AJ Dybantsa, nation's No. 1 basketball recruit, commits to BYU

The 6-foot-9 small forward announced on ESPN's First Take that he is choosing the Cougars over the likes of North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama

AJ Dybantsa, the nation's No. 1 prospect, rises for a shot during the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit at the Moda Center in Portland. / Photo by Naji Saker, SBLive

Making it known around the world on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Utah Prep small forward AJ Dybantsa made his final decision on where he will be playing college basketball at.

Dybantsa announced his commitment to the BYU Cougars over North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama. The 5-star recruit is rated the top high school basketball player in the country currently, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward was named the Massachusetts 2022-2023 Gatorade Player of the Year before landing at Prolific Prep (California) last year and then transferring over to Utah Prep for his senior season.

AJ Dybantsa announces his commitment to BYU and explains his decision 🔥

"I play like a mix of Tracy McGrady and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]." 👀 pic.twitter.com/JIaymkr4Pz

— First Take (@FirstTake) December 10, 2024

The can't-miss prospect is heavily regarded by many recruiting services as a sure-fire future NBA'er, with a wingspan stretching 7-feet and scoring abilities that make him as good as any heading into the college ranks.

Here's what 247Sports has to say about the 6-foot-9 phenom:

A 6-foot-9 jumbo wing with a wingspan exceeding 7-feet, an emerging 200-plus-pound frame and an advanced understanding of how to get to his spots and create his own shot in a half-court game, AJ Dybantsa is the best prospect in high school basketball. 

The bread-and-butter of his individual offense has always been his mid-range pull-up. From an early age he was able to rise-up into a high release with good rotation on his ball. Over the years, that trademark of his arsenal has only become more dangerous as he’s developed the handle and footwork to consistently create space. Simultaneously though, he’s expanded his offensive game, begun to utilize his length and athleticism to put more pressure on the rim, and extended the consistency of his shooting range out to the arc. He’s, of course, also capable of getting loose for some extremely explosive plays in the open floor. The next step in his offensive evolution is the ability to play through more contact at the rim. 

When Dybantsa is at his best, he is impacting the game on both ends of the floor. His movement skills are exemplary for a player his size and he’s able to cover the court like almost no one else in high school basketball. He’s shown flashes of being able to create a lot of havoc on that end of the floor, but hasn’t yet committed to it quite as consistently as he has his scoring prowess. 

Dybantsa has been a celebrated prospect since before he entered high school, and has avoided many of the pitfalls of early stardom by consistently improving his game at each step in the process. Still though, he’s become accustomed to playing to the camera and can go through spurts when it becomes more of a show than a game. The time is soon coming when the level of competition won’t again allow that. He won’t be able to worry about cameras, officiating, or other distractions, and will have to make winning his singular emphasis. 

The bottom line is this: Dybantsa controls his own future. There is no one in high school basketball with more potential than him and if he continues to raise the bar with each passing year he has an exceptional future in front of him.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi