- ABC News
- December 10, 2024
A.J. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing player who is the No. 1 prospect in high school basketball and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, announced his commitment to BYU on Tuesday morning. Dybantsa, who made his announcement on ESPN's "First Take," chose the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. He becomes the first five-star recruit to commit to BYU since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007. "At BYU, the whole staff from the head coach on down came from the NBA," Dybantsa told ESPN. "Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in KD [ Kevin Durant] and coached Devin Booker. Both had a lot of good things to say about him. We watched clips of both." Dybantsa officially signed with BYU during the early signing period, sources told ESPN, but didn't make his decision public until Tuesday. The school received his papers in the final hours of the signing period, which ended November 20. BYU had...