AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s No. 1 total recruit in 2025, is heading to Mark Pope‘s outdated stomping grounds. The 6-9 guard out of Massachusetts dedicated to BYU over Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina on Tuesday along with his announcement approaching ESPN’s First Take.
“Rather a lot stood out on my go to,” he stated. “Obviously, Coach Kevin Young down there. My final purpose is to get to the NBA. He coached my favourite participant of all time, Kevin Durant, and he had excessive reward about him. Head coach all the best way right down to the analytics man to dietician to the power coach. If it’s all NBA, I’m making an attempt to get to the NBA. I feel it’s going to be the most effective improvement for me.”
Kentucky was beforehand within the working for Dybantsa previous to his checklist reduce right down to seven faculties, Pope providing the generational expertise a scholarship upon taking the job in Lexington. Auburn, Baylor and Kansas State have been additionally included in that first checklist reduce earlier than he narrowed his focus to the Cougars, Tide, Jayhawks and Tar Heels.
BYU is presently 6-2 to open the 2024-25 season below Kevin Young, the Cougars choosing up wins over Central Arkansas, UC Riverside, Queens, Idaho, Mississippi Valley and NC State with losses to Ole Miss and Providence.
Dybantsa is this system’s highest-rated dedication in program historical past and the primary five-star total.
“The purpose is to win a nationwide championship,” he stated. “Individually their plan is to make me NBA prepared, the No. 1 total draft decide. They will assist me with my 3-point shot and put me in several spots that I might play within the NBA.”
Quite the flip of occasions for a BYU program getting its first style of success as a Power 4 program a yr in the past below Pope.
