Gordon Monson: Is BYU dumping a stack of cash on guys like AJ Dybantsa worth it?

When it comes to BYU men’s basketball, a fact precedes a question.

F: The Cougars’ NIL resources are substantial. As one BYU booster told me, “We’re swimming in money down here.”

Q: How should those NIL funds be distributed?

Case in point is a comparison between last year’s BYU team versus this year’s group.

Before this season started, if you had guessed about that comparison, most would have said the 2025-26 Cougars were destined to be far better than the 2024-25 group. Money had been shoveled out to AJ Dybantsa, the top prep recruit in the country, to the tune of some amount in excess of $5 million. Some said $7 million.

Then, there was the addition of Rob Wright III, who was lured to Provo from Baylor by — reported estimates say — $3 million. On top of that, Kevin Young added Kennard Davis from Southern Illinois, as well as a number of recruits and transfers whose combined price added to the totality of the expense. Not to mention the cost of retaining Richie Saunders and Keba Keita, however much that took. Dawson Baker stayed, but suffered a severe knee injury.

Lean that up against what BYU had last season, with Saunders, Egor Demin, Keita, Trevin Knell, Dallin Hall, Fousseyni Traore, Trey Stewart, Mawot Mag, Baker, Kanon Catchings, among others. There were some nice players on that team, some of which were on the pricey side, but nothing along the order of Dybantsa.

Based on what’s been seen on the court so far this season, which team would be projected to be superior? It could be reasonably argued — last year’s squad.

I know, I know, that team improved from its slow start as the season played out and this year’s iteration is still laboring in the first week of February. There’s time for it to make progress. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. It wasn’t the case in the Cougars’ bad loss to Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.

Last year’s group, at least down the stretch and at the end, featured more cohesion, better team play, better off-the-ball movement, and better results. Ironically, it was more fun to watch, too. And there were no ultra-expensive superstars in 2024-25. Yeah, Demin wasn’t cheap, neither was Saunders, but they were mixed into the all-together-now flow in a way that made the Cougars a formidable team. Their run to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 was evidence of that.

That team did lose three games in a row to Houston and Texas Tech and TCU in January. It also lost to Utah and Cincinnati on the road and Arizona at home. But then it won nine consecutive games, including beating Arizona on the road, before getting thumped by Houston in the Big 12 tournament.

Its wins in March Madness over VCU and Wisconsin were examples of mostly sweetly played and balanced basketball, and then Alabama eliminated the Cougars with a remarkable display of offensive hoop.

That team, relying on a deep bench, went 26-10, finishing on an 11-2 rush.

You already know what the 2025-26 Cougars have done and are doing. The overall mark is 17-5 and they have defeated some quality opponents. But through the last five games, they have lost more than they’ve won, dropping games to Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas and OK State. And over important stretches in those losses, Dybantsa has fallen short of expectations. That’s not all his fault — on account of opponents double- and triple-teaming him. When they do, he has tried to force his shots or to not look for and take them at all or to search for an open teammate. And when he has connected with a ‘mate, too often that player has clanked his shot. He’s a great player, but he needs help.

The movement has been sluggish and the defensive effort has, at times, been like vapor.

What’s to be concluded from all the above?

BYU was good, perhaps limited, but improving last season.

BYU is good this season, and maybe great, maybe not. It looks far from great right now.

The current Cougars feature a lot of iso ball, counting on individual players to make plays, sometimes by themselves. It might be effective against some opponents, but against tougher ones, not so much. And it’s not a whole lot of fun to watch. BYU’s bench is beyond dreary, relying so heavily on the high-priced guys: Dybantsa, Saunders and Wright. It is true that the team has suffered those injuries, losing firepower. So, there’s that.

There’s no explaining BYU’s tendency to fall behind by huge margins in the first half, and then, appearing to benefit from desperation, charging back here and there to find a level of competitiveness after the break.

What’s the point of this comparison?

The point comes also in the form of questions: Is it better to haul in more good players with lesser NIL money given to each, spreading it around? Sharing the money, the ball, the scoring and adequate defensive help? Or is it preferable to load up one or two or three supposed “stars” with a mountain of cash and hope for the best with the other scrubs?

The formula in the NBA used to be, get your two or three All-Stars and go from there. That’s Kevin Young’s pro background. In college ball, sure, it helps to have great players, as long as others can be counted on to contribute in substantial ways, when needed. That will be needed.

A brief aside: You have to wonder if a guy like Dybantsa gets frustrated, despite his personally advantageous situation at BYU, not having enough help on the court — which makes him look bad — to win big games the way he planned to do when he first signed with the Cougars. And will his frustration, if it is apparent, spill over to other potential five-star recruits who now might shy away from BYU? Or will Young himself get disappointed or ticked and look for ways to return to the NBA coaching scene?

Beats me, but you wonder.

Final round-up question: If you care about BYU basketball, which team would you rather watch … last year’s version or this year’s?

As mentioned, there’s still time for Dybantsa, Saunders, Wright, Keita and Davis to gather themselves and find a way to consistently beat quality opponents. Not sure that’s the way to bet at present. They still have to face Houston at home, Arizona on the road, Iowa State and UCF and Texas Tech at home, among other Big 12 foes, all before the postseason begins.

What the conclusive blend and distribution of BYU’s money, the players’ skills, and Young’s coaching prowess will bring is yet to wholly manifest itself. But whether this current formula for success is an ascending path or a descending one, given the expectations that come with it, is the biggest question of all.