A.J. Dybantsa is no longer considering the USC Trojans as one of his top schools. Eric Musselman absorbed a loss when the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class announced his list of schools. That list included Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and North Carolina. Dybantsa announced his finalists to ESPN.
“I’m looking to build a relationship with a head coach who doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but we can still have that bond both on and off the court,” he said. “[We can] talk about things on and off the court and play to my strengths while helping me with my weaknesses. The list is based on the coaches who spoke with my dad the most. I will decide in February.”
USC and Eric Musselman took a big swing here. Not all big swings connect, but that’s just the reality of recruiting. You can’t score if you don’t shoot. USC won’t make all of its shots, but it must at least shoot for the stars, knowing it will fall short many times, as in this case with Dybantsa.
NIL was a selling point for AJ and his family and House of Victory and USC were thought to be a major factor in his recruitment, but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough to land the generational talent.
“It’s a factor, but it’s not the reason we are picking a school,” Ace Dybantsa told ESPN. “We left out schools that have a lot of money. A.J. will go where he feels he can have the most success on the court.”
AJ Dybantsa is the top recruit in the 2025 high school class, with many already projecting him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The five-star recruit has seen some lofty expectations placed on him, drawing a pro comparison with multi-time All-Star and top-three MVP finisher Paul George.
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