BYU star AJ Dybantsa visits Latter-day Saint temple with apostle
Apr 9, 2026, 9:32 PM | Updated: Apr 10, 2026, 11:06 am
BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa took the time to visit a Latter-day Saint temple.
The nation’s leading scorer in college basketball this past season checked out the Lindon temple open house.
Thank you Elder Rasband pic.twitter.com/EeZFRLuU9h
— AJ Dybantsa (@AJ_Dybantsa) April 9, 2026
AJ Dybantsa visits Lindon Temple Open House
Joining him on the visit was Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Along with Dybantsa and Elder Rasband at the Lindon open house were AJ’s father, Ace Dybantsa; BYU Athletic Director Brian Santiago and his wife, Kimberly; BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young and his wife, Melissa; Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink and his wife, Marcie; and Dybantsa’s teammate, Richie Saunders, who was also with his wife, Sierra.
Elder Rasband attended numerous BYU basketball games this season, including a Thanksgiving tournament at Walt Disney World last November.
Dybantsa, who is Catholic, spoke highly of his experience at BYU this past season. Throughout numerous television broadcasts during his heralded freshman season, which earned him the Julius Erving Award as the country’s best small forward, Dybantsa noted that his favorite class at BYU was his Book of Mormon class taught by Tyler Griffin.
The Lindon temple open house continues through Saturday, April 11.
Dybantsa on BYU: “I love this place. I’m happy I chose here.”
Dybantsa is projected to become the No. 1 pick in next June’s NBA draft. However, Dybantsa has not officially announced his next move.
Regardless of the next move, he’s enjoyed being part of the BYU basketball program.
“I love this place. I’m happy I chose here. I definitely made the right decision. I knew coming in I made the right decision,” Dybantsa said following BYU’s loss to Texas in the NCAA Tournament in March. “Ever since my visit with the coaching staff, how just a family atmosphere, talking to the academic adviser, everything about this place, I’m just happy.
“As far as the season, it’s tough dealing with that type of adversity, but I’d rather do it with nobody else.”
AJ Dybantsa finished the 2025-26 season as a Consensus All-American during his freshman campaign at BYU.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
