BYU junior Robert Wright III was named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced on Thursday morning.
The 2027 NABC Division I Player of the Year will be selected via a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches at the conclusion of the regular season and will be announced the week of the 2027 Men’s Final Four.
Wright III, a 6-foot-1 guard from Wilmington, Del., enters his second season in Provo after averaging 18.1 points per game during the 2025-26 season. During that campaign, he shot 46.7 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from three, and 82.1 percent from the free throw line.
He is one of 16 players in program history with multiple double-digit assist games in a single season. This includes a performance featuring 10 points and 11 assists in a 98-70 victory over No. 23 Wisconsin, which remains the third-largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in program history.
The All-Big 12 Third Team selection recorded averages of 20.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in league play. During that season, he scored in double figures 16 times, including 10 performances of 20 or more points and a career-high 39 points in a victory over Colorado on Valentine’s Day.
Wright III finished the 2025-26 season with 162 assists, which ranks as the 10th most in a single season in program history.
The NABC Preseason Watch List includes several other players, such as Flory Bidunga from Louisville, John Blackwell from Duke, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje from Duke, Elliot Cadeau from Michigan, Rueben Chinyelu from Florida, Alex Condon from Florida, Thijs De Ridder from Virginia, Silas Demary Jr. from UConn, Jeremy Fears Jr. from Michigan State, Juke Harris from Tennessee, Thomas Haugh from Florida, Motiejus Krivas from Arizona, David Mirkovic from Illinois, Milan Momcilovic from Kentucky, Braylon Mullins from UConn, Pryce Sandfort from Nebraska, Tyran Stokes from Kansas, and Tyler Tanner from Vanderbilt.
The Cougars are scheduled to open the 2026-27 campaign on Monday, Nov. 2, against Ohio State at the Delta Center. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on FS1 with Aaron Goldsmith and Jim Jackson providing the broadcast.
