PROVO — In a now-deleted post on social media platform X, a BYU basketball staffer wrote Monday that it was “a good week to have a good week,” along with a graphic of the Cougars’ upcoming games Wednesday against Fresno State and Saturday against Wyoming.
He wasn’t posting about AJ Dybantsa. Or was he?
The 6-foot-9 wing committed Tuesday morning to BYU, revealing his decision on ESPN’s First Take when he revealed to host Stephen A. Smith his pick of the Cougars over Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina.
The first consensus No. 1 overall recruit by 247Sports, On3, Rivals and ESPN to commit to BYU men’s basketball, Dybantsa joins a 2025 recruiting class that includes Las Vegas-area rim-runner Xavion Staton — previously the highest-rated recruit to sign with BYU in the 247Sports era — and Orem four-star forward Chamberlain Burgess.
He’s the 6-foot-9 son of former BYU basketball players Josh Burgess and Ashleigh Chamberlain who told KSL.com he plans to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling.
“We’re so excited to welcome AJ and his family to BYU,” Young said in a statement after Dybantsa’s signing. “We’ve been able to build a great relationship with him and his family and can’t wait to have them all in BYU blue.
“AJ is a generational talent. He’s a great young man who has a strong appetite to be the best player he can be. His versatile skill set and playmaking will seamlessly fit into our style of play. This is a great day for BYU basketball.”
Dybantsa’s addition raises the BYU recruiting class of three players from No. 34 nationally to No. 11 by 247Sports, according to national basketball analyst Travis Branham.
Of the 11 highest-graded commitments to BYU basketball since 247Sports began tracking the data, Kevin Young has earned pledges from six of them. That includes Egor Demin, the freshman guard from Moscow, Russia, who received a five-star rating by the service after signing with the Cougars out of Real Madrid’s academy, and the three highest-rated recruits in program history.
Dybantsa’s pledge would’ve changed the direction of multiple recruiting classes, raising Alabama from No. 11 in the country to No. 2 nationally and Kansas from No. 4 to No. 1, according to Branham.
And yes, name, image and likeness played a role in his recruitment — as it does all college basketball prospects in the new age of hoops and not just the one from Brockton, Massachusetts, who is currently playing his senior year with the prep school formerly known as RSL Basketball and now based in Hurricane.
“We are thrilled about AJ Dybantsa committing to the BYU basketball program,” BYU’s officially sponsored Royal Blue Collective said in a statement, noting the 875 donors from more than 30 different states, including “major gifts” from 32 alumni. “Durng his decision-making process, he said he was looking for a program that he felt would be family-oriented, had a coach who would develop him, and a program that would win. He’s found that in BYU. Something special is happening in this program and on this campus.”
Dybantsa is the first five-star recruit to sign with the Cougars out of high school, and the second Naismith Trophy boys high school player of the year watch list candidate from the Class of 2025, alongside Staton.
But the commitment was more than money, too. Any program in college basketball would’ve paid Dybantsa. BYU’s program offered more, with Young — the former Phoenix Suns associate head coach who was the highest-paid assistant in the NBA — and a staff that includes former Utah star Chris Burgess, ace recruiter Brandon Dunson, overseas and G-League ex-pats Will Voigt and Tim Fanning, and Providence all-timer John Linehan.
Add a strength and conditioning coach who spent eight years with the Milwaukee Bucks in Michael Davie, and BYU had all the makings for an appealing offer in more than the dollar sheet.
“On my visit, they presented a great presentation,” Dybantsa said of the Cougars. “Kevin Young, coming from the NBA and they have an NBA staff helps. And then I went to a game, and I like the way they play.”
BYU’s “presentation” was more than during an official visit, too. The Cougars put on a full-court press for Dybantsa.
Fanning and Voigt traveled to multiple league and tournament games for the Utah Prep standout on its national basketball tour. Dunson stayed behind for an extra day when the team flew to San Diego for a multi-team event to watch Dybantsa, as well as a few other prospects at the 5 for the Fight National Hoopfest in Pleasant Grove.
Linehan arrived on campus early as the paperwork was clearing to help host Dybantsa and his parents on an unofficial visit.
And then there was Young, the closer, who could pull out his phone to reveal contacts in the NBA, from coaches to scouts to general managers to current Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who each gave an endorsement when the former assistant left the Valley of the Sun for Provo.
It all led to Tuesday, when the 43-year-old native of Salt Lake City who grew up in Marietta, Georgia, landed arguably — or perhaps, inarguably — the biggest recruit in BYU men’s basketball history.
“A lot stood out on my visit,” Dybantsa said. “My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, and coach Young coached one of my favorite players of all-time in Kevin Durant. They’ve got an all-NBA staff, even the strength coach.”
