The Brockton, Mass., native chose to be a Cougar over higher-tiered programs like North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama, becoming just the second five-star recruit — behind the class of 2024’s Egor Demin — to commit to BYU men’s basketball.
Dybantsa, who is currently 17 years old, was initially a part of the class of 2026 before reclassifying to the class of 2025 in October 2023.
In Bleacher Report’s recent 2025 NBA Mock Draft, Demin, who is currently averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists, is projected to get drafted No. 10 overall to the Chicago Bulls.
With this, it’s unlikely that Dybantsa and Demin will share the court; however, reeling in two five-stars in back-to-back classes is a phenomenal sign for BYU and should enlighten other future prospects to further consider playing under Young.
Since reclassifying, Dybantsa’s game has only elevated to new heights as he has developed better footwork and has grown into being a stronger presence at the rim, escalating problems for defenders in the paint.
This past summer, Dybantsa dazzled for the United States in the FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists en route to helping the U.S. win its seventh straight U17 World Cup gold medal.
In the U17 World Cup, while playing against the best international prospects, the 6-foot-9 small forward had two 19-point performances in the group stage against France and Guinea and contributed 14 points in the gold-medal game against Italy.
Before even putting on a college jersey, Dybantsa is already projected to get drafted No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft in many mock drafts, starring over Duke commit Cameron Boozer and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson, who are projected to go No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein described Dybantsa as “a 6-foot-9 jumbo wing with a wingspan exceeding 7-feet, an emerging 200-plus-pound frame and an advanced understanding of how to get to his spots and create his own shot in a half-court game.”
