BYU finally found a center. The next move should be finding another one.
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that 6-foot-9 Polish big man Jakub Urbaniak has committed to Kevin Young’s program. He is 23, has played professionally in Poland and Spain, and has already appeared for Poland’s senior national team. That is a much sturdier résumé than the usual July mystery box.
It is also easy to see the limit. Urbaniak gives BYU a mobile, experienced frontcourt option. He does not make size questions disappear, especially against the biggest centers in the Big 12. The commitment fixes the empty chair. It does not finish the room.
A quick verification note: BYU had not yet added Urbaniak to its official public roster or issued its own release when this article was published. The commitment was first reported by DraftExpress and then covered by Deseret News, Sports Illustrated, KSL Sports, On3 and Vanquish the Foe. We will add him to the BYU Sport Nuts roster when the official BYU data catches up.
The numbers BYU is buying
Urbaniak played last season for WKS Śląsk Wrocław in Poland’s top division and in EuroCup competition. The public reports do not all separate those competitions the same way, so the cleanest snapshot is the combined line reported by DraftExpress and Deseret News: 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24 minutes per game across 55 appearances, with 53% shooting from the floor.
The outside shot is interesting without being settled. Deseret News reported that he made 25 of 74 3-pointers in 35 Polish league games, good for 34%. Vanquish the Foe listed him at 29% across all competitions. That difference matters. He has enough range that a defense cannot forget him, but nobody should call him a proven stretch five on 74 domestic attempts.
His FIBA record is easier to verify directly:
| Competition | Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 World Cup European qualifiers, Poland senior team | 4 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship | 7 | 8.7 | 9.0 | 1.1 | 10.7 |
| 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship | 7 | 9.4 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 10.3 |
FIBA lists Urbaniak at 205 centimeters, or 6-foot-9, and gives his birth date as Jan. 12, 2003. The senior national-team sample is small, but it is useful. He has already dealt with adult bodies, short rotations and games where every mistake costs a possession. BYU is adding a grown professional, not asking a freshman to learn center by Halloween.
His cleanest job is movement
The appeal is not complicated. Urbaniak can run into screens, sprint out of them, finish above the rim and chase the ball off the glass. Sports Illustrated also noted eight double-digit rebounding games across his club competitions last season.
That movement fits Young’s offense. Robert Wright III needs a big who creates a real downhill lane after a ball screen. Wings need the weak-side defender occupied. If Urbaniak can make an open corner three often enough, he can pull a rim protector one extra step away from the basket. One step is plenty when the guard already has an angle.
His professional experience should help on the less glamorous possessions too. Screening at the right depth, getting out of the lane before a three-second call and making the simple pass from the short roll do not produce recruiting edits. They do keep an offense from coughing up empty trips.
The defensive job is murkier. He has enough mobility to be active around the paint, and Sports Illustrated found useful flashes in EuroCup games: two blocks and two steals against Hapoel Jerusalem, then three steals against Venezia. Those are encouraging receipts. They are not proof that a 6-foot-9 center can handle every Big 12 matchup by himself.
Why one more center still makes sense
Deseret News and Vanquish the Foe both reported that BYU has two roster spots left and is expected to use at least one on another big man. Good. Urbaniak makes that search more flexible, not less necessary.
A second center would let BYU choose by matchup. Urbaniak can handle the mobile minutes, screen high and keep pace with smaller lineups. A longer or heavier five can absorb the nights when the opponent wants to park a giant on the restricted circle, pound the offensive glass and turn every switch into a wrestling match.
That pairing would also protect the Cougars from foul trouble. A center who has to play 30 careful minutes often stops contesting shots by the second half. Two playable centers can spend fouls, keep the rim covered and let Young use the frontcourt as a tactical choice instead of an endurance test.
BYU’s 2026-27 nonconference schedule will expose the difference quickly. Ohio State arrives on opening night at the Delta Center. The Southwest Maui Invitational brings three games in three days and a field with several possible high-major opponents. San Diego State waits in December. Urbaniak’s motor should travel. The question is whether BYU can pair it with enough length and weight for the rougher games.
The reasonable expectation
Urbaniak should have a real chance to start, but handing him the job in July would miss the point of the final two roster spots.
His first win is that he gives BYU a credible floor at center. He has played 55 games across club competitions in one season. He has senior international minutes. He rebounds, runs and has made enough outside shots to keep the spacing conversation alive. There is no need to invent a superhero version of him.
The risk is just as plain. Six-foot-9 is small for some center matchups. His 3-point volume is modest. Professional experience does not guarantee that his body, whistle habits and rebounding translate neatly to the Big 12.
This is still a smart bet. BYU needed an experienced big who could move, and Urbaniak checks that box with actual senior basketball behind him. Now the staff can use the last part of the roster build to find his complement rather than desperately searching for any center at all.
Cougar fans can stop wondering whether BYU will find any center at all. Urbaniak is a useful first answer, and the staff still has work to do.
Sources and further reading
- FIBA: Jakub Urbaniak player profile and national-team statistics
- Deseret News: BYU basketball adds Polish big man Jakub Urbaniak
- Sports Illustrated: How new BYU commit Jakub Urbaniak fits into the search for a center
- Vanquish the Foe: Polish big man Jakub Urbaniak commits to BYU
- KSL Sports: BYU basketball reportedly lands big man from Poland
- BYU Sport Nuts context: men’s basketball hub, roster, Robert Wright III player page, and 2026-27 nonconference schedule map
