BYU vs Arizona Will Be a Monumental Recruiting Weekend for BYU Basketball

Casey Lundquist | Oct 5, 2024

Mount Rushmore award recipient A.J. Dybansta and Hoop Alliance program director Mario Lamarre during the Hoop Alliance Draft Day at Brockton High School on Friday, June 23, 2023. / Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK

If Arizona beats Texas Tech on Saturday, the Wildcats will probably be ranked when they come to Provo to play BYU on October 12th. That would setup a top-25 matchup for an afternoon game that would likely be sold out. The environment at Lavell Edwards Stadium will be critical not only for the football program, but for the basketball program as well.

That weekend might be the most important recruiting weekend in BYU basketball history. Kevin Young and his staff are set to host consensus no. 1 recruit AJ Dybansta and his teammate, four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit. Attending the BYU-Arizona football game will very likely be on the visit agenda.

Mandaquit and Dybansta are teammates at Utah Prep and they also played together on the USA U17 team. Both have offers from all over the country and BYU is in the running to land their services.

BYU is one of the final seven teams in the running for AJ Dybansta. His visit to BYU is reportedly his final official visit. Dybansta's final college visit.

Words can't describe what a commitment from someone like AJ Dybansta that would mean for BYU basketball and BYU athletics in general. Dybansta is the consensus top overall recruit in the 2025 class and he is the projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is viewed as one of the best NBA prospects in the last decade.

It's easy to see why AJ is such a coveted prospect and the projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He has elite size and athleticism and he's skilled. He can handle the ball and create his own shot, and he can comfortably knock down jumpers.