The BYU Cougars fell in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament this week against the Houston Cougars, despite star freshman AJ Dybantsa continuing to put up astounding numbers.
Dybantsa scored 26 points against Houston, following a 27-point performance in a win over West Virginia Mountaineers and a 40-point outing in the first round against Kansas State Wildcats.
He set the record for the most points in a single game by a freshman in Big 12 Tournament history, and his 93 points across the three games were the most total points scored in a single Big 12 Conference Tournament, surpassing NBA legend and former Texas Longhorns standout Kevin Durant.
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During the postgame press conference after the loss to Houston, Dybantsa was asked about breaking the record and made it clear that it was a special honor, especially because his all-time favorite player is Durant.
“First, I’ll speak about the accolades. That’s special. Kevin Durant, obviously everybody knows he’s my favorite player,” Dybantsa said. “That’s the only record I broke of his this weekend, so it feels good to just break his records.”
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 two-way wing, shares many similarities with Durant in terms of offensive output and his ability to score from all levels on the basketball court.
However, the 19-year-old, soon-to-be top NBA Draft pick, grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, and was raised attending Boston Celtics games.
That hasn’t changed his admiration for Durant. The two even shared a viral conversation last April during a special episode of “Air Time”, produced by Nike and Boardroom, where Dybantsa spoke directly to Durant about modeling his game after him, his recruiting process, and working out with his idol.
Currently, Dybantsa hasn’t ruled out a return to BYU Cougars next season, but it seems unlikely, as he could become the No. 1 overall pick. While he probably won’t share the court with Durant as a teammate, the two will almost certainly face each other as opponents in the NBA.
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