In the six or so weeks since he penned an emotional goodbye and thank you note to BYU and members of “Cougar Nation” everywhere, projected top NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa has traveled all over the world while preparing for June 23, when he will once again be on center stage in New York City.
Dybantsa has spent most of his time in Southern California at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, but he has also been back to his hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts, to watch his sister, Samarra, graduate from UMass-Boston. He’s been to Europe to watch some French Open matches — good friend Frances Tiafoe of the United State lost in the fourth round — and most recently was at Madison Square Garden to witness the Knicks’ historic comeback win over the Spurs to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
While he was in Massachusetts May 27-28, he took some time to chat exclusively via telephone with the Deseret News for an upcoming Father’s Day piece on his dad and manager, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr., and also agreed to provide his thoughts on his two years in Utah, including his solo season at BYU.
“I’m going to be honest with guys: If you’re not going to fit the culture and you’re not going to fit the style of play, then I wouldn’t recommend (BYU). But if you’re one of those guys that’s a culture guy that can actually fit into BYU, definitely.”
— former BYU star AJ Dybantsa
Bottom line, AJ said on May 28, is that he has “absolutely no regrets” about making the highly questioned decision in 2024 to attend BYU in 2025-26 and play for the Big 12’s Cougars.
“None whatsoever, it was a great time for me,” AJ said. “It was kind of disappointing to not make a run (in the NCAA Tournament). I really thought we were going to do that, even when (Richie Saunders) got injured (late in the season). I thought we had all the pieces we needed.”
They didn’t, obviously, as Texas center Matas Vokietaitis had 23 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Longhorns to a 77-71 first-round win over the Cougars in Portland. Coincidentally, BYU is still searching for a starting center, as Keba Keita graduated and backup center Abdullah “Bido” Ahmed transferred to UMass. Another would-be center, Xavion Staton, transferred to Oregon State.
BYU coach Kevin Young “will figure it out and get somebody,” Dybantsa said. “He’s still got a lot to offer.”
Dybantsa applauded the Cougars’ move to keep point guard Rob Wright III in Provo, and agreed with Young’s declaration that Wright is “the best point guard in college basketball.”
Regarding the season in which he earned consensus All-America honors and led NCAA Division I men’s basketball in scoring with a 25.5 average but still didn’t get BYU past the first round, Dybantsa said he’s proud of the way the team stuck together despite several “setbacks and obstacles” that sprang up in February.
“We dealt with so many injuries, to the point where a lot of people just counted us out,” he said. “So the fact that we made a run in the Big 12, and got to the tournament as a No. 6 seed was a lot to be proud of. Obviously, had higher expectations. So for me, it was a disappointment. But for the whole team they are probably proud that they got to make it to the tournament, and how well we did in the Big 12 tournament.”
The Cougars beat Kansas State 105-91 and West Virginia 68-48 in the Big 12 tournament before falling 73-66 to No. 5 Houston in the quarterfinals.
Having gone through the process of moving to Hurricane, Utah, to play his senior season of prep basketball for Utah Prep before signing with BYU in November 2024, would Dybantsa recommend BYU to top national recruits, such as himself?
“Yes, of course I would,” he said. “Knowing the coaching staff, knowing the playing style, I believe they will continue (to have success).”
With that, Dybantsa threw out a piece of advice. He said he was “prepared” to be able to adapt to BYU’s unique culture as a faith-based school supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but not all people who are not members of that faith will have that same experience.
“Obviously, other players would have to fit into that role, depending on which type of player they are,” he said. “So, I mean, I’m going to be honest with guys: If you’re not going to fit the culture and you’re not going to fit the style of play, then I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you’re one of those guys that’s a culture guy that can actually fit into BYU, definitely.”
As far as his off-court experience went, Dybantsa said, in the context of the bulk of the interview, which was about his father’s impact on his life, that his time and BYU solidified his desire to one day get married and become a father himself.
“Eventually, in the future, I want to be a family man, exactly, for sure,” he said.
Dybantsa confirmed that he “definitely” plans to take online classes from BYU and graduate “within the next four years” as he said on April 23 when he declared for the NBA draft.
“Yeah, I’ll do it online. It’s kind of the same way I did it this year, except I won’t be able to go in person, which is a little bit easier,” he said. “I will have to do it online, dedicate some time to school every single day.”
Dybantsa said he got a 4.0 grade point average at BYU last summer and fall, and still hasn’t received a grade below a B-minus in any of his classes since the ninth grade. He said his current GPA at BYU is around 3.7.
