AJ Dybantsa commits to BYU, becomes school’s first 5-star recruit in US

By JOHN COON The Associated Press

BYU head coach Kevin Young gestures from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Denis Poroy]

PROVO, Utah (AP) — AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, announced his commitment to BYU on Tuesday.

Dybantsa, who made the announcement on ESPN’s “First Take,” chose the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. He is BYU’s first five-star high school recruit from the United States.

The chance to play for first-year BYU coach Kevin Young sold Dybantsa on joining the Cougars. He pointed to the extensive NBA experience of Young and his staff and Young’s role in coaching NBA stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as key factors influencing his decision.

“My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA,” Dybantsa said on the program. “I went on my visit and the head coach all the way down to the analytics guy and analytics guy all the way down to the dietician is NBA staff. Even the strength coach. 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 for me.”

Young was the associate head coach at the Phoenix Suns before taking over at BYU in April following Mark Pope’s departure to Kentucky. He set a goal of turning the BYU program into an NBA development pipeline.

The Cougars are making strides in that direction. Projected 2025 NBA lottery pick Egor Demin stars for BYU in the backcourt this season and leads the Cougars in scoring and assists. Kanon Catchings, another BYU freshman, is a late first-rounder in multiple NBA mock drafts.

With Dybantsa’s commitment, Young has already brought in the three highest-rated BYU recruits in program history.

“AJ is a generational talent,” Young said in a press release on Tuesday. “He’s a great young man who has a strong appetite to be the best player he can be. His versatile skill set and playmaking will seamlessly fit into our style of play.”

Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing, has emerged as a prolific scorer in the high school ranks. He won Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Massachusetts in 2023 and helped Team USA win goal medals at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.

Dybantsa headlines a 2025 BYU recruiting class that also includes Top-50 prospect Xavion Staton, a 7-foot center from Las Vegas and Chamberlain Burgess, a 6-foot-9 four-star forward from American Fork, Utah.

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