Tag: AJ Dybantsa

2025 Nike Hoop Summit Notebook: Standouts for Team USA and Team World

Every year, the start of the next NBA Draft cycle is marked by the Nike Hoops Summit. This season’s event carried extra anticipation, as four of the top five projected prospects were in attendance, with the only absence being Darryn Peterson, the …

Every year, the start of the next NBA Draft cycle is marked by the Nike Hoops Summit. This season’s event carried extra anticipation, as four of the top five projected prospects were in attendance, with the only absence being Darryn Peterson, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class and a University of Kansas commit. Headlining the event were AJ Dybantsa, Cam and Cayden Boozer (the twin sons of Carlos Boozer), and the still-uncommitted Nate Ament.

Also in attendance were the sons of three other former NBA players: Kiyan Anthony (Carmelo Anthony’s son), Tajh Ariza (Trevor Ariza’s son), and Dorian Hayes (Chuck Hayes’ son), who played for the Portland Generals.

Koa Peat (Team USA) was sidelined with an injury and replaced by Trey McKenney, while Dash Daniels (Team World) was replaced by Shon Abaev.

Other notable participants included Bogoljub Markovic, a 2025 NBA draft prospect who confirmed his draft entry to HoopsHype, and Italian prospect Dame Sarr, who made headlines after arriving at the Hoop Summit against FC Barcelona’s wishes.

HoopsHype was on the ground all week, covering practices and scrimmages leading up to Saturday’s game, where Team USA secured an exciting 124-114 overtime victory over the World Select Team.

Below, we break down the standout performers from both squads.

UNC basketball has just two Class of 2025 targets left after AJ Dybantsa’s BYU commitment

AJ Dybantsa’s commitment leaves the UNC basketball 2025 recruiting class ultra-thin.

The North Carolina Tar Heels only have two basketball stars locked up in their 2025 recruiting class – and just two targets remaining.

UNC lost its greatest target on Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the Class of 2025’s top-ranked player in AJ Dybantsa chose BYU.

Dybantsa currently plays his high school ball at Utah Prep, so I can understand his choice if location was a factor, but there are rumors Dybantsa also chose a $7 million NIL bag.

With Dybantsa now gone, North Carolina now needs to focus all its 2025 recruiting attention on Caleb Wilson, a 5-star power forward from Atlanta, Ga.

Wilson, who plays his high school ball at Holy Innocents Episcopal School, is the Class of 2025’s fifth-ranked player. Wilson is the nation’s third-ranked power forward, plus Georgia’s top overall player.

The Tar Heels already have commitments from 4-star combo guards Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon, but they have yet to land a 5-star.

UNC hasn’t totally bombed in Class of 2025 recruiting, but it has lost out on two of its greatest targets. In addition to losing out on Dybantsa, North Carolina previously watched Jasper Johnson commit to Kentucky.

If the Tar Heels’ original 2025 class was based on offers alone, they’d have one of the nation’s best, but sadly, we are in a recruiting era where kids are choosing money over tradition.

I can’t blame recruits for chasing a bag, as they’ll be setting themselves (and their families) up for a better future. NIL is helping less-established programs lure in top-recruits, such as BYU with Dybantsa, but it’s also turning college sports more professional.

If UNC lands Wilson and Nate Ament, UNC’s other Class of 2025 target, its Dybantsa miss matters a lot less. If Wilson – and/or Ament – choose elsewhere, Hubert Davis will have to seriously reconsider his recruiting efforts.

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UNC basketball to visit 5-star Class of 2026 target after AJ Dybantsa miss

Can UNC land its first Class of 2026 basketball commitment on Wednesday?

The North Carolina Tar Heels failed to land a commitment from AJ Dybantsa, the Class of 2025’s top-ranked player, but that isn’t stopping them from continuing along the recruiting trail.

UNC’s next focus now appears to be on the 2026 recruiting class, with an upcoming visit for one of the class’ top players.

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, North Carolina announced that it will pay 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. a visit.

Rippey, a junior who plays his high school basketball at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, is the Class of 2026’s 21st-ranked player. Rippey is also the country’s fifth-ranked point guard, plus the top-ranked player in New Jersey.

UNC won’t be the only program in attendance Wednesday, as ACC rival Syracuse announced its plan to visit Rippey.

If the Tar Heels offer Rippey after their visit, he’ll be their seventh. North Carolina has already offered six other 5-star recruits: power forward Tyran Stokes, small forwards Cameron Holmes, Caleb Holt and in-state talent Cole Cloer, shooting guard Jordan Smith and power forward Miikka Muurinen.

UNC showed its ability to land top-end talent in its 2024 recruiting class, with 5-star McDonalds All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson choosing to play their college ball in Chapel Hill. High school standouts still want to become Tar Heels, but in today’s NIL era, money is seemingly more important to them.

When Hubert Davis is up in New Jersey visiting Rippey, he needs to find a way to convince Rippey that North Carolina is still a highly-sought-after college basketball destination.

UNC has the championships, NCAA Tournament appearances and tradition that some of these other programs – in this case, BYU – doesn’t have. Other programs might be able to offer high schoolers more money, only for those players to transfer or turn pro after one year.

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Class of 2025 top recruit commits to Big 12 school over North Carolina

North Carolina losses the sweepstakes on the Class of 2025 overall top recruit.

The Class of 2025 for North Carolina is looking slimmer and slimmer. Currently, Hubert Davis has verbal commits from the No. 47 player in the nation, Isaiah Denis, and the No. 51 ranked player, Derek Dixon.

The Tar Heels were in the hunt for the No. 1 overall player in the country, AJ Dybantsa after reaching his final four teams that he was deciding between.

Today, Dybantsa chose to commit to BYU over North Carolina, Alabama, and Kansas. Dybantsa reigns from Hurricane, Utah, at Utah Prep.

That gave BYU, the Provo, Utah, school the advantage of being his “hometown” university.

Dybantsa told ESPN the following regarding his commitment to BYU.

At BYU, the whole staff from the head coach on down came from the NBA. Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in KD, and coached Devin Booker. Both had a lot of good things to say about him. We watched clips of both.

Dybantsa is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft so having a school and staff that will prepare him for that step was a big part of his decision-making.

It can only be assumed that North Carolina’s recent struggles this season played a part in his decision as well. However, there are still several players that Hubert Davis is looking to add to his team from the Class of 2025, but the players are depleting quickly.

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AJ Dybantsa will attend BYU in a massive decision for the No. 1 high school basketball player

AJ Dybantsa is the first five-star for BYU.

The college basketball landscape shifted on Tuesday morning when AJ Dybantsa committed to play college basketball at BYU.

Widely considered the top high school player in the country for the Class of 2025, he is currently the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He was the top recruit uncommitted after Cameron Boozer announced his intentions to play for Duke.

Dybantsa chose to play for Brigham Young over Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. He will suit up next season in Provo after transferring to Utah Prep from Prolific Prep in California for his final year of high school hoops.

The 17-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward has won gold medals for Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U16 Americas Championship.

He will play for Kevin Young, a former Phoenix Suns assistant, at BYU. He is the first five-star recruit in the modern recruiting era of program history. It is expected he will sign a massive NIL deal potentially worth around from $5 million to $7 million.

Dybantsa, who said he plays like Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and considers himself a point forward, intends to contend for a college championship in the NCAA.

He could potentially join Egor Demin as back-to-back lottery picks for BYU, which would likeely change the trajectory of the program forever.

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Alabama target, nation’s No. 1 2025 recruit makes official commitment decision

The nation’s top basketball recruit has made a decision.

After announcing Monday that he would be officially committing Tuesday morning, the highly-anticipated decision has now come for top basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa.

Joining ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday morning, Dybantsa announced that he would be committing to the BYU Cougars. This decision comes over a trio of additional finalists that included the Alabama Crimson Tide, Kansas Jayhawks, and North Carolina Tar Heels.

A generational-type prospect, Dybantsa, a five-star, is considered as the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, with the small forward attending Utah Prep in Utah. Dybantsa also projects to be one of the best players in college basketball next season as a freshman, as well as an early favorite to be a top 2026 NBA draft pick.

Following the commitment of Dybantsa to BYU, the Crimson Tide’s 2025 recruiting class still ranks No. 11 nationally with three signees in Davion Hannah, London Jemison, and Amari Allen, each of which are four-star prospects.

Alabama top target, nation’s No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa sets decision date

The nation’s top prospect has set an official commitment date.

One of the most anticipated recruiting decisions in Alabama Crimson Tide basketball history has now officially arrived, as highly-touted prospect AJ Dybantsa is set to announce his commitment Tuesday, Dec. 10.

According to Dybantsa’s social media accounts, the decision will take place Tuesday, Dec. 10 live on ESPN’s “First Take” at 10:30 a.m. ET, with the top prospect deciding between Alabama, the BYU Cougars, Kansas Jayhawks, and North Carolina Tar Heels.

At the moment, Dybantsa currently ranks as the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings out of Utah Prep in Utah. Dybantsa is also a small forward, and is considered one of the top prospects to come out of high school in recent years.

Should Dybantsa choose the Crimson Tide, then the five-star prospect would become the highest-ranked player to ever commit to Alabama, as well as join a recruiting class that ranks No. 11 nationally with three commits in Davion Hannah, London Jemison, and Amari Allen.

Will it be the Crimson Tide for Dybantsa on Tuesday morning? We will find out soon.

Top UNC basketball recruiting target sets decision date

A top UNC basketball recruiting target has announced his decision date/

The North Carolina Tar Heels will soon learn their fate for a top 2025 recruiting target on the basketball circuit. And it feels like a must-get for Hubert Davis and his staff.

On Tuesday, No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa will officially commit to a program and end his recruitment, doing so during ESPN’s “First Take” show in the morning. Dybantsa revealed on Monday that he would be ready to make an announcement.

As for the contenders, he recently cut his list of offers down to a final four as he focused on North Carolina, BYU, Alabama and Kansas. His recruitment has been relatively quiet with BYU picking up a crystal ball prediciton from 247Sports a few months back.

However, since then that prediction is gone and both UNC and Alabama are rumored to have gained some ground. His father, Ace, was in attendance in the Dean Dome last week for the Tar Heels’ big game against the Crimson Tide as well.

It’s tough to say who is truly in the lead here for this recruitment and with it being so quiet, there’s really no way to get a good read on it. But it’s safe to say that UNC will know their fate in less than 24 hours and they hope they can add to their two-player class for the 2025 cycle.

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Nation’s No. 1 basketball recruit narrows finalists, Alabama included

The nation’s No. 1 prospect is down to four.

Having already signed three prospects in their 2025 signing class, there is no denying that the Alabama Crimson Tide are not done yet either, as likely the biggest potential get of them all is still available.

That player is elite prospect AJ Dybantsa, with whom Alabama is currently a finalist for, making the top four for the top talent Wednesday alongside the BYU Cougars, Kansas Jayhawks, and North Carolina Tar Heels.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Dybantsa ranks as the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, and is a five-star small forward out of Utah Prep in Utah. Dybantsa is also one of the highest-rated prospects in recent memory, and projects to be a top pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton as well, Dybantsa’s dad was also at the game Wednesday night between Alabama and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, a matchup in which the Crimson Tide walked away with a dominant 94-79 win.

Should the five-star end up committing to Alabama, then Dybantsa would be the highest-rated prospect to ever commit to the Crimson Tide. Could that potentially become a reality in the near future?

Auburn target AJ Dybansta moves up commitment timeline

The Auburn target recently told ESPN he expects his decision to come before the calendar turns to 2025.

The No. 1 basketball recruit in the 2025 class has reportedly moved up his decision timeline after seeing the first week-plus of the college basketball season unfold.

[autotag]AJ Dybansta[/autotag], widely considered one of the best high school prospects in the past decade, recently told ESPN he expects his decision to come sometime in December.

“We are ahead of where we thought we would be. If I know where I want to go, why wait? It’s probably going to be in December. I feel I will be ready by then,” Dybantsa said in an interview with ESPN.

The 6-9 wing forward is currently projected to stay in his home state of Utah, joining BYU. However, Auburn is among six other schools, including SEC rival Alabama and possible Maui Invitational opponent North Carolina, on Dybantsa’s radar.

The Hurricane, Utah native last visited the Plains on March 2. Although the consensus top recruit in the 2025 cycle has made trips to BYU, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas, and Kansas State more recently, Auburn remains in the mix because of the lack of front-court options going into next season. The 17-year-old’s most direct path to big minutes could be with Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. Dybansta’s decision may ultimately come down to which school he feels will help him develop his play style the best.

Speaking further with ESPN, the projected NBA lottery pick said he and his family are keeping a close eye on the way his prospective schools are coached.

“We are observing how the coaches manage their teams, how they react when they have a lead or are behind, how they run their offense, and whether their overall play style matches what they’ve communicated to us,” Dybantsa said.

If Dybansta were to commit to the Tigers, he’d join recently committed guard Kaden Magwood and four-star slasher [autotag]Simon Walker[/autotag] as the foundation of next season’s class.

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