AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 overall player in On3’s 2025 rankings. The 6-foot-9 small forward earned Grind Session MVP honors after the season he had with Napa (CA) Prolific Prep. In the off-season, Dybantsa announced he would be transferring to Hurricane (UT) Utah Prep to play his senior year.
“When I got here, Chet Mason (USA Basketball 17U assistant coach) told me that he sees the game is slowing down for me,” Dybantsa told On3 . “Me working out with pros, playing with pros, and watching pros, the game is slowing down for me. My shot is getting more consistent, my goal is to get it above 45 percent, and I’m still a playmaker and a defensive presence.”
This summer, playing with the Oakland Soldiers program on Nike’s EYBL Circuit Dybantsa is current fourth overall in scoring. The 6-foot-9 wing is averaging 22.5 points per game. Synergy also tells us that Dybantsa is shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from three while averaging 1.047 points per possession.
“I’m working out with pros now and I can see in my game that I’m not rushing anything now,” Dybantsa said. “I’m obviously going fast, but things are slowing down for me with all the work I’m putting in. I’m not going just 100 miles per hour now, the pace of everything is slowing down for me.”
“On3 was able to catch up with Five-Star Plus+ AJ Dybantsa at USA Basketball U17 Junior National Team Training Camp to discuss his recruitment.”
My two official visits are to USC and Auburn,” Dybantsa said. “My visit to USC was with the previous staff. I also just went to BYU on an unofficial.”
Dybantsa breaks down USC and Auburn
USC : “I visited with the old staff, but Coach (Eric) Musselman has re-offered me,” Dybantsa said. “He didn’t offer me at Arkansas, so we don’t really know each other like that yet. He wants to get me on another visit down there, to give me his point of view on how he would use me at USC.
“It’s L.A., so I mean they have great weather, great facilities, and great everything, really. Bronny (James) was there when I went and Isaiah Collier . The facilities were great.”
AUBURN : “When I went down there, Coach (Bruce) Pearl talked to me about how I could be like the next Jabari Smith if I went there, play me in that role. The facilities were more the same. It was a really good environment. When I went on my visit, they played Mississippi State and they won and I can see why Jabari did well for them. The atmosphere was good. They have a small gym, but it was loud.”
“My dad handles all my recruitment,” Dybantsa added. “So I have been on the phone with all these coaches before, but I don’t talk with them a lot.”
Dybantsa talks BYU
“That was the only unofficial visit I’ve been on so far,” Dybantsa said. “My visit there was good. Kevin Young was an NBA coach, so he is telling me that he will bring a lot of NBA styles and concepts to the program. He told me that he thought he would be a good coach to help me get to that next level.
“It’s good that he has NBA experience. I mean, I’m trying to get to the NBA, so anyone that has NBA experience or anyone that has brought people to the NBA or coached in the NBA is going to have knowledge for that. The campus there was nice. It is only like three hours away from where Utah Prep is, so I’m probably going to take an official there if I’m free.”
AJ Dybantsa talks recruitment
UNC, Kentucky, and John Calipari are all programs and coaches that have recruited AJ Dybantsa for a while. He is also still adding new offers, like Kansas State earlier today.
“Kansas State was my most recent offer,” Dybantsa said. “They offered me today.”
KANSAS STATE : “I know they made a nice run in March Madness and they played an exciting style. I don’t really know much about them, they just offered me today, but I’m going to learn more about them.”
UNC : “The last time I talked with Coach Hubert (Davis) was probably about a month ago. We didn’t really even talk basketball, it was really just us catching up. The program there is good, I mean, they’re probably top five in sending kids to the NBA. So they obviously have good relationships and environment. And they have that experience of getting guys to the NBA.”
ARKANSAS : “Coach Cal ( John Calipari ) is a good coach, I mean, he is obviously one of the top coaches of all time. He’s going to keep doing what he is doing.”
KENTUCKY : “ Mark Pope offered me. I didn’t know much about him as a coach coming in, but when I spoke with him, we did a Zoom call, and he spoke a lot about him and how he coaches. I mean, Kentucky is always going to be a top-25 program, they’re always going to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
IN HIS WORDS
“I don’t have anything set yet, but I plan to take my next official visits in September and October,” Dybantsa said. “I’ll narrow my list down to like six or seven schools after Peach Jam.
“When I go on these visits, really I’m going to be looking for a great culture, player development, and a winning program. I’m trying to fit in with how I play and how the team plays. I feel like I can fit into many playstyles and multiple positions. So, playstyle is going to tie in a little bit, but not a lot.
“I’m trying to be a one-and-done, that is my ultimate goal. So the fastest I can get there and the most development I can get will be big factors for me. I’m trying to be productive in the league from the rip.”
The post AJ Dybantsa, On3’s No. 1 player in 2025, talks visits while diving into schools like UNC, Arkansas, Kentucky, and BYU appeared first on On3 .
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