2026 Recruiting: AJ Dybantsa

[TheHorde]

Keep doing this. You’re definitely not carving out a reputation as an annoying voice that needs to be set to ignore.

*a voice that should be listened to and has good points that you just don’t agree with. Open your mind pad wan.

 

[HooperScooper]

Should I stop posting snippets on this kid? He's going to be rated #1 so there's going to be a lot of stuff written about him.

DYBANTSA LOOKS LIKE NUMBER ONE IN 2026​

We won’t complete an initial ranking of the class of 2026 until a month or two after the summer ends, but AJ Dybantsa continues to make a pretty convincing case to start off in the No. 1 slot.

A 6-foot-8 small forward from the Boston area who has been tearing up the 17U level of the EYBL, Dybantsa was mostly unguardable playing against his peers in Colorado Springs. If you had a checklist of things you want out of an elite wing prospect, he seems to rate highly in all the categories.

Dybantsa has great size. He’s a long and elastic athlete who is just as explosive with his first step as he is finishing around the rim. He already shoots the ball with range, is adept at creating off the dribble and maybe most impressive is how hard he plays. He just keeps coming at his opponents and never allows them a chance to gather their breath or take a play off and get themselves back together.

It's hard to envision any scenario where Dybantsa doesn’t make the team and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he led the group in scoring. Alabama, Boston College, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Michigan, UConn and Washington have all offered early.

USA Basketball: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and more shine at U16 trials

The USA Basketball U16 National team trials were loaded with elite talent.

247sports.com

 

[navery12]

 

[HooperScooper]

UConn: “Alex Karaban goes there; he’s from the Expressions program. They won a national championship this year.”

“I want to play in the league, but I told my mom that I’m going to college,” Dybantsa said, “So that is the plan right now.

“I want to play for a coach who isn’t going to sugarcoat anything with me. A coach who will give us the freedom to make plays, but within a controlled system.”

Top 2026 prospect AJ Dybantsa talks offers and recruitment

2026 AJ Dybantsa, a USA Basketball u16 small forward, talks to On3's Jamie Shaw about his game and early stages of his recruitment.

www.on3.com

 

[HooperScooper]

Article in the Boston Globe. There will be a lot of ink spilled on him over the next 3 years.

Dybantsa is the third-leading scorer on Team USA at 13.7 points per game, ranking ninth in the tournament. But he ranks second in the tournament in assists (4.3) and is top 10 in steals. He’s also second in field goal percentage, shooting a sizzling 63.3 percent.

“You’re not always going to be the man here,” said Dybantsa. “You have to learn a different role and be able to affect the game in other ways, affect the game without scoring.

“You’re not going to score 20 points every game playing for Team USA. We have learned to be happy with that because we all have the same goal in mind.”

He’s 16, the top prospect in his class, and playing for Team USA. How does AJ Dybantsa stay focused amid the hype? - The Boston Globe

St. Sebastian's AJ Dybantsa is the top-ranked prospect in his class and is currently starring for the US U16 team.

www.bostonglobe.com

Alternate access:

A 16-year-old basketball prodigy from Brockton tries to stay focused amid all the hoop hype​

 

[WrenchFan69]

Going to Prolific Prep. Not that he'll play in college regardless, but probably doesn't help our case

 

[HooperScooper]

2. SF AJ Dybantsa (2026)​

AJ Dybantsa was so polished in scoring the ball that you forget he was one of only two high school sophomores in this event. The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 27.4 points on 64.1 percent shooting from the field.

Dybantsa has excellent footwork and really does his work from the mid-to-high post. While he still needs to continue adding weight, which will help his core and his balance. When he has the ball in his hands, he plays with great patience, not forcing anything from any level. Dybantsa has great length and athletic pop, which he shows in transition

Dybantsa is one of the premier talents in the high school game.

NBPA Top 100 Camp: Overall Top Performers

On3's Jamie Shaw discusses and breaks down the top overall performers from the 2023 NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Florida.

www.on3.com

 

[XLCenterFan]

I’ll never knock us for trying, but this feels like a kid with Duke/Kentucky written all over him.

We are THE program right now.

 

[Huskyforlife]

We are THE program right now.

No, we aren’t.

 

[REB1094]

The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 27.4 points on 64.1 percent shooting from the field.

Excuse me???????

 

[karstenkibbe]

Going to Prolific Prep. Not that he'll play in college regardless, but probably doesn't help our case

Just seeing the words “Prolific Prep” gives me horrible Vance Jackson flashbacks. Not the next step I was expecting in Dybantsa’s high school journey.

 

[Waquoit]

No, we aren’t.

Sez you

 

[TheHorde]

Sez you

Kentucky’s arrow is pointing down and Calislimy is far along on the back 9 on his coaching career. It’s fair for recruits to wonder how long he will continue doing it. We have an energetic and far younger coach that just signed a long, lucrative extension. Calislimy was Calhoun’s rival back as far as the ‘80s that’s how long he’s been doing it.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Kentucky’s arrow is pointing down and Calislimy is far along on the back 9 on his coaching career. It’s fair for recruits to wonder how long he will continue doing it. We have an energetic and far younger coach that just signed a long, lucrative extension. Calislimy was Calhoun’s rival back as far as the ‘80s that’s how long he’s been doing it.

Yeah you nailed it. Kentucky’s recruiting has completely fallen off. Just look at the terrible class they have coming in this year.

 

[HooperScooper]

5. SF AJ Dybantsa (2026)​

The game simply comes easy to some, AJ Dybantsa is one of those guys. The 6-foot-8 wing, who is playing up two age groups, showcased an array of scoring chops, capable of getting his buckets at multiple levels, creating his offense in the half-court off two or three dribbles.

Dybantsa is a lengthy wing with a projectable frame. He has explosive pop, which helps create separation, but it is his footwork that has been developing the most over the last couple of months. He has a smooth shooting stroke, capable of burying deep threes, but his work from 18 feet and in is where he gets his work done.

On3 has not ranked the 2026 class and will not do so for another couple of months. However, Dybantsa is trending as the top prospect in that class and one of the best in all of high school basketball. He finished with 21 points in the narrow loss today.

Peach Jam: Day 1 Top Performers

On3's Jamie Shaw discusses the top performers he watch on day one of Nike's Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina.

www.on3.com

 

[TheHorde]

Yeah you nailed it. Kentucky’s recruiting has completely fallen off. Just look at the terrible class they have coming in this year.

Just look at all of the departures in the portal, bringing in a 3 (3?!) star recruit to fill their roster out. All for another first weekend exit? Sad! You nailed it lol

 

[TheHorde]

https://amp.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-recruiting/article276703706.html

 

[navery12]

Just look at all of the departures in the portal, bringing in a 3 (3?!) star recruit to fill their roster out. All for another first weekend exit? Sad! You nailed it lol

They literally have the #1 recruiting class in the entire country. Yes they brought in some 3 star recruits, but it's the 6th and 7th recruits in their class. They have 4 5* recruits coming in and another top 50 recruit in addition to them

 

[TheHorde]

They literally have the #1 recruiting class in the entire country. Yes they brought in some 3 star recruits, but it's the 6th and 7th recruits in their class. They have 4 5* recruits coming in and another top 50 recruit in addition to them

Sure they do. But is their program as strong as it was even 3-5 years ago? They literally have an open scholarship slot right now. Cal is 64 years old. Is it fair for 2026 recruits to wonder if he will still be there in 2026 or 2027? I think so. Is their fan base united behind him and all thrilled? Absolutely not. My comment was for the folks who would prefer to waive the white flag on a recruit anytime Dook or Kentucky gets involved. We have a top 3-5 class coming in too don’t forget.

 

[navery12]

Sure they do. But is their program as strong as it was even 3-5 years ago? They literally have an open scholarship slot right now. Cal is 64 years old. Is it fair for 2026 recruits to wonder if he will still be there in 2026 or 2027? I think so. Is their fan base united behind him and all thrilled? Absolutely not. My comment was for the folks who would prefer to waive the white flag on a recruit anytime Dook or Kentucky gets involved. We have a top 3-5 class coming in too don’t forget.

And none of that is at all relevant to the discussion. You pushed back on the idea that Kentucky is still recruiting well and looked dumb. Don't try and move the goalposts now and throw out all this irrelevant stuff.

We all know Calipari never wins in March and fans want him fired, but recruits don't care about that. He's putting a few guys into the NBA every year, and that's all recruits care about. Until that stops they're going to be a factor for every top recruit

 

[Huskyforlife]

If the team that has the number 1 recruiting class can’t recruit anymore, college basketball is doomed.

 

[TheHorde]

And none of that is at all relevant to the discussion. You pushed back on the idea that Kentucky is still recruiting well and looked dumb. Don't try and move the goalposts now and throw out all this irrelevant stuff.

We all know Calipari never wins in March and fans want him fired, but recruits don't care about that. He's putting a few guys into the NBA every year, and that's all recruits care about. Until that stops they're going to be a factor for every top recruit

If he’s not there in a year how can they be in a good place as a program? What looks dumb is not admitting that there are tons of articles and discussions in the national media and Kentucky fan base that he’s on the hot seat. That is extremely relevant sorry. Agree to disagree with you on that. Again is their program in a better or worse place than it was even 3-5 years ago? Is our recruiting for the coming class roughly on par with their’s? Would that qualify as a needle down compared to where the two programs stood in 2016 or 2018 or 2019? Answer that question.

 

[navery12]

If he’s not there in a year how can they be in a good place as a program? What looks dumb is not admitting that there are tons of articles and discussions in the national media and Kentucky fan base that he’s on the hot seat. That is extremely relevant sorry. Agree to disagree with you on that. Again is their program in a better or worse place than it was even 3-5 years ago? Is our recruiting for the coming class roughly on par with their’s? Would that qualify as a needle down compared to where the two programs stood in 2016 or 2018 or 2019? Answer that question.

Honestly, no. Our recruiting is not even close to theirs. And their recruiting hasn't even taken a step back from any of those years mentioned. This year Kentucky has the #3, 4, 6, 16, 42, 174, 197 recruits. UConn has the # 10, 46, 67, 81, 139 recruits. It's not close and if you take off your blue tinted glasses you'll see it.

They're continuing to get top recruits every single year, and they're continuing to send multiple guys to the NBA every year. The only difference with the portal era is when a top recruit fails they don't stay on the bench for 4 years at Kentucky, they transfer down a level and play

And it doesn't matter because we have Dan Hurley who's a much better coach, so we don't need a class full of top 10 recruits to make the NCAA tournament. But to say the classes are equal is just insane, even with our great class this year. It's a dumb argument and you're living in a fantasy world

 

[TheHorde]

No hard feelings. Not going back and forth on this anymore. Debate is fun and healthy. It’s okay to agree to disagree. Cheers.

 

[pj]

Honestly, no. Our recruiting is not even close to theirs. And their recruiting hasn't even taken a step back from any of those years mentioned. This year Kentucky has the #3, 4, 6, 16, 42, 174, 197 recruits. UConn has the # 10, 46, 67, 81, 139 recruits. It's not close and if you take off your blue tinted glasses you'll see it.

They're continuing to get top recruits every single year, and they're continuing to send multiple guys to the NBA every year. The only difference with the portal era is when a top recruit fails they don't stay on the bench for 4 years at Kentucky, they transfer down a level and play

And it doesn't matter because we have Dan Hurley who's a much better coach, so we don't need a class full of top 10 recruits to make the NCAA tournament. But to say the classes are equal is just insane, even with our great class this year. It's a dumb argument and you're living in a fantasy world

Yes ... but Dan Hurley's classes keep getting better, and he seems to reel in really high character guys. Just as was the case with Calhoun, I expect Hurley's guys to play above their rankings.

I wouldn't trade our players for Kentucky's, just because Dan Hurley recruited ours.