Nation’s No. 1 Recruit AJ Dybantsa Settles In At Utah Prep
Aug 2, 2024, 12:22 AM | Updated: Aug 20, 2024, 1:48 pm
Nation's number one recruit in the class of 2025 AJ Dybantsa is set to play for Utah Prep to close out his high school career. (Photo: KSL Sports)
(Photo: KSL Sports)
HURRICANE, Utah — The nation’s number one basketball recruit is set to play his senior year of high school in Utah.
That’s AJ Dybantsa, the five-star prospect in the class of 2025 who is viewed as a future No. 1 NBA draft pick.
The 6-foot-9, 200-pound recruit calls Brockton, Massachusetts, home, but in the 2024-25 season, Utah Prep, located in Hurricane, Utah, will play host to Dybantsa and his family.
Nation’s number one recruit @ADybantsa is settling in at @UtahPrepMBB. pic.twitter.com/jpnrOdidX8
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 2, 2024
AJ Dybantsa is gearing up for his senior year at Utah Prep
AJ and the Dybantsa family moved to Southern Utah this past Tuesday. They will be there until
“It feels good. Finally breaking the ice and just coming here and finding my home,” Dybantsa said to KSL Sports. “It feels good to finally touch campus.”
Utah Prep was previously RSL Academy. They left the Herriman campus and had a temporary location in Murray last year in preparation for their permanent home in Southern Utah.
The campus still has some construction taking place. Behind the main facility, there’s a football field with a nice playing surface.
The basketball gym is adequate but nothing glamorous. It’s an unexpected place for the nation’s best recruit.
But Dybantsa likes it that way.
“I think it’s laid-back. There wasn’t a lot of attention here,” said Dybantsa. “So I mean, that’s good. No distractions.”
Talented roster
There might not be much attention on Hurricane now, but that will change quickly as Dybantsa joins a star-studded Utah Prep squad.
He reunites with four-star guard JJ Mandaquit, who he was roommates with on Team USA’s squad that earned the Gold Medal at the U17 World Cup in Turkey.
Both players received plaques of their Team USA jerseys from Vandy Creations on Thursday night to welcome them to Southern Utah.
Along with Mandaquit, there’s Richfield, Utah native John Southwick—also, rising 2026 prospect Anthony Felesi and 15-year-old standout Jeremy Jenkins.
Thursday night was Utah Prep’s first real game action together as a team before they take off for an international tour to Shanghai, China, next week.
It was an above-the-rim display of talent from a team with high aspirations as an Independent national team led by Dybantsa, who put the exclamation point for his team with a slam dunk in the 55-48 intrasquad scrimmage.
“I think we’re definitely up there for a Grind Session title,” said Dybantsa. “And I think with that, we could get invited to go play at GEICO and win a national title.”
Recruiting latest for AJ Dybantsa
On the recruiting front, Dybantsa said he’ll trim down his list of schools in a “week or two weeks.” His father, Ace, handles all of AJ’s recruitment.
Editor’s Note: Dybantsa cut down his list to seven schools on Friday.
In-state program BYU is one of two schools that Dybantsa has visited. Dybantsa visited BYU on an unofficial in June. The other was Auburn.
“I’m sure they keep in contact with my dad,” AJ said on BYU. “The unofficial was good. Kevin Young, obviously, wants to get me back for an official (visit). When we finalize the schools, we’ll see if they’re on the list.”
BYU is one of many hopefuls in a group of college basketball bluebloods that will look to be on that trimmed-down list.
It highlights the sudden star power Dybantsa and Utah Prep bring to the Beehive State.
Dybantsa and Utah Prep leave for China and will compete in a summer invitational from August 6-11.
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.
