No. 1 high school basketball player, A.J. Dybantsa, chooses BYU
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- A.J. Dybantsa, the No. 1 men’s college basketball recruit in the country, has signed to play with BYU for the 2025-26 season.
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- BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young gives instructions during a game against Central Arkansas at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
BYU fans are truly living in a new era of Cougar men’s basketball.
Shake yourself. It’s not a dream.
Tuesday morning the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025, 6-foot-9 A.J. Dybantsa, announced his college commitment on ESPN’s First Take.
Kevin Young and the his coaching staff, take a bow.
Dybantsa is a Cougar.
When Dybantsa (accompanied by his father, Ace) unzipped his hoodie to reveal a blue shirt with a BYU logo and donned a Cougar hat, he chose Young’s program over all of the NCAA blue bloods, including the others in his final four of Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas.
“A lot stood out on my visit,” Dybantsa said. “Obviously, Kevin Young there … my ultimate goal is to get to the NBA. He coached my favorite player of all-time in Kevin Durrant, he had high praise about him. When I went there on my visit (to BYU), from the head coach down to the analytics guy, from the analytics guy all the way to the dietician, everyone is NBA staff, even the strength coach. If it’s all NBA, I’m trying to get to the NBA, I think it’s going to be the best development for me.”
Even more amazing was that Dybantsa actually signed his BYU letter of intent in mid-November on the last day of the early signing period. He and his family, as well as the Cougars, kept it a secret so Dybantsa could have his moment on live TV.
“We’re so excited to welcome AJ and his family to BYU,” Young said. “We’ve been able to build a great relationship with him and his family and can’t wait to have them all in BYU blue. AJ is a generational talent. He’s a great young man who has a strong appetite to be the best player he can be. His versatile skill set and playmaking will seamlessly fit into our style of play. This is a great day for BYU basketball.”
Asked by Stephen A. Smith, host of First Take, if he considered himself the best player in the the country, Dybantsa simply answered, “Yeah. No question.” Dybantsa also said before he leaves for the NBA (likely after one year) he wants to win a national championship at BYU.
Young called Dybantsa a “unique talent” when asked to compare his game to former or current NBA players.
“Parts of his game resemble lot of great players,” Young said. “He reminds of Paul George and some of the passing is LeBron-like. He’s a a mix of a lot of different guys but he has the confidence to go out and be himself. The thing I love most about his game is he really does try to play the right way, even as highly touted as he is. Most of the great players I’ve been around, that’s the commonality amongst most of those players.”
Adam Finkelstein, Director of Scouting for 247 Sports, said, “Dybantsa’s recruitment has been trending in this direction for a long time, but the fact that BYU just landed the top recruit in the country shows that it really is a whole new era in recruiting.”
Dybantsa’s parents actually toured the BYU campus first, which took place when Young was finishing out his tenure with the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach last spring. Young wanted to be part of their visit, even though the Suns were in Minnesota for the NBA playoffs. Young said he left after a Suns practice, took an Uber to the airport, flew to Provo for the visit then flew back to Minnesota, arriving around 3 a.m. the next morning.
Dybantsa’s visit came later and he was obviously impressed with the program Young had put together as well as the response from BYU fans as the recruit spent time in Provo and on campus.
“There was a lot of passion from our fan base and excitement there when he came to the football game and the basketball game as well,” Young said. “It’s hard to be on our campus for any sporting event and not feel the passion. That had a huge impact not only on him but on his family.”
Dybantsa, who is from Brockton, Mass, is playing at Utah Prep in Hurricane this season. He led the team to an undefeated weekend at the Border League in Las Vegas, Nev., recording a pair of double-doubles, including an 18-point, 16-rebound performance against Bishop Gorman.
Dybantsa’s resume is unlike any recruit who has ever committed to BYU.
This past summer, he was an integral part of Team USA’s run to the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup title, averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He scored in double figures in all three knockout-round games, including a 14-point performance in the final against Italy, helping the Americans put the finishing touches on their seventh straight title. He also helped Team USA to the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, averaging 13.7 points, 3.8 assist and 3.7 assists per game.
Dybantsa was the youngest player to compete in the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, finishing with a game-high 21 points, going 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-7 from three and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals going against the top recruits in the 2024 class, including Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and Asa Newell.
He was named the Peach Jam Offensive MVP after leading the Oakland Soldiers to the title game. He averaged 23.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He also earned Nike EYBL 17U First Team accolades in July, when he averaged 22.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
Dybantsa spent last year at Prolific Prep helping them win their second consecutive The Grind Session World Championship. He averaged 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game en route to earning second team MaxPreps All-America accolades.
He was one of two sophomores invited to the 2023 NBPA Top 100 Camp where he earned All-Star accolades after leading the event in scoring.
Dybantsa was named the Massachusetts Boys’ Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year following his freshman season at Saint Sebastian’s School. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, leading Saint Sebastian to the NEPCAS Class A state title game.
During his first few months on the job this spring, Young landed commitments from Russian Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, both players considered possible NBA lottery picks in 2025.
But with Dybantsa’s commitment, Young is entering truly uncharted territory.
“His talent and potential are something we have seen only on a limited number of occasions,” ESPN Director of National Recruiting Paul Biancardi said of Dybantsa. “The combination of his versatility, basketball IQ, scoring prowess and competitive nature makes him special.”
Men’s College Basketball
Fresno State (3-6) at BYU (6-2)
Wednesday, 7 p.m. MT
Marriott Center, Provo
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: BYU Radio
Live stats: byucougars.com
The Word: BYU leads the overall series with Fresno State 14-5 and is 7-1 against the Bulldogs in Provo. … The last meeting between the two schools was in 2010, an 83-56 Cougar victory in Provo as Jimmer Fredette scored 24 points. … BYU has won 18 consecutive non-conference home games dating back to 2022 and has won 11 straight in the Marriott Center.
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