AJ Dybantsa went one-and-done on the basketball court at BYU — but not in the classroom.
The former Cougars superstar and current Washington Wizards rookie has repeatedly shared his desire to graduate from BYU, and he recently told Boston sports anchor Ari Alexander about what such a pursuit currently looks like now that he’s out of Provo.
“I got on the phone with my academic advisor at BYU, and told her, ‘Let me start as soon as possible,’ so I can try to finish on time within three years, three-and-a-half years,” Dybantsa told Alexander.
“So I ordered the classes and kinda started two days ago. I did some (psychology) classes, some (communications) classes, I should be on pace to finish in three-and-a-half years.”
Dybantsa currently holds around a 3.7 grade point average at BYU, as previously reported by the Deseret News, earning a 4.0 during this past summer and fall and not receiving any grade lower than a B-minus since his ninth-grade year in Massachusetts.
“My grandmother taught me (education)’s the one thing no one can take away from you,” Dybantsa’s mother, Chelsea, told the Deseret News in November. “We instill that in our kids. We ensure our kids take school very seriously.”
Added Dybantsa’s father, Ace: “Education is more important than basketball.”
Given the many demands on his time as a professional athlete, Dybantsa is working to maximize his time as efficiently as he can.
“I kind of have a day in the morning ... eight to two is basketball,” Dybantsa told Alexander. “Then I’ll come back, try to knock out two classes, two lessons, go back to (basketball) at night and then try to do one more (lesson) before I go to bed.”
Dybantsa, who was drafted No. 1 overall by Washington this past June, will make his NBA regular-season debut on Oct. 21 against the Milwaukee Bucks. His first on-court return to Utah will be Feb. 27 when the Wizards visit the Jazz.
