'He's going to BYU,' former D-1 head coach on top recruit AJ Dybantsa | Zagsblog
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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Tuesday / December 3.
  • ‘He’s going to BYU,’ former D-1 head coach on top recruit AJ Dybantsa

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    By ADAM ZAGORIA

    Josh Pastner says he knows where top-ranked high school basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa is going.

    “He’s gonna go to BYU. It would be a shock if he did not go to BYU,” Pastner said on ESPN of the 6-foot-9 Dybansta.

    The former Georgia Tech and Memphis head coach isn’t alone in his thinking. There is a growing belief in recruiting circles that Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will land at BYU.

    One industry source said Dybantsa is commanding in the neighborhood of $4 million in NIL money. He also has an NIL deal with Red Bull.

    Dybantsa, the Brockton, Mass. native who now stars at Utah Prep, visited BYU in October and drew comparisons from head coach Kevin Young to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

    “A guy like you or Kevin or Book,” Young told Dybantsa.

    Ace Dybantsa, AJ’s father, came away impressed with the visit.

    “It’s everything run like an NBA program over there,” he said.

    Dybantsa has an official list of seven schools — Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and North Carolina — and his father told ZAGSBLOG AJ is expected to announce in February.

    “I haven’t had a bad visit, kudos to all the schools, they show me their best,” he said in October on the Youngins podcast. “It’s going to be a hard decision.”

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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