young has to have success both on the court and in getting guys to the NBA to maintain this momentum.

2. What do you think was the main reason Dybantsa chose the Cougars over college basketball blue bloods Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama?

LLOYD: There were certainly a variety of factors that came into play but to me the main factor is pretty clear: Kevin Young.

Young did a great job at gaining the trust of not just Dybantsa but also his family, ensuring that the gifted young man felt confident in trusting the BYU head coach both with his basketball future and his personal growth.

Clearly Dybantsa wants to be ready for the NBA and Young’s experience there made a big difference. But I think he’s also an athlete who is secure enough with himself to go with his heart and that told him he’d feel more comfortable in Provo.

We can’t ignore, however, that money was a part of the equation. You can choose to believe which amount that’s being tossed around that you want, but I doubt Dybantsa loved BYU and Young enough to become a Cougar if the compensation package offered wasn’t comparable to what others were offering.

DICKSON: By the way, I loved the way Dybantsa defending his college choice on “First Take” when Stephen A. Smith voiced his doubts. Dybantsa really, truly believes in Kevin Young’s vision at BYU. That vision includes winning, of course, but also includes an NBA-type development team in the program.

If it works the way Young has lined out, BYU is a great place for an athlete who wants to focus on getting to the NBA with limited distractions.

The money certainly plays a part. Debantsa, with his NIL and other endorsements with Red Bull and Nike, will play him more than any other college athlete before he takes a single shot.

The NIL money was essentially the same between BYU, Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas, according to several sources. That means Young and his staff sold Debantsa on the merits of the program, not just the bucks.

3. BYU basketball gave up 12 more 3-point makes to Fresno State in Wednesday’s Cougar win at the Marriott Center. How concerned should BYU be with its perimeter defense?

DICKSON: I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season that BYU’s perimeter defense wasn’t great. It’s still a work in progress and I think it’s improving. But it does cause me concern when teams hit double-digit 3-pointers against the Cougars.

Young has not been shy about playing some zone defense and I think with BYU’s length, that makes sense. He’s also talked about defending different kinds of 3’s better — flat-footed attempts as opposed to coming off screens as opposed to one-on-one moves, etc — and he said his team is making progress there.

I would like to see moments where really good defensive players like Mawot Mag or Trey Stewart could get minutes to improve defensive intensity when needed.

In the meantime, I think we’re going to see a lot of games in 80s and 90s. Hopefully, the Cougars shooting holds up and they can put the same kind of pressure on opposing defenses.

LLOYD: When your 3-point shooting defense is ranked at No. 328 in the nation, you should be pretty concerned — particularly because you’ve only played a few teams that were very good.

BYU has allowed opponents to make 37% (81-of-219) of their 3-point attempts, while making 35.5% (100-of-282) of their own shots from beyond the arc. That’s certainly a troubling trend heading toward Big 12 play, which features a lot of really good shooters.

I understand that the Cougars are still acclimating to their roles and the switch-and-peel defensive approach is likely something that is still developing.  But BYU is nine games into the 2024-25 season and so I think it should be starting to sink in at this point.

I know Kevin Young has an NBA background and sometimes the pro approach seems to be to try to beat opponents 140-138, but I don’t think that’s going to work consistently in the Big 12 or the NCAA tournament (and yes, I’m pretty sure Young knows that).

4. Do you like the matchup with Colorado playing BYU in the Alamo Bowl?

LLOYD: I’d love to see how the Cougars line up against another Power 4 conference opponent, since their one non-conference game against SMU ended up being their best win of the season. But I also like that the Cougars will be facing a high-profile squad with star power including the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.

I’m kind of like BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. I just want to see this Cougar team go out and perform against a good opponent and that’s the opportunity it’s getting against the Buffaloes. It will be a good test to close out the solid 2024 season for BYU and that’s what I like to see in a bowl game.

DICKSON: I’m just pleased that, at least according to Colorado Coach Prime, all of the Buffs are going to play in the game. It would be easy for Heisman frontrunner Travis Hunter to bow out and Coach Prime’s son, quarterback Shedeur, could also justify focusing on their pro prospects. Both of those guys are likely Top 10 NFL draft choices.

I also appreciate the coaching matchup between Sanders and Kalani Sitake. With the nature of college football, we’re going to see more of these same-conference matches in bowl games since not everybody plays in the regular season.

With the disrespect the CFP committee showed the Big 12 with only one team in the playoffs, I think it would have been cool for the Cougars to play a team from another conference. But the BYU-Colorado matchup is a good one and I’m looking forward to the game.

5. When BYU football goes into the transfer portal in the offseason, what areas need an influx of experienced talent the most?

DICKSON: The portal is attractive and flashy but building your team with players who stay is really, really important as well. That being said, I think two major areas of focus for BYU in the portal should be both lines.

I know there are other spots that could use an influx of experience and talent (tight end and cornerback, as Jared will detail) but to compete in the Big 12 you’ve got to have strength, experience and depth on the offensive and defensive lines.

BYU could return five players who have experience on the offensive line (Sonny Makasini, Isaiah Jatta, Austin Leausa, Weylin Lapuahu and Bruce Mitchell) and freshman Joe Brown was receiving rave reviews before an injury this summer ended his season. So bringing in a couple of portal O-linemen would be great.

There are some big losses on the defensive line (Tyler Batty, Blake Mangelson, John Nelson, Isaiah Bagnah) but I think there is some great young talent in the wings like Bodie Schoonover and Ephraim Asiata. I would expect there will be some interest in some good defensive ends that will be in the portal.

LLOYD: With seniors moving on, the Cougars have clear gaps in three key positions: tight end, defensive line and cornerback.

Of those three, I think defensive line might be in the best shape because BYU did so much rotating during the season. There are a number of Cougar players with game experience who should hopefully be ready to step up.

While tight end is certainly a concern and there might be some good options out there, I’m going to go with cornerback as the area that could really use some veteran talent.

Jay Hill’s defense requires cornerbacks who can be trusted like Jakob Robinson, Marque Collins and Mory Bamba were this year. Underclassmen like Evan Johnson and Therrian Alexander III got some good reps and should fill some of those gaps, but adding another proven performer or two could make a big difference.