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"Finally": BYU signee AJ Dybantsa shares his reaction to Notre Dame hooper pulling off an Eastbay and Windmill mid-game

Modified Jan 15, 2025 16:22 GMT

BYU signee and No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, was impressed by Notre Dame standout Tyran Stokes' eastbay and windmill dunk in an 88-32 thrashing of Loyola on Tuesday.

Stokes displayed his speed as he ran off with the ball, dribbling past one defender and performing a between-the-legs windmill dunk. The highlights were posted on Instagram, and one such reel was reshared by Dybantsa on his story.

"finally," Dybantsa wrote.

BYU signee AJ Dybantsa shares his reaction to Notre Dame's Tyran Stokes pulling off an Eastbay and Windmill dunk

Watch the video of Stokes' dunk below:

Per Sports Illustrated's high school reporter, Tarek Fattal, Tyran Stokes put up 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Tuesday's win over Loyola. Other top scorers for Notre Dame included NaVorro Bowman (13 points), Zach White (11 points and six rebounds), Caleb Ogbu (11 points) and Josiah Nance (10 points and three rebounds).

Stokes, the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, has one more year before deciding on his collegiate career. He has received offers from 25 colleges. Per On3, the Louisville Cardinals have the highest chance of landing the 6-foot-7 small forward with a 66.8% prediction.

Meanwhile, AJ Dybantsa took his official visit to the Cougars on Oct. 11 and two unofficial visits on June 3 and Nov. 16 before committing to the Cougars on Dec. 10. He also took official visits to Alabama on Sept. 27, North Carolina on Sept. 20, Kansas on Sept. 6, Kansas State on Aug. 30, Auburn on Jan. 3 and USC on Oct. 20, 2023.

The 6-foot-9 forward led Team USA to gold medals at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Merida and the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey. He posted averages of 13.7 points and 3.8 assists in Merida and 14.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds on 58.7% shooting in Turkey.

For his former school, St. Sebastian, the 2022-23 Gatorade Player of the Year averaged 19.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, and 2.5 bpg.

When can we see AJ Dybantsa in the NBA?

Dybantsa will start his freshman season for the Cougars next year. The forward has always expressed his desire to play in the NBA, and while talking to Andscape, he pointed out the NBA connections in the BYU staff as one of the major things he considered.

"Kevin Young was an NBA coach, so he is telling me that he will bring a lot of NBA styles and concepts to the program," Dybantsa said. "He told me that he thought he would be a good coach to help me get to that next level.

"They’re new, but 90% of the staff is from the NBA. Kevin Young coached in the NBA. Michael Davie was Giannis’ strength coach. Craig Manning was Giannis’ development coach."

The 18-year-old AJ Dybantsa will be eligible to declare for the NBA draft in 2026.