BYU basketball's rotation coming into focus with Dybantsa on campus, Saunders returning

PROVO — Richie Saunders' NBA draft strategy after his breakout junior season leading the BYU men's basketball team in scoring revolved around two key questions.

First, where was the former Wasatch Academy standout who averaged 16.5 points per game projected as an NBA prospect this year? And second, where could he develop the most for a pro future?

The answers — or at least, the second one — took him back to BYU.

The 6-foot-5 rising senior from Riverton announced a somewhat surprising decision late last week that he was returning to Provo for his senior campaign. It's a surprise, at least, that Saunders didn't put his name under consideration as an early enrollee in the NBA draft, which would've allowed him the opportunity to schedule workouts and receive feedback from NBA teams about his pro future.

Instead, he's all-in on BYU in the 2025-26 season — a season that is more than 200 days from tipping off but already has sky-high expectations after signing top-rated five-star freshman AJ Dybantsa and former Baylor five-star point guard Robert Wright III.

The Cougars' incoming class ranked No. 2 nationally by 247Sports, and that was before former Idaho standout Tyler Mrus — the 6-foot-7 forward from Bothell, Washington, who shot 38% from 3-point range and dropped 17 on BYU in the Marriott Center last year — revealed his commitment Thursday morning.

But with respect to Dybantsa, Mrus, four-star rim protector Xavion Staton and others (we'll get to them in a moment), the seemingly limitless expectations heaped on a BYU men's basketball team already saddled with top-five preseason rankings nationally revolved around Sanders, who explained his decision not to enter the NBA draft Thursday morning on BYUtv.

"Looking at this one year at a time, where can I develop the most in one year?" Saunders explained. "It's so complicated, because there was an opportunity there. There was an opportunity to fulfill one of my dreams of playing in the NBA. There was a real opportunity.

"To put that on the shelf and come back here is scary. Passing up on an opportunity is scary, but I couldn't be more excited to work with this team ... to really get to know these guys, to play with them, be on the court with them, and grow and develop to improve my game."

Former Utah Prep teammates Dybantsa and Staton arrived in Provo this week to enroll at BYU and begin summer workouts with the Cougars, with Dybantsa posting a photo in the Marriott Center Annex with a one-word cutline: "Cribski."

Similarly all-in on Kevin Young's second season in Provo is Saunders, who broke out in his first season as a full-time starter to earn All-Big 12 first-team and league Most Improved honors by conference coaches.

He'll be joined by a returning cast that includes starting post Keba Keita, bench sparks Dawson Baker and Mihailo Boskovic and rising sophomore Brody Kozlowski.

The Cougars also added Washington transfer Dominique Diomande, a 6-foot-7 three-and-D wing from Tours, France; Kennard Davis Jr., who averaged 16.3 points and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore at Southern Illinois; and Mrus, who averaged 9.7 points on 38% shooting from 3-point range at Idaho a year ago.

Mrus, who ranked second in the Big Sky with 73 made triples, is a 6-foot-7 wing who originally played for Division II Alaska Fairbanks and recorded four 20-point games last year. He dropped 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the perimeter, in 36 minutes last Nov. 16 in Idaho's 95-71 loss at BYU.

With Mrus' commitment, here's a look at BYU's current rotation for the 2025-26 season, which opens in Las Vegas against Villanova. Roster sizes could also increase from 13 to 15 under terms of the proposed House settlement, which has not yet been approved:

• Playmakers: Rob Wright III, Jared McGregor
• Wings: Richie Saunders, AJ Dybantsa, Kennard Davis Jr., Dawson Baker, Tyler Mrus, Brody Kozlowski, Dominique Diomande
• Posts: Keba Keita, Mihailo Boskovic, Khadim Mboup, Xavion Staton, Max Triplett

Expect the Cougars to look for a true backup point guard behind Wright with their remaining roster availability, whatever that number becomes on a team that already includes a number of secondary ball handlers.

It's a team that will look to improve on last year's successes, including a 26-10 record, a top-four finish in the Big 12, and the Cougars' first sweet 16 appearance since 2011.

"There's such high-level people that are going to be in the gym, which helps everybody," Saunders said. "We can get better. We can improve. I don't know exactly what it looks like eight months down the line, but I'm super excited to be a part of the team and ultimately get to a good spot in the season."

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