AJ Dybantsa Leads Utah Prep To Tournament Championship In China
Aug 12, 2024, 12:58 PM | Updated: Aug 20, 2024, 1:49 pm
Utah Prep star AJ Dybantsa led his team to a championship in the Shanghai Future Star Basketball Championship. (Courtesy of Mitch Harper, KSL Sports)
(Courtesy of Mitch Harper, KSL Sports)
The first tournament for Utah Prep in the 2024-25 season was a success.
Led by AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, Utah Prep won the Shanghai Future Star Basketball Championship. The event took place in Shanghai, China.
Utah Prep took down the U18 China National Team, 95-79, to claim the title.
That was fun. Thank you Shanghai pic.twitter.com/GaW9AOQ4VF
— Utah Prep Boys Basketball (@UtahPrepMBB) August 11, 2024
Dybantsa earned MVP honors for the tournament.
In the championship game against the China National Team, Dybantsa scored 32 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, and had four steals.
Utah Prep wins Shanghai Future Star Basketball Championship
Star Utah Prep guard JJ Mandaquit scored another 23 points in the victory.
Former Richfield native John Southwick added 11 points.
On their path to the title, Utah Prep defeated teams from Australia, Serbia, and China. One of their victories was against the Shanghai Sharks developmental team.
Utah Prep was the only team representing the United States of America in the field.
The private prep school based in Hurricane, Utah, features a roster that feels they could compete for a National Championship in high school hoops this season.
“I think we’re definitely up there for a Grind Session title,” said AJ Dybantsa earlier this month. “And I think with that, we could get invited to go play at GEICO and win a national title.”
Dybantsa recently cut down his list of schools to seven. In-state BYU was among the schools that made the cut in his recruitment. The others include Auburn, Alabama, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and North Carolina.
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.
