KU, K-State schedule campus visits with No. 1-rated high school senior hoops player

The consensus No. 1-ranked high school player in the men’s basketball recruiting class of 2025 on Thursday scheduled official campus visits to both Kansas and Kansas State.

AJ Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound senior forward from Utah Prep Academy in Manti, Utah, told ESPN.com’s Paul Biancardi he will visit K-State on Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 and KU from Sept. 6-8.

The Brockton, Massachusetts native also will travel to North Carolina on Sept. 20-22, Alabama on Sept. 27-29, Baylor on Oct. 4-6 and BYU on Oct. 11-13. He has a seventh finalist in Auburn, a school he’s already visited. He still might make an unofficial visit to the SEC school.

“In June I was at the USA Basketball Under-17 training camp. Sitting among the NBA scouts throughout the open sessions of the camp, during our conversation, one scout matter-of-factly stated, ‘AJ Dybantsa would be the No. 1 player in this year’s draft (2024), next year’s draft (2025), and in the 2026 NBA Draft,’” wrote Jamie Shaw of On3.com .

“This thought process has been a common sentiment among scouts over the past few months of being able to watch high school prospects play live. Another NBA scout told me in conversation, ‘At this stage, Dybantsa is the best domestic prospect I’ve scouted in the past 10 years.’”

Dybantsa was a member of the United States gold medal winning team in the recent FIBA Under 17 Americas tournament in Mexico.

“I’m looking to build a relationship with a head coach who doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but we can still have that bond both on and off the court,” Dybantsa told ESPN.com. “We can talk about things on and off the court and play to my strengths while helping me with my weaknesses. I will decide in February.”

Dybantsa played for Prolific Prep in California last year. This past summer he averaged 22.6 points a game for the Oakland Soldiers on the EYBL circuit.

Asked about how much NIL will impact his decision, his dad, Ace Dybantsa, told ESPN.com: “It’s a factor, but it’s not the reason we are picking a school. We left out schools (on final list) that have a lot of money. AJ will go where he feels he can have the most success on the court.”

Of KU, AJ said: “When I look at their history, they have a track record of guys in my position in the NBA. I talked to Bill Self and Kurtis Townsend. Coach Townsend has come to Prolific Prep a few times. They had Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre and Josh Jackson. They have had great runs of success. They say it’s loud in there (at Allen Fieldhouse).”

Of K-State, he said: “I talked with Jerome Tang. He told me his guys play with a lot of freedom, but it’s also in a system that is geared toward winning. “

Big man Reibe sets dates for KU visit

KU has set up an Aug. 29-31 campus visit with Eric Reibe, a 7-foot, 230-pound senior center from Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, ESPN’s Biancardi reported Thursday.

Reibe will visit UConn on Sept. 6-8, Kentucky on Sept. 13-15, North Carolina on Sept. 20-22, Indiana on Oct. 4-6 and Oregon on Oct. 11-13.

Originally from Germany, he is ranked No. 25 in the recruiting class of 2025 by ESPN.com, No. 45 by 247Sports.com and No. 66 by Rivals.com. Reibe recently narrowed his list of college contenders to KU, UConn, North Carolina, Kentucky, Creighton, Harvard, Indiana, Ohio State, West Virginia, Oregon and Stanford.. He’s already visited Harvard, West Virginia, Creighton and Ohio State.

He averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando in June.

“At 7 feet tall, Eric Reibe is an extremely skilled big man with mobility and touch both inside and out.,” Biancardi said of Reibe as reported by SI.com . “His basketball IQ is high and his rebounding is consistent. Won’t find any more skilled at his size.”

KU to entertain Williams-Adams

Sebastian Williams-Adams, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound senior small forward from Saint John’s High School in Houston, will make an official visit to KU on Sept. 13-15, he told On3sports.com.

Williams-Adams, who has cut his list to KU, Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Purdue, SMU, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt, will visit Texas A&M on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; Auburn on Sept. 6-8, Purdue on Sept 20-22, SMU on Sept. 27-29 and Oklahoma State on Oct. 4-6.

He is ranked No. 33 by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com and No. 42 by ESPN.com.

Of Williams-Adams, who has taken unofficial visits to KU, SMU and Texas A&M, Shaw of On3.com writes: “The production is what pops when watching Sebastian Williams Adams. Standing in the 6-7 range, the forward is a downhill type with good touch around the rim. He can attack from various areas on the floor and absorbs contact getting to the free throw line. Would like to see Williams Adams continue working on the shooting, tightening things up from beyond the arc and adding to his middle game. He is an active defender, using his length and anticipation to guard more perimeter-based forwards and then his length and aggression to switch down a lineup for more paint-based forwards. He is an active rebounder in and out of his area. He is a player who keeps the motor running and continues coming at you, on both ends, throughout the course of a game.”