Dick Vitale calls AJ Dybantsa a "great talent" as he gets his thoughts on the March Madness Final Four and the McDonald's All-American games

By Inioluwa

Modified Apr 05, 2025 04:12 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

Five-star BYU signee AJ Dybantsa has already made a name for himself in high school basketball, currently ranked No. 1 in the national rankings. His exceptional talent and performances have consistently earned him widespread praise from coaches, fellow athletes, and different key figures in the sports world. One of the most recent praise he received came from legendary sports analyst, broadcaster and former basketball coach Dick Vitale.

In a short video clip shared on his X page on Friday, Vitale described AJ as a great talent. He said:

"Hi everybody, it's a pleasure. I'm here with a special guest. They came down to visit me in Sarasota Florida. Dad, him, AJ baby. AJ is going to be a special student. He's going right here in BYU. It's where he lives in Utah. Number high school player, basketball this year is a great great talent."

Vitale asked AJ if he was excited about and looking forward to college, to which he gave an affirmative response. Vitale also got AJ's thoughts on the ongoing NCAA Tournament, which is currently in the Final Four stage.

"Uhhh, I mean we'll see this weekend," AJ said. "I mean since they're all number ones, they all have an even chance to like, everybody making it through… I don't really have a number one choice right now cause they're all number one."

AJ Dybantsa also talked about the just concluded McDonald's All-American Games, which took place on Tuesday. When asked how the event went, he said:

"It was good, our team won. I was representing the west. But I mean, it was just fun being there competing with other great talents."

AJ Dybantsa played alongside Darryn Peterson, Alijah Arenas, Meleek Thomas, and Brayden Burries in the McDonald's All-American Game on Tuesday. He contributed 17 points to help Team West to a 105-92 victory.

"I'm tryna make an impact.": "AJ Dybantsa on playing college basketball in the Big 12 next season

In a YouTube video shared on the official NBA channel on Tuesday, No. 1 ranked prospect AJ Dybantsa sat down with 15-time NBA all-star Kevin Durant in an exclusive interview with hosts Mr. Talk Spicy and Cha-Ching. In the interview, AJ was asked how he sees himself making an impact in the Big 12 next season:

"Im tryna make an impact," AJ said. "I'm tryna be freshman of the year, player of the year, defensive player of the year… I don't really care about the competition. I mean, we playing, we hooping. I might be the youngest on the court but you know, with 25 year olds, 28 year olds, i'm trying to prepare for the league, so i t doesn't really matter." (4:22-4:39)

NBA star Kevin Durant was also asked about his thoughts on the Big 12, as he also played in the league with the Texas Longhorns back in 2006/2007. Notably, AJ asked Durant how it felt going into the Big 12.

"I don't wanna say it was hard," Kevin Durant said, "but the style of play in college is a little faster than high schools, a little more structured. There's more stuff you gotta think about more than anything: game plans, how we are playing defense, the type of offense you wanna run, Just the type of stuff you think about, that's the difference in levels." (6:09-6:27)

AJ Dybantsa made his commitment to BYU in December 2024. According to him, the decision was greatly influenced by the level of NBA experience in the Cougars coaching staff. He believes it will be valuable in his preparation for the NBA.