AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 overall basketball recruit in 2025 ESPN 100. Among the nation’s top recruits, which include former NBA player Carlos Boozer’s son Cameron (No. 2 in the nation), Dybantsa was the last to announce his commitment and had narrowed his list down to recent powerhouse Alabama, BYU and blue bloods Kansas and UNC.
Appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” with his father, A.J. first thanked the sacrifices of his two sisters and mother and dad who moved to Utah with A.J., “leaving my sisters at home,” as he explained to Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim and Shannon Sharpe on Tuesday.
AJ, a 6-foot-9 point forward from Brockton, Massachusetts, who stars at Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah, where is averaging 17.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, then opened up his hoodie which sat under some heavy bling and revealed a blue shirt bearing a white logo representing the BYU Cougars.
Stephen A. Smith Is Shocked No. 1 Overall Recruit AJ Dybantsa Chose BYU Over UNC, Kansas, Others
Stephen A. Smith, and probably much of the college basketball world couldn’t believe it.
“I’m shocked that it’s BYU,” Smith said. “I thought you were going to pick North Carolina because of the ACC and Duke-North Carolina rivalry.”
If Dybantsa is the goods, then his choice is more evidence that NIL and the entire landscape of college basketball and its power structure is changing. The blue bloods will still get their pick of the litter, but in this climate the best player in the country can choose the university he is most comfortable at for a season or two, build their program as the star player and then move on to the NBA.
Former BYU star Travis Hansen sees this prized commitment as further evidence that “everything is changing” for a program that is currently 6-2 on the season with some talented players.
Adding the No. 1 overall recruit should put them in the national title conversation soon.
“(AJ) wants to be a one-and-done. He wants to be here for nine months and prepare for the next leap in his career,” Hansen told the “Y’s Guys” podcast. “I’m biased, but I think BYU is the best place to develop these men to play professionally.”
It is the first big recruiting splash for first-year BYU coach Kevin Young, who was named Mark Pope’s successor last offseason after Pope left for Kentucky. He clearly had a relationship with the No. 1 overall recruit and this historical signing immediately thrusts BYU into the national hoops scene.
Why Did No. 1 Overall Recruit AJ Dybantsa Choose BYU?
Dybantsa developed a comfort zone, a groove, when moving to Utah that he doesn’t want to lose. “I mean a lot stood out on my visit, obviously coach Kevin Young there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA and he coached one of my favorite players, my favorite player of all time (in) Kevin Durant. And he had high praise about him,” Dybantsa said Tuesday.
“On my visit. … Head coach all the way down to the analytics guy, all the way to the dietitians (it’s an) all NBA staff, even a strength coach. So I mean, if it’s all NBA and I’m trying to get to the NBA, I think it’s going to be the best development program.”
When asked by Shannon Sharpe if he patented his game after Durant, Dybantsa dismissed that notion.
“KD is my favorite player, I take from his game, but I don’t think I really play like him. I think he’s really one of one,” Dybantsa said.
Flanked by his father, they both agreed that A.J.’s play is “like a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.”
His dad added: “He plays more like LeBron to me. He does everything. He can playmake and score, defend and rebound, although his rebounding needs some work.”
AJ. just smiled and acknowledged that his game has weaknesses that he will be developing at BYU.
“My three-point shot and effort’s got to improve,” Dybantsa admits. “Weakside defense has to improve. We know our weaknesses and just add to it.”
His goal is to win a national championship. There will be plenty of eyes on BYU next season when he takes the stage.
