AJ Dybantsa, Hannah Hidalgo, MiLaysia Fulwiley and more pose in classroom for energy drink giant
While school may be out for the summer (or nearly so, in some places), a schoolroom motif attracted some of college basketball's biggest superstars. Even in the era of NIL, it's a bit unusual to see so much star power in one photo shoot, but a massive group of college athletes notably included top freshman AJ Dybantsa and lady hoops stars Hannah Hidalgo and MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Schoolroom ad for basketball standouts Dybantsa, others
In a new ad campaign, energy drink brand Red Bull poses a group of star athletes in a classroom. The slogan for the promotion notes, "School's out, the grind isn't." Among the other notable athletes in the promo shoot are UCLA guard Trent Perry and LSU guard Mikaylah Williams. A trio of volleyball stars and a gymnast are also featured.
Off-season active for hoopers
Certainly, a Red Bull advertisement hasn't been the only intrigue of the offseason for Fulwiley. A two-season standout for Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks, Fulwiley decided soon after the Carolina loss to UConn in the NCAA title game that she'd hit the transfer portal.
Fulwiley eventually committed to LSU and coach Kim Mulkey. She'll join forces with Mikaylah Williams next season with the Tigers, and those two standouts along with fellow LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson, figure to give the Tigers one of the best backcourts in college basketball.
Hannah Hidalgo has had her own transfer portal experience, although it's not a first-hand one. The standout guard is staying at Notre Dame, but plenty of her teammates are not. Most notably, guard Olivia Miles, who many thought would enter the WNBA Draft, not only didn't enter the draft but elected to transfer, winding up at TCU.
Among the other Notre Dame players on the move were post Kate Koval, who ended up at LSU. Center Kylee Watson and guard Emma Risch also elected to hit the road. Notre Dame has gone from a contender to a team that could struggle to be a league title candidate next season.
No such issues have plagued AJ Dybantsa's offseason. The top prep prospect ended up as the No. 2 ranked national prospect by 247sports, behind Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. No worries, as the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa has plenty of excited fans at BYU. His silky-smooth game draws comparisons to Kevin Durant.
BYU reached the Sweet 16 a season ago and standout guard Richie Saunders has elected to return to the Cougars. BYU has added talented Baylor point guard Rob Wright in the transfer portal and Dybantsa is only part of the reason that expectations are high for the Cougars.
For a squad of hoopsters, school may be out, but earning time is definitely in. It looks like an exciting 2025-26 season is coming up soon as well.
What do you think of the Red Bull ad campaign? Share your take below in our comments section!