Unveiling BYU's Basketball Future
Who is Leaving
BYU will bid farewell to four scholarship players due to graduation - Trevin Knell, Mawot Mag, Fousseyni Traore, and Trey Stewart. While dreams of Egor Demin teaming up with AJ are exciting, it's likely that Egor will declare for the NBA Draft and be a top pick. The guaranteed money and potential injury risks in another year of college might be too much for him. This year's #10 NBA Draft pick earns a $5.5M salary, while the #5 pick gets $8.3M for multiple years.
Kanon Catchings is a decision that will be closely watched. With first-round talent and upside, his defense has been impressive. He has the size and scoring ability to be a first-round pick, but consistency is a concern. Another year at BYU might be beneficial for his NBA Draft stock, and he and AJ could form a potent wing scoring duo.
The Returnees
Besides freshmen Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, BYU has 8 scholarship-level players with eligibility. Dallin Hall is a senior, Richie Saunders is also a senior, Keba Keita is a senior, Mihailo Boskovic is a senior, Dawson Baker is a RS senior, Elijah Crawford is a sophomore, Brody Kozlowski is a sophomore, and Khadim Mboup is a RS freshman. Khadim Mboup has enrolled at BYU for the winter semester and will officially join the team after the fall semester ends in December. He is expected to redshirt this season.
The College Basketball Landscape
Over the last decade, experience has been crucial in college basketball, and this trend will continue. However, BYU is at a turning point as the "Covid" seniors era comes to an end. Four of the 6 Preseason AP All-Americans this year were Covid seniors. Next season, upperclassmen will still be the backbone, but high-end freshmen will become more valuable. BYU has the chance to strike the perfect balance with the best freshman in AJ Dybantsa, an elite shot blocker in Xavion Staton, and an experienced college group.
What Should BYU Do?
BYU's first priority should be to retain the returning players. Dallin Hall may not be an All-American point guard, but he has proven his worth at the Big 12 level and should be the starting point guard next season. Richie Saunders has made significant progress this year and is valuable to the team. Dawson Baker shows promise as a scoring bench player, and Keba Keita fits BYU's culture perfectly and is a top rebounder. Boskovic has stretch four capabilities, and Elijah Crawford has a clear path to backup point guard duties.
Virtually every team experiences attrition, and BYU is no exception. They may look to add 2 to 4 players from the transfer portal or overseas. A shooter is a must-add, as Trevin Knell's shooting ability will be missed. Utah State sophomore guard Mason Falslev could be a target with his scoring and shooting skills. BYU also needs a stretch four to enhance floor spacing.
What could the roster look like?
This is a very preliminary exercise as it's only December. But here's a best-case scenario and semi-realistic roster for BYU. It includes Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, Dawson Baker, AJ Dybantsa, Kanon Catchings, Xavion Staton, Elijah Crawford, Khadim Mboup, Mihailo Boskovic, Brody Kozlowski, a transfer portal shooter, a transfer portal stretch four, and a transfer portal or Euro player to fill in for potential transfers.