Las Vegas native, No. 8 BYU open season at marquee event at T-Mobile Arena

Xavion Staton left Las Vegas to take his basketball career to the next level.

Now the freshman will return to his hometown to make his collegiate debut for No. 8 BYU against Villanova in the second game of the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

“It’s crazy to even think about,” Staton said of playing his first game down the street from where he grew up. “I’ve had two exhibition games under my belt, but being able to start off my official college career in my hometown, there’s nothing like it. Being able to play in front of my friends and family back home is just an unreal opportunity. I’m so excited.”

Dynamic duo

Staton’s debut is part of a big night for college basketball in the city.

No. 13 Arizona will play defending champion and third-ranked Florida in the first game at 4 p.m. Monday.

Expectations are sky-high for Staton and the Cougars, who boast top recruit AJ Dybantsa and hold the highest preseason ranking in program history.

“That kind of just reflects the team we have and what we’re striving to do this year,” Staton said of BYU’s inclusion in Hall of Fame Series field. “We’re just focused on trying to get better and grow as a team, so being a part of this with all these great programs reflects our work and where we’re trying to go.”

Staton got an early start on that, leaving Sierra Vista to play his senior year at Utah Prep with Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward. That way two of the highest-ranked recruits in BYU history could play together before stepping foot on campus in Provo.

That allowed Staton to not only get to know Dybantsa’s tendencies on the court, but also start to understand the attention that follows the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft everywhere he goes.

“It was very good for me,” said Staton, a 6-foot-11 center. “It was nice to see how he handles pressure and things like that. It’s something I think he’s really good at is being able to take on those expectations and handle the pressure and all that’s expected of him while still being able to uplift his teammates. He’s really good at handling those things.”

Dybantsa’s resolve will be put to the test this season with expectations soaring for coach Kevin Young’s squad at BYU. The longtime NBA assistant promised to bring a professional program when he accepted the job in April 2024. Young proceeded to go 26-10 and take the Cougars to the Sweet 16 in his first season by implementing an analytics-focused approach. He followed that up with the best recruiting class in school history.

“It’s just the way he coaches,” Staton said of Young. “He’s a great coach. He’s someone who wants to see the team develop and wants to see everyone get better. He’s there every step of the way. He wants us to learn and grow and to do that he’s teaching us every day about concepts he learned in the NBA and he keeps learning every day, too. He understands us and has been really keyed in on that.”

Exciting field

Young’s next job is to try to manage expectations, but Staton said Young has done that by keeping the focus on getting better every day as a team. The rest, the Cougars believe, will take care of itself.

That starts Monday against a Villanova team picked to finish seventh in the Big East under new coach Kevin Willard.

The Wildcats are the lone unranked team at the event.

Florida opens its season hoping to defend the national championship it won in San Antonio in March.

The Gators are led by returning star and first-team All-SEC pick Alex Condon, who, like Dybantsa, is a national player of the year candidate.

Condon and the Florida bigs will carry a heavy burden, especially early in the season, as coach Todd Golden tries to replace his entire backcourt.

The Gators’ mission will begin against an Arizona team that has somewhat eschewed the modern approach to roster building.

While most programs load up through the transfer portal, coach Tommy Lloyd’s roster is comprised of nine returners, six freshmen and just one transfer.

Guard Jaden Bradley looks poised for a breakout after playing mostly a supporting role to Caleb Love last season.

The doubleheader will air on TNT.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.