BYU Signee AJ Dybantsa Scores 35 To Open Montverde Academy Invitational
Jan 30, 2025, 5:06 PM | Updated: Jan 31, 2025, 9:46 am
SALT LAKE CITY – BYU basketball signee AJ Dybantsa is playing in the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament this weekend.
The three-day Montverde, Florida event pits some of the nation’s best high school teams together in an eight-team tournament.
One of those teams is Dybantsa’s Utah Prep squad.
AJ Dybantsa scores 35 points and grabs 15 rebounds to open MAIT
BYU signee AJ Dybantsa was on fire in this game. He knocked down 7-of-8 from three-point range. https://t.co/V5LJgtzSx5
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 30, 2025
AJ Dybantsa and Utah Prep took on Sagemont Prep from Weston, Florida, on Thursday for day one of the MAIT.
Utah Prep defeats Sagemont Prep, 82-79
Utah Prep, led by Dybantsa, came away with an 82-79 victory over Sagemont.
Dybantsa, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, scored 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field in 32 minutes. The 6-foot-9 wing knocked down 7-of-8 from 3-point range and hit 80% of his 10 free throw attempts.
Along with the scoring, Dybantsa grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, dished out five assists, and had three steals in 32 minutes.
Dybantsa’s 15 rebounds were five shy of the total Sagemont grabbed as a team with 20.
The leading scorer in the game was four-star Miami signee Matthew Able. He dropped 39 to keep Sagemont in the game.
Along with Dybantsa, Utah Prep’s leading scorers were 2026 four-star Anthony Felesi and Washington signee JJ Mandaquit, each with 15.
BYU signee Xavion Staton played nine minutes off the bench for Utah Prep, grabbing five rebounds and recording one blocked shot.
#1 ranked player in 2025 AJ Dybantsa was lights out in his MAIT debut! He put up 35 points, 15 boards and 5 assists 🔥 @ADybantsa pic.twitter.com/mBpkqeKjUz
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) January 30, 2025
Utah Prep will be back in action tomorrow for the semifinals of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament. They will take on CIA Bella Vista from Scottsdale, Arizona.
RELATED: AJ Dybantsa selected to 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game
CIA Bella Vista defeated Riviera Prep on Thursday, 72-43. Recent Georgia Tech commit Mouhamed Sylla leads the Bears along with uncommitted 2025 class four-star Jaion Pitt.
Utah Prep versus CIA Bella Vista will tip-off on Friday at 2 p.m. (MST)/4 p.m. (EST).
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.
