Patrick Kinahan: Dybantsa clearly staking claim as college basketball's best player

PROVO — Ballots for the Wooden Award recognizing the best player in college basketball traditionally are due about halfway through March, a timeframe that allows voters to account for games in the NCCA Tournament.

Forget any controversy over my mail-in ballot. No matter what happens over the next few weeks, this voter has seen enough to set it in stone.

The numbers don't lie in this case. AJ Dybantsa, who has been nothing short of sensational during much of Big 12 play, deserves to win the prestigious award named after the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.

The do-everything 6-foot-9 freshman entered college basketball with as much hype as any player in recent memory, matching the buzz that surrounded Cooper Flagg last season. Just like the former Duke great, who is now starring for the Dallas Mavericks, Dybantsa has, at minimum, met expectations and probably has surpassed them.

Typical of this generation's players growing up in a social media world, Dybantsa has been on the national radar for the last four years. The only mystery involving him was the curious decision to play his one season in college for BYU, hardly known for producing a longstanding succession of first-round draft choices.

The Massachusetts native wanted the tutelage of second-year coach Kevin Young, who had the professional pedigree as a former NBA assistant and the recommendation of all-stars Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.

Young's brash declaration to create an NBA pipeline is accurate (see former BYU point guard Egor Demin, who is a rookie for the Brooklyn Nets), but Dybantsa was NBA-bound no matter his college destination.

Don't view this as discrediting Young's coaching acumen by any stretch. Along with deep NIL (name, image, likeness) pockets, he has remarkably turned BYU into a hotbed that top national recruits desire to give serious consideration.

The point is to highlight the incredible talent Dybantsa displays virtually each time he takes the court. His skills, which have made the Cougars a must watch, are obvious to even the most casual college basketball observer.

BYU's most recent game, a 79-69 win over sixth-ranked Iowa State, provided the best example of Dybantsa's incredible array of talent. Playing all 40 minutes, he posted a statistical line of 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Given his ability to cover ground with giant strides, Dybantsa's path to the rim is nearly impossible to impede once he gets the slightest opening. His mid-range game, one that allows him to elevate well above any defender, also is a worthless endeavor for an opposing defense.

Not to disparage any of the other Wooden contenders, but none are as good now or have as high a ceiling at the next level. No wonder the Utah Jazz want to lose enough games this season to send commissioner Adam Silver into a tanking tizzy (editorial note: fining the franchise $500,000 was a joke).

Beyond the game, perhaps Dybantsa's greatest asset is his competitive fire. A lock to go in the top three in the NBA draft this June, he easily could have reset expectations once BYU lost four consecutive Big 12 games and again later when talented teammate Richie Saunders went down for the season with a knee injury.

Instead of concentrating on himself, Dybantsa turned up the intensity for his team. Instead of worrying about the toll on his body, much like possible No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson is doing for Kansas, Dybantsa is not tapping out for even one minute.

Instead of hunting shots to increase his value to the NBA executives flocking to see him play, Dybantsa is anything but a ball hog. He's also a great teammate, immediately professing confidence in the inconsistent role players needed to help overcome the absence of Saunders.

And get this, he doesn't even mind attending class. He's the total package, worthy of the award.

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