Basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa will pick BYU, Kansas, UNC or Alabama on ESPN First Take

Basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa will pick BYU, Kansas, UNC or Alabama on ESPN First Take

Utah Prep basketball star AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the country, will announce his college commitment on national television Tuesday morning.

Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward, will make the announcement on ESPN’s First Take at 8:30 a.m. MT.

The high school senior has narrowed his choices down to four schools: BYU, Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas.

Dybantsa recently moved up its school choice schedule.

“Oh, I just didn’t want to wait any longer,” he said at a tournament in Pleasant Grove last month. “It will just be too much. I think I can make my decision within a month. So I won’t wait another two months.”

In October, Dybantsa told The Salt Lake Tribune that BYU coach Kevin Young’s NBA credentials would play a role in his decision.

“I mean, yeah,” Dybantsa said. “That’s why (BYU) made the list. I feel like all schools have some similarities and some differences. But they all made the list for a reason.

“All schools have NBA players. So I know they have the ability to surpass (college) and go from there to the NBA.”

Wherever he goes next year, Dybantsa wants to be competitive at the national level.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Prep Academy’s AJ Dybantsa, a star basketball player and potential BYU commit, plays in the 5 for the Fight National Hoopfest in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.

“March Madness, Final Four,” he said. “Then the NBA, NBA Finals.”

Dybantsa grew up near Boston and played two high school seasons at Prolific Prep in California before transferring to Hurricane in southern Utah last summer. The star recruit earns $600,000 in addition to his family receiving an ownership interest in the school, The Tribune reported earlier this month.

At Utah Prep, Dybantsa has impressed on the court, averaging 17.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists this year. Dybantsa scored 18 points and 13 rebounds in a win over then-No. 1 Link Academy (Missouri) last month in Utah.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *