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AJ Dybantsa drops 4-word reaction to 5-star prospect Tyran Strokes' 32-point game for Notre Dame

Modified Dec 20, 2024 15:26 GMT

Last season, Tyran Stokes and AJ Dybantsa formed a near-unstoppable duo over at Prolific Prep. They went their separate ways this season, with Dybantsa now playing for Prolific Prep after reclassifying to the Class of 2025. Meanwhile, Stokes went to Notre Dame and remains in the Class of 2026. The two remain friends, however, with Dybantsa reacting to Stokes' 32-point performance on Thursday.

AJ Dybantsa reacts to Tyran Stokes persormance vs Timpview (Source: Instagram/aj.dybantsa)

Dybantsa shared a snapshot of the br_Hoops post on his Instagram and captioned it:

"oh yea he back."

Stokes' 32-point game came during Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks)'s game against the Timpview High School Thunderbirds. It was part of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, with Stokes leading the Knights to a 77–63 win. It was a tough win, with Timpview being a nationally ranked team by MaxPreps at No. 54.

With the victory over Timpview, the Notre Dame Knights are still undefeated at 11-0. They will be taking on Layton Christian Academy on Friday.

Dybantsa and Stokes were not just teammates at Prolific Prep but also AAU teammates, with the duo leading the Oakland Soldiers to the finals of the Nike EYBL Peach Jam last May. They took on Nightridas Elite, led by the Boozer Twinsm Cayden and Cameron Boozer, with the Boozer Twins triumphing over the Dybantsa-Stokes duo, 71–62.

Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas all offered AJ Dybantsa $5 million, says report, but Alabama AD disputes this

In committing to BYU, AJ Dybantsa was reportedly offered around $7 million in NIL. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Dybantsa's asking price was around $5 million and all the other schools, including Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama, were "all able to meet the asking price."

However, when asked to comment on the issue of offering Dybantsa $5 million, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in a comment to The Tuscaloosa News that the report was "inaccurate."

"We have been competitive in the men's basketball space from an NIL standpoint," Byrne told the newspaper. "However, there was no $5 million offer to Dybantsa. Not from UA, at least."

Dybantsa ultimately signed with BYU, saying he chose the school in Utah because of its coaching staff, which has NBA experience. Its head coach, Kevin Young, used to work as an assistant coach in the Phoenix Suns, while many of his staff used to work for many other NBA and G-League teams.