Just minutes into his "Y's Guys" interview Monday night, it became quite clear that there are two AJ Dybantsas.
"I'm a big family guy. I do everything for my family and with my family. It's good to have my family around knowing that I have unconditional love to the left and right of me."
The first is the world's No. 1 basketball recruit who is a dominator on the court and the projected first prize in the 2026 NBA draft. The other AJ is a quiet, humble, genuine young man from Brockton, Massachusetts, who loves to smile, tell jokes and most of all, be around his family.
"If you see me on the court, it's like a horrible representation of who I really am," Dybantsa told the "Y's Guys" podcast this week. "I am mad on the court. I play angry. I'm very passionate. Off the court, I'm just chill. I think I'm funny. A lot of people laugh, but I might just be corny. I don't know."
Ace and Chelsea Dybantsa were key factors in AJ's decision to attend BYU. The parents toured campus last April, months before they brought their McDonald's All-American to see the place.
"I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for them," quipped AJ when asked if his parents play a role in his being here. "Them instilling hard work into me and my sisters (Samarra and Jasmyn) is why we do what we do."
Dybantsa does school, basketball and family. Unlike many of his generation, he takes a hard pass on wasting time playing video games.
"I'm a big family guy. I do everything for my family and with my family," he said. "It's good to have my family around knowing that I have unconditional love to the left and right of me."
Dybantsa gets plenty of love when it comes to basketball. Not only was he crowned with five stars as the No. 1 high school recruit in the world, but he is also projected to be the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA draft — if he leaves BYU after one season.
"Who says it's (just) a year?" he said with a wry smile. "I'm just saying?"
Hours removed from his first workout with Kevin Young and the six or seven roster players who are on campus, Dybantsa offered an early assessment.
"It was intense. I was tired. I'm still getting used to the 94-foot (court), which is different from high school," he said. "It was good just seeing the guys and the coaches and getting a feel."
As for BYU's lofty preseason projections, he said, "It's good, but anything that comes out before the season, you shouldn't really pay attention to. We don't even have our full team. We have a few more (players) coming that you don't know about yet."
AJ Dybantsa, the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit, is presented at halftime of the BYU and Fresno State game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Admittedly, Dybantsa will have a few butterflies when he makes his Marriott Center debut, but it won't be his first time on the court. That came last December after his ESPN announcement that he was choosing BYU over North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama.
During halftime of the Cougars' clash against Fresno State, Dybantsa was introduced to the crowd. The teen took an unprecedented victory lap that was draped by a standing ovation.
"I didn't know what I was doing. They just told me I was getting introduced," he said. "I didn't know where to go. I just went in a circle around the court. My hands were in the air for about a minute and a half. I thought, 'Wait, when do I pull them down?' I didn't know what I was supposed to do with them."
Dybantsa, who will wear No. 3 at BYU, spent the second half cheering in the ROC student section. Today, with the first week of his spring semester classes behind him, the 6-foot-9 freshman is no longer a visitor on campus.
AJ Dybantsa, the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit who has committed to BYU, gestures after a play during an NCAA men's basketball game between BYU and the West Virginia Mountaineers held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, March 1, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
"Now that I live here, I'm always (going to be) part of the community. I'll always come back to do community work here," he said. "I did it in Brockton, but now that this is my new home I will definitely try to do it in Provo."
To outsiders, the fact that the nation's top recruit chose to play at BYU may never be fully understood, but Dybantsa offers no concessions. He is happy to be here.
"KY is doing such a great job and it really showed this year — a first-year coach making it to the Sweet 16. You can't beat that," he said. "The whole NBA staff that they have, you aren't really getting that at the college level. Obviously, my main goal is to make the NBA at some point, so why not get that information years earlier?"
For Young and the Cougars, having two AJs is a luxury — a fierce competitor on the court and the fun, family-oriented guy off it. As BYU shapes the culture of the new team amid wild expectations, the Cougars are sure to find that two AJs are way better than none.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts "Y's Guys" at ysguys.com and is the author of the children's book "C is for Cougar," available at deseretbook.com.
