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ESPN
Dec 10, 2024, 12:02 PM ET
The No. 1 prospect in high school basketball is off the board — and he’s going to BYU.
A.J. Dybantsa, who is also the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, chose the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. Despite Dybantsa’s top-ranked status and the powerhouse programs going against BYU, there was relatively little drama surrounding his recruitment for the past few months. The Cougars emerged as the favorites during the summer and held off late pushes from the competition to land Dybantsa’s commitment.
He becomes the first five-star prospect to commit to BYU since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007, and his pledge vaults the Cougars into the top 10 of the 2025 recruiting class rankings.
How did the top player in the country end up in Provo, Utah? And what makes him so intriguing for NBA front offices?
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Paul Biancardi and Jonathan Givony break down Dybantsa’s game, his impact at the next level and what his commitment means for the schools involved.
Why BYU?
Dybantsa was a priority target for BYU coach Kevin Young and his staff almost immediately after Young was hired in the spring. Young met with Dybantsa’s parents a couple of weeks after taking over the job, then welcomed Dybantsa on a visit in early June. Young’s experience on NBA staffs was appealing to Dybantsa, as was his work with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
It would also be naive to discount the role name, image and likeness played in securing Dybantsa’s commitment. He would have earned multiple millions at any of his finalists, but BYU’s pockets are as deep as anyone’s — and Young didn’t hide it in April when he got the job, saying “There’s not going to be a lot of things that hold us back here. … I haven’t heard ‘no’ a whole lot.”
But Dybantsa doesn’t make BYU a national championship contender by himself — Young and his staff now have to go out and surround Dybantsa with enough talent to ensure his one year in Provo isn’t a waste. The Cougars will lose four seniors from this year’s team, and they will also likely bid farewell to projected lottery pick Egor Demin and potentially first-round pick Kanon Catchings.
Top-50 recruit Xavion Staton is a start. He should make an immediate impact on the defensive end and provide interior depth. Starters Richie Saunders, Dallin Hall and Keba Keita are all slated to be back, too. Beyond that, BYU will have to go big in the spring, whether that’s in the transfer portal, internationally or with available high school prospects. It’s promising that Young and his staff were able to land Demin and Catchings in May and June, respectively, last offseason. — Borzello
BREAKING: A.J. Dybantsa, the No. 1 prospect in high school basketball, has announced his commitment to BYU on @FirstTake. Dybantsa becomes the Cougars’ first five-star recruit in the modern recruiting era. He chose Kevin Young and BYU over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. pic.twitter.com/Ku2uoyidlD
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) December 10, 2024
How does Dybantsa fit into BYU’s system?
Dybantsa’s versatility meshes perfectly with Young’s NBA-oriented scheme. The Cougars run a five-out offense that should lead to plenty of looks at the rim and from beyond the arc, where Dybantsa has gotten better this season. Young coached Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns, so he understands how to incorporate middle-game elite — keep in mind Dybantsa has lived with great success in the midrange — with BYU’s quick hitters and half court actions. Dybantsa is a terror leading the break in the open court and in two-man games in the half court. At 6-foot-9 with great verticality and energy, expect him to be a multiple position switch defender and to make some highlight-reel defensive efforts.
Young can surround Dybantsa with the right pieces for success: Big man Keba Keita will be returning and will free Dybantsa up with hard screens both on and off the ball. Junior Dallin Hall will be the primary point guard and assist-maker, and 3-point shooter Richie Saunders (39.5%) will also be back. Fellow commits Xavion Staton, an ESPN 100 recruit who is one of the best shot blockers in the country, and four-star prospect Chamberlin Burgess will help tie things together. — Biancardi
What makes Dybantsa the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft?
Every NBA team is looking for a wing in Dybantsa’s mold: a 6-9, long-armed primary shot creator who scores relentlessly out of isos, pick-and-rolls and transition; can make high-level playmaking reads; and brings nonstop intensity defensively.
He has superb footwork, body control and pace operating out of triple threat, changing speeds skillfully with long strides probing one-on-one, finishing creatively in the lane, often seeking out contact and drawing fouls in bunches everywhere he has played.
The NBA highly covets his archetype, and he’s the favorite to go No. 1 right now for that reason. That said, it’s by no means a done deal, and he will have significant competition from the likes of Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer for that spot. He’ll need to earn that mantle with a productive season at BYU. — Givony
What does the NBA want to see from him in college?
Winning would be a great start — showing he can be the focal point of a BYU team that goes deep into the NCAA tournament. Finding some consistency with his perimeter shooting, shot selection and decision-making would go a long way, as well.
His hunger for scoring and bully-ball style (not always incredibly aesthetically pleasing) has hampered his efficiency in the past. It will be interesting to see which version we get of him in college: the ball-stopping, sometimes wild decision-maker who has been very streaky from beyond the arc historically (30%), or the more under control, highly team-oriented player we saw with USA Basketball. That version of Dybantsa was generally unstoppable at the FIBA U17 World Cup this past summer.
He’s going to get coached up at BYU, while being given a long leash to explore the depths of his talent, and I expect him to have a fantastic season and make considerable strides on both ends of the floor within the structure he’ll be asked to play in. — Givony
What’s next for the teams that missed out on Dybantsa?
There was a brief stretch over the weekend when it seemed like a school besides BYU — which had been considered the favorite since the summer — might get Dybantsa, with the Alabama Crimson Tide generating plenty of late buzz and North Carolina Tar Heels hanging around. But both teams fell short, so where do they turn next?
Alabama loses at least five seniors — including three starters — and freshman Derrion Reid could also test the NBA draft waters. The Crimson Tide already have top-25 recruit Davion Hannah in the fold, and their biggest targets left are five-star guards Mikel Brown Jr. and Brayden Burries.
Depending how the rest of its season goes, North Carolina could have a lot of moving parts at the end of the campaign. But the Tar Heels have one big fish left on their target board: elite forward Caleb Wilson. A decision might not be too far away, and they’re right there at the top of his list.
The Kansas Jayhawks never seemed to have much of a shot with Dybantsa down the stretch, and the Jayhawks already have No. 2 overall recruit Darryn Peterson signed for 2025. A.J. Storr and Rylan Griffen are also projected to return on the wings, which means Self could be well-stocked on the perimeter before the portal opens. — Borzello
