No. 1 Recruit AJ Dybantsa Recaps Unofficial Visit To BYU Basketball
Jun 3, 2024, 10:33 PM | Updated: Jun 6, 2024, 12:22 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025 AJ Dybantsa got his first in-person glimpse of the BYU basketball program.
On Monday, the first day after the recruiting dead period ended, Dybantsa visited BYU’s campus for an unofficial visit.
Dybantsa, a native of Brockton, Massachusetts, is getting more familiar by the day with the state of Utah as he gears up for his final high school season at Utah Prep in Hurricane.
BYU is among 30 programs that have extended a scholarship offer to Dybantsa, who is viewed by many as a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
AJ Dybantsa recaps visit to BYU basketball
He spoke with KSL Sports on Monday about his visit to BYU.
“It was good. Obviously, I’m up the street from it. So I was like, ‘Why not take an unofficial and see what they have to offer?’ So I met up with the whole basketball staff, and they just talked me through what it’s like, and hopefully, they can get me on an official visit.”
Dybantsa doesn’t plan to trim down his long list of schools to a top six or eight until after the Peach Jam concludes on July 21.
The heralded prospect has received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, Cal, UConn, Duke, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Providence, Rutgers, South Carolina, USC, Utah, and Washington.
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Dybantsa admits he knew nothing about BYU until he committed to playing his final high school season at Utah Prep. He’s including them in the mix with the many other high-profile programs.
“Everybody’s in the conversation right now, and I’ll narrow it down in about a month,” Dybantsa said.
Impressions of BYU coach Kevin Young
BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young has been shooting for the stars on the recruiting trail. He picked up a commitment from Real Madrid guard Egor Demin in the 2024 cycle last week; now, he’s impressed many by getting a visit from 2025’s No. 1 prospect in Dybantsa.
Dybantsa shared his impressions of BYU’s new head coach.
I’m blessed to receive an offer from Brigham Young University! Go Cougars💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/eCdFgWlWfm
— AJ Dybantsa (@ADybantsa) May 28, 2024
“It’s been good,” Dybantsa said on his impressions of Kevin Young. “Obviously, he worked in the league for a long time and that’s my ultimate goal. So, he can be –if I do decide to go there– one of the people that can help me.”
Dybantsa noted that the NBA was the topic of around 95% of the conversations he had with Young and the BYU basketball staff during his visit.
“He knows my goal is the league. And he’s been working with league guys for however long he has been. So that was his motto: he can get me there since he knows what it takes.”
Three pillars for AJ Dybantsa
The above-the-rim prospect, who averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks last season at Prolific Prep in California, admits he doesn’t have many hobbies outside of basketball. Ball became his passion during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Since then, he’s risen to stardom as the nation’s top basketball prospect.
When deciding on which college basketball program he will play for, Dybantsa said he has three pillars he’s looking for in his next stop.
“One is family orientated. I’m going to be away from my family. Two is the development. Obviously, I want to be a one-and-done. And three is just a winning program. I want to be there hopefully for only one year so winning a National Championship is my goal.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
