Disney World is the place where fantasy is presented as reality. The theme parks, shows, and entertainment are designed to bring back the childhood joy in everyone.
What better way to spend Thanksgiving Day than to spend it at Disney World, except that the childhood joy wasn’t being presented with rides, Mickey ears, or characters walking through a theme park?
It was seeing AJ Dybansta and BYU in person. And, yes, in that order.
So as the morning session finished with Illinois State defeating Charlotte, the evening session excitement was ramping up.
The media didn’t have to leave the arena while the morning session fans were ushered out. We had a chance to have an early Thanksgiving dinner as our pregame to AJ-Mania.
As the fans started walking in, it was apparent that I was standing in the middle of a blue wave (not that blue wave). BYU t-shirts, hoodies, jerseys, hats, and any other apparel you can think of took over the arena.
Fans were lining up by the BYU tunnel waiting for Dybansta. AJ went through his pre-pregame warm-up and headed back to the locker room, but only after he signed a boatload (technical term) of autographs.
As the fans sat down, it looked like I was in Florida’s version of Provo. It looked and felt like a BYU home game.
At one time, this type of thing was reserved for the UNCs and Dukes of the world. Programs that had regional and national fan bases that were young and old. Fandom is passed down from generation to generation, or at least it used to be.
However, in the social media era, a fan base can be built around recruiting a player whom the younger generation has been following since eighth grade. With NIL, that type of player is no longer guaranteed to attend a blue-blood school.
As the National Anthem finished, the crowd was working itself up into a frenzy. Every move Dybantsa made, cameras and camera phones fixed themselves on the star.
Even with Dybantsa shooting 2-9 from the floor in the first half, the excitement didn’t dim. There was talk of how the illegal defense rules won’t allow teams to load the lane as the Hurricanes did in the first 20 minutes.
The Cougars were down four at the half but came out hot. Dybantsa hit his first two field goals of the second half. B-Y-U chants rang out as the adopted home team had outscored Miami (FL) 15-7 by the under-16 timeout.
Dybantsa stayed out. A beautiful move around Tru Washington forced Malik Reneau to reach out and foul Dybantsa on his drive, which produced a three-point play. The Hurricanes turned the ball over, and Kennard Davis Jr. finished with a layup. Timeout Miami.
Once again, the crowd was losing its mind.
By the under-12 timeout, you had the feeling that BYU was ready to blow the Hurricanes out of the water, even though the lead was only 49-40. By the way, Dybantsa had finally missed a shot in the second half. A three-pointer that was literally halfway down and spun out.
Dybantsa would finish with 16 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in the 72-62 win.
The Big 12 better be getting prepared for this. You’re going to face this when you go to BYU. You’re going to face this in your home arena if you don’t sell tickets because AJ-BYU fans will buy them up. No one is naive.
This is a one-year barnstorm.
One that makes dreams come true.
