BYU freshman and top NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa made some noise Monday night with an incredible showing against Eastern Washington.

The Eagles aren’t the most formidable opponent, but Dybantsa’s performance was still one to remember. The 18-year-old dropped 33 points along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double of his collegiate career. He went 11-for-13 from the field, 2-for-3 from three and 9-for-11 from the foul line along with two steals and just two turnovers.

Triple-doubles are more rare in the NCAA compared to the NBA thanks to the eight minutes less in regulation and 30-point triple-doubles are even more rare. According to Stathead, there have been just 14 other 30-point triple-doubles at the NCAA Division I level since 1938–39. Dybantsa’s big night was the first 30-point triple-double in BYU history and just the second by a freshman in NCAA history. Howard’s Blake Harper (who’s now at Creighton) accomplished the feat as a freshman last year with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against VU Lynchburg last year.

Even more impressive than Dybantsa’s incredible stat line are the highlights he puts on tape each night. He was sure to make one more Monday with an awesome putback slam in the first half:

Highlight-worthy dunks are a regular occurance for Dybantsa and that wasn’t his only one of the night. His extremely efficient night makes a statement in a loaded NBA draft class where Dybantsa is joined by Kansas’s Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer at the top.

The incredible night is on the heels of a career high 35-point showing in his last game against Abilene Christian on Friday. Dybantsa is averaging 22.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field through his first 12 games at BYU. The Cougars now enter a holiday break ahead of their next game against Kansas State on Jan. 3 in the freshman phenom’s next opportunity to show out.

More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Prized NBA Prospect AJ Dybantsa Accomplishes Rarely Seen Feat in BYU Win.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate
Add as preferred source on Google