AJ Dybantsa returned to his home state for a game at Emmanuel College in November.
AJ Dybantsa returned to his home state for a game at Emmanuel College in November.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
AJ Dybantsa, a Brockton native who is projected to be the top pick in the NBA Draft in 2026, will play college basketball at BYU, he announced Tuesday.
Dybantsa announced his decision — which came down to Alabama, Kansas, Brigham Young, and North Carolina — on ESPN’s “First Take” alongside host Stephen A. Smith.
The No. 1 high school player in the country, Dybantsa plays for Utah Prep, a basketball academy that competes on the Grind Session circuit against other programs that churn out top college prospects left and right.
After being named Massachusetts Boys’ Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year following his freshman year at Saint Sebastian’s in Needham, where he averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, he transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., where he played last season. He then reclassified to the Class of 2025 before transferring to Utah Prep prior to this season.
Dybantsa, 17, has made a few appearances in his home state this year, facing off against fellow New England star Cooper Flagg at the Hoophall Classic in a sold-out matchup in January and returning to the Boston area in November to put up 19 points in a 79-71 win over Highlands (Va.) High School at Emmanuel College.
Dybantsa follows Flagg, who hails from Maine and finished his high school career at Montverde Academy in Florida, as two of the best New England basketball products in recent memory. Flagg, who in 2022 became the youngest ever to be named USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year, is averaging 17 points per game as a freshman at Duke.
Emma can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @_EmmaHealy_.