Rob Wright III shares why he returned to BYU

On the rest of BYU’s roster taking shape around him

“I’m feeling great about it. Me and (Young) talked about that in the end of our meeting, and obviously you can see who he’s bringing in. He’s (doing) exactly what he said he was going to do. I think now we’re just looking for a big.”

On becoming more of a passer

“Last year, obviously, we had a lot of injuries, so we lost a lot of shooting. We lost Dawson (Baker) early, who was probably our highest (3-point) percentage shooter at the time.

“Losing him kind of hurt, so we had to change a lot of our roles. But I feel like this year, we just got so much shooting, so even if something was to happen, we’ll still be good and I’ll be able to spray out (to other guys).”

On what BYU’s offense could look like next year

“I think it would be a lot different. Me and Coach talked about that a lot. I think this year the ball will move a lot more.

“We kind of had two ball-dominant people (last year), which were both very talented in me and AJ (Dybantsa), but at times the ball would get stagnant, and other guys would just be out there watching us. But I feel like this year will be more of, like, a team.”

On how BYU’s first round NCAA Tournament loss could impact this coming season

“I think it’s motivated all of us. (BYU) went to the Sweet 16 (in 2025), and I went to the round of 32 (at Baylor). So this year, losing in the first round, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and I was obviously very upset about that. This year, we’re coming in with a goal to go further in March than we did.”

On feeling part of the BYU family

“It means a lot to me. I’m super big on family, so obviously being this far from my family sometimes kind of hurts, but I feel like BYU, it’s a great support system here.

“And obviously I just feel like everyone around the staff, to the people, to the program, they just all have been like a family to me and have just really embraced me.”

On the status of his tooth injury from the Big 12 tournament

“I got another dentist appointment on the 4th of May, so hopefully, I get it 100 percent fixed.”

BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) enters the court before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second round of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News