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Potential No. 1 NBA draft pick from Brockton takes early bow in NCAA Tournament
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- Potential No. 1 NBA draft pick from Brockton takes early bow in NCAA Tournament
AJ Dybantsa put up a game-high 35 points Thursday night, but the freshman from Brockton’s performance wasn’t enough to stop No. 6 BYU from falling to No. 11 Texas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now Dybantsa, the top high school recruit in the class of 2025, will need to decide if he is one-and-done at BYU and enter the NBA draft as a potential No. 1 pick.
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According to The Athletic , Dybantsa declined to announce his decision after the 79-71 loss Thursday, instead saying he needed to talk to his mother.
“She is kind of the big boss,” Dybantsa said. “Y’all will get an answer in the next couple weeks.”
Dybantsa said while talking on the “ Deseret Voices ” podcast earlier this month that his mother wanted him to graduate and that he might return to BYU next season.
The 6-foot-9 small forward was born in Boston and grew up in Brockton, attending St. Sebastian’s School. While there, he was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a freshman.
He went on to play at Prolific Prep, ultimately reclassifying to the class of 2025, before ending his high school career at Utah Prep Academy.
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In 35 games this season with BYU, Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Thursday night, Dybantsa went 11-for-25 from the field and 12-for-12 from the free-throw line with 10 rebounds. He had almost as many points as the rest of his team combined. The performance, though, wasn’t enough as BYU’s season of injuries and setbacks caught up with it against a Texas team with far more depth.
“I love this place,” Dybantsa said of BYU after the loss. “I’m happy I chose here. I definitely made the right decision. I knew coming in I made the right decision. Ever since my visit with the coaching staff, how it’s just a family atmosphere, talking to the academic adviser, everything about this place, I’m just happy.
“As far as the season, it’s tough dealing with that type of adversity, but I’d rather do it with nobody else.”
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