No. 1 basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa talks about attending BYU

The most important recruiting weekend in recent BYU basketball history has begun.

The No. 1 player in the country, AJ Dybantsa, began his official visit on Friday and will be in attendance at the BYU football game on Saturday.

Dybantsa is still targeting a February commitment, he told The Salt Lake Tribune. However, there was a slight hiccup in his recruiting process.

BYU was supposed to be his final visit on the recruiting trail — three weeks before the start of his high school basketball season. But he had to postpone a trip to Baylor that was scheduled for Oct. 4.

Dybansa still has Baylor in the mix, he said, along with BYU, Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Kansas State and Auburn.

“Seven more,” Dybantsa said of the schools he is considering.

BYU sent Dybantsa his travel itinerary on Thursday — including the BYU-Arizona football game.

Dybantsa is visiting along with his Utah Prep teammate JJ Mandaquit, an ESPN Top 50 player in the country. Dybantsa was happy to visit with Mandaquit — who played with him on Team USA this summer — but said he didn't ask BYU to plan their trips together.

“It happened to be the same weekend,” he said. “We wanted to plan each visit around the school’s schedule. And this was one of the few weekends available. And JJ happened to be there. So someone we know sounds good.”

Dybantsa was last on BYU's campus for an unofficial visit in June.

BYU head coach Kevin Young laid the foundation for this visit while he was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns.

Young flew to Provo in the middle of an NBA playoff series to meet with Ace and Chelsea Dybantsa, AJ's parents, and try to land the best recruit on campus. Young explained his NBA background and how he has worked with stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Ace Dybantsa agreed to take AJ to Provo after the meeting.

Since that June visit, Young has assembled the best roster in program history and assembled an NBA team. Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings – two potential NBA lottery picks – have signed for the 2024 team.

Dybantsa said he has spoken to Young a little since June, but no more than any other head coach. While he was impressed with Young's NBA background and recent recruiting, that doesn't set BYU apart from the other schools.

“I mean, yeah,” Dybantsa said Young’s NBA connections were helpful. “That’s why (BYU) made the list. I feel like all seven schools have some similarities, some differences. But they all made the list for a reason.

“All schools have NBA players. So I know they have the ability to surpass that (college) and go from there to the NBA.”

Dybantsa stated that all his visits so far have been relatively consistent.

“I never had a bad visit. All the visits showed me their best,” he said.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats took him to the Georgia-Alabama football game two weeks ago.

“Crazy atmosphere,” he said.

But for now, he's keeping his options open. And he believes every school has a chance.

“It’s definitely going to be a tough decision,” he said.

Now it’s BYU’s turn to impress.