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Who is Justin Young? Know more about BYU’s member who made AJ Dybantsa’s commitment possible

Modified Dec 19, 2024 18:50 GMT

While BYU head coach Kevin Young gets much credit for recruiting AJ Dybantsa, his brother, Justin Young, was also very instrumental. While many saw Dybantsa's decision to commit to BYU coming, it still surprised many others, as he chose a school not known for its basketball program over traditional "blue-blood" teams like North Carolina and Kansas and rising powerhouses like Alabama.

Justin is the director of recruiting for BYU, though he only took the job last October. However, even though his time in the position was relatively new, he immediately went to work recruiting Dybantsa. In this, he has shown that he is not just the basketball coach's brother but also experienced and well-versed in the ins and outs of college basketball.

Justin worked in sports media before his stint at BYU. He was the national basketball editor for Rivals and was also a contributing editor for Yahoo! Sports. He was also the co-owner and editor-in-chief of HoopSeen.

His brother, Kevin, had been the most aggressive in pursuing Dybantsa, having met with the Utah Prep star's parents even though he was still an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns at that time. It was Kevin who brought Justin into Provo as director of recruitment.

Because of his experience in sports media, Justin has many connections, which he used to lure recruits from all over the country. BYU did not really have a director of recruitment before he came along, so his hiring has changed many things over in Provo.

AJ Dybantsa was lured in by Kevin Young's staff with NBA experience

AJ Dybantsa announced his BYU decision earlier this month during an episode of ESPN's "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith. There, he revealed why he chose BYU, and that was because he wanted to get to the NBA as quickly as possible, and Kevin Young's staff all had NBA experience.

In his staff are former Milwaukee Bucks strength and conditioning coach Michael Davie and Phoenix Suns nutritionist Danielle Lafata. Dybantsa acknowledged this NBA-experienced staff, which also includes some of Young's assistants.

Aside from his older brother, Justin, Kevin Young also brought in college basketball veterans Chris Burgess and Brandon Dunson, as well as people who have overseas and G-League experience like Will Voigt and Tim Fanning as part of his staff, along with Big East legend John Linehan.