AJ Dybantsa
American basketball player (born 2007) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anicet “AJ” Dybantsa Jr. (born January 29, 2007) is an American high school basketball player for Utah Prep. He is rated as the number one player in the 2025 class after reclassifying from the 2026 class.
Dybantsa in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | January 29, 2007 Brockton, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College | BYU (commit) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Early life and high school career
Summarize
Perspective
Dybantsa grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and initially attended Saint Sebastian's School. Dybantsa is of Congolese and Jamaican origin. His father grew up in Grigny, France. He has stated that his 8th grade religious studies teacher, Mr. Lewin, has been a mentor for him.[1] He was named the Massachusetts Boys' Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year following his freshman season after averaging 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.[2] Dybantsa helped lead Saint Sebastian's to the NEPSAC Class A state championship, but lost to Milton Academy 77–76.[1]
Dybantsa transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, California at the end of his freshman year, where he teamed up with the second-ranked player in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes.[2][3] In July 2023, Dybantsa led the Nike Peach Jam in scoring with 25.8 points per game[4] as a member of Expressions Elite, an Amateur Athletic Union team from Boston.[5]
Dybantsa will conclude his high school basketball career playing for Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah for the 2024-25 season, and attending school at Mount Vernon Academy.[6] Utah Prep was previously RSL Basketball Academy in Herriman. At Utah Prep, Dybantsa will reunite with fellow USA gold medalist[7] JJ Mandaquit, the nation's seventh-ranked point guard in the 2025 class who is also playing his senior year with the program.
Recruiting
Dybantsa was named the number one player in the 2026 class by ESPN following his freshman season,[8] with his first NCAA Division I college offer coming from Boston College.[9] Additional schools that have offered him a scholarship and/or are under consideration include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, UConn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Kentucky, North Carolina, Providence, USC, Utah, and Washington.[10][11] In July 2023, On3.com named Dybantsa the top high school player in the country regardless of class.[4]
On October 11, 2023, Dybantsa announced that he had reclassified to the 2025 class.[12]
On December 10, 2024, Dybantsa announced on First Take that he would be committing to BYU. He became the highest-ranked committed recruit to join BYU in program history.[13]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Dybansta SF |
Brockton, MA | Prolific Prep (CA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | — | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 | ||||||
| Recruit rankings: Rivals: 1 247Sports: 1 ESPN: 1 | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
National team
Dybantsa won a gold medal while representing the United States at the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mérida, Mexico. He scored 12 points in the gold medal game and averaged 13.8 points for the tournament.[4][7]
References
External links
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