During the 2010-11 season, Brigham Young University guard Jimmer Fredette emerged as a national figure, bringing attention to a men’s basketball program that usually falls under the national radar. Fredette led the NCAA Division 1 in scoring, won national player of the year honors and created a sensation known as “Jimmer Mania,” with fans flocking to watch his games in person and on television and witness his outside shooting and clutch plays.
Next season, there could be a similar spotlight on BYU, thanks to the commitment on Tuesday from AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked high school senior in the nation who is already being projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing, chose the Cougars over Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina.
While Kansas and North Carolina are historic programs with multiple national titles and Alabama has thrived in recent years under coach Nate Oats, BYU is not known as a basketball school. But Dybantsa said on ESPN’s First Take in announcing his decision that his “ultimate goal is to get to the NBA” and noted that first-year BYU coach Kevin Young was previously an assistant with the Phoenix Suns, where he coached Kevin Durant, Dybantsa’s favorite player.
Dybantsa also mentioned BYU’s staff is filled with people who have worked in the NBA, including Akash Sebastian, the director of analytics and strategy; Michael Davie, director of strength and conditioning and sports science; and Danielle Lafata, director of nutrition.
While Dybantsa didn’t mention anything about money, finances certainly played a role in his decision, too. Numerous reports speculated that Dybantsa would likely make millions of dollars in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals in his one season at BYU, although terms of those contracts are not publicly disclosed. Dybantsa already has NIL deals with Red Bull and Nike, and he is likely to sign other contracts during his time at BYU.
For Young, who was the Suns’ associate head coach for three years and also spent four years as a Philadelphia 76ers’ assistant, receiving a commitment from Dybantsa is a breakthrough moment. Young had been linked to NBA head coaching jobs, but he decided to accept BYU’s offer in April and return to Utah, where he was born.
Dybantsa, who turns 18 in January, was originally a member of the high school Class of 2026, but he re-classified last year to the Class of 2025, meaning he is eligible to play in college next season. Dybantsa has dominated the high school ranks, averaging nearly 23 points per game in the Nike EYBL circuit this summer and winning a gold medal in July as part of Team USA in the FIBA U17 World Cup.
Dybantsa is BYU’s first 5-star prospect since 247Sports began its rankings in 1999, but the Cougars have been making progress on the recruiting trail. For instance, BYU has a commitment for next season from Xavion Staton, a 6-foot-10 center and No. 23 player in the Class of 2025 per 247Sports, and the Cougars signed a talented freshmen class for this season, including Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, who were 16th and 41st, respectively, in the 247Sports rankings. Demin, who is projected as a top-10 pick in next year’s NBA draft, is averaging a team-high 13.3 points and 5.8 assists per game, while Catchings is averaging 10.5 points per game.
Still, Dybantsa is at a different level. He is so good, in fact, that respected recruiting analysts and NBA draft experts have indicated Dybantsa could be a better overall prospect than Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg, the overwhelming favorite to get selected No. 1 in June’s draft.
Dybantsa, who grew up in the Boston area, began his high school career at St. Sebastian’s School in Massachusetts before transferring last year to Prolific Prep in California. This year, he is at Utah Prep Academy, which is about 250 miles from BYU. He will likely spend one year in college before he heads to the NBA.
All in all, it’s been quite the vagabond journey for Dybantsa, but he’s excelled everywhere he’s gone. He will likely make an immediate impact at BYU, a program that seems to be willing to financially and organizationally invest in competing at the sport’s highest levels.