In becoming the first-ever five-star recruit from the United States to commit to BYU men’s basketball, AJ Dybantsa stunned the national audience with his decision to stay in-state instead of choosing a traditional blue blood like North Carolina or Kansas, which were among his top schools.
When the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2025 announced his decision on First Take, it also left Stephen A. Smith flummoxed.
“I thought you were going to pick North Carolina,” Smith said, “because that ACC, and the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.”
“Who said I can’t play Duke at BYU? Dybantsa quickly responded.
It’s a challenge sent out to the rest of the nation: BYU wants Duke. It wants the challenges. It wants to consistently go up against the best teams in the country, even those outside the Big 12. With Dybantsa on board and a head coach with NBA experience in Kevin Young, the program is confident it can match up with anyone.
BYU’s class of 2025 is extremely competitive, with Dybantsa joined by a pair of four-star players in center Xavion Staton (ranked No. 23 in the nation) and power forward Chamberlain Burgess (No. 147 recruit). Overall, it’s ranked the 11th-best class by 247Sports.
Dybantsa will be getting millions in NIL funding, according to reports. Both CBS’ Matt Norlander and Adam Zagoria of Forbes reported a base of $5 million, and Zagoria added that he’s set to make $7 million total with endorsements from Nike and Red Bull. BYU’s fund for NIL is growing, with reports that Utah Jazz leaders Ryan Smith and Danny Ainge are involved, and this is the first strike from the program.
According to Deseret News, that BYU vs. Duke matchup could be rapidly approaching:
“Already there is talk of pitting BYU against Duke and the Boozer twins — Cameron and Cayden — in Las Vegas next year, probably around Thanksgiving.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: AJ Dybantsa responds to Stephen A. Smith comment about facing Duke
