2025 Men's Basketball Recruiting

Nugget said:
Given how public Gilbert Arenas has been with his disdain for Duke, it seems sort of unlikely that Alijah would be a viable Duke target.
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If one of my kids got a full scholarship to UNC, with an opportunity to pursue their life’s passion at a place that they believed was the best place for them, I’d congratulate them and stock up on baby blue gear.

Now, I don’t expect that to happen, but kids are independent and blood is thicker than wine and cheese.*

* Okay, it isn’t. But you get the idea.
 
cato said:
If one of my kids got a full scholarship to UNC, with an opportunity to pursue their life’s passion at a place that they believed was the best place for them, I’d congratulate them and stock up on baby blue gear.

Now, I don’t expect that to happen, but kids are independent and blood is thicker than wine and cheese.*

* Okay, it isn’t. But you get the idea.
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Getting a full scholarship is meaningful? How quaint.
 
brevity said:
01. AJ Dybantsa (6-8 SF): 6 Finalists are Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and UNC
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According to On3's Joe Tipton, AJ Dybantsa has officially eliminated Baylor, as well as Auburn and Kansas State, leaving 4 schools: Alabama, BYU, Kansas, and UNC.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864440146411528369

On3 also reported that AJ's father, Ace Dybantsa, was scheduled to attend the Alabama-UNC game Wednesday night. Not sure if he learned more about UNC from the team on the court, or from the Dean Dome fans who left early.
 
brevity said:
According to On3's Joe Tipton, AJ Dybantsa has officially eliminated Baylor, as well as Auburn and Kansas State, leaving 4 schools: Alabama, BYU, Kansas, and UNC.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864440146411528369

On3 also reported that AJ's father, Ace Dybantsa, was scheduled to attend the Alabama-UNC game Wednesday night. Not sure if he learned more about UNC from the team on the court, or from the Dean Dome fans who left early.
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How is this still an open question ?
I guess the huge BYU check hasn't cleared yet...
 
brevity said:
According to On3's Joe Tipton, AJ Dybantsa has officially eliminated Baylor, as well as Auburn and Kansas State, leaving 4 schools: Alabama, BYU, Kansas, and UNC.
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Trilly Donovan dropped a curious post Friday night:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1865235357765157287

Vague, but he has to be talking about AJ Dybantsa, right? ZagsBlog feels the same way.

www.zagsblog.com

A decision looms for No. 1 overall prospect A.J. Dybantsa | Zagsblog

By SAM LANCE MURRAY, KENTUCKY — The […]
www.zagsblog.com

“A couple months ago [A.J.] asked me, ‘If I decide where I want to go do I have to wait until February?'” Ace Dybantsa, A.J.’s father, told ZAGSBLOG. “I said ‘No, just let me know. I’ll make a call and we’ll announce it.'”

...Still, Ace is happy the recruitment is coming to a close.

“Hopefully he will make up his mind by next week or sometime and focus on basketball,” Ace said.
 
bigperm13 said:
Trilly wasn't wrong as AJ decides tomorrow Tuesday the 10th...
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Thanks for the heads up. Jeff Borzello posted the details: AJ Dybantsa will announce this decision -- Alabama, BYU, Kansas, or UNC -- Tuesday morning at 10:30am ET, live on ESPN's TV show "First Take". (If you want to watch, here's a streaming link.)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1866188177787994290

I'm being told that Dybantsa will offer a few talking points justifying his decision, and Stephen A. Smith will respond with a series of carefully prepared screaming points.

tommy said:
I'll be very surprised if it's not BYU.
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Nugget said:
I think I saw his AAU coach is now on staff at Bama? If so, his going there wouldn't surprise me either, as I'm sure they would be competitive w/ BYU on NIL.
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I agree with both of you. The buzz -- defined as probable paywall material carelessly revealed by other sources -- is that it's probably down to BYU (the steady leader) or Alabama (the late riser). I'd hesitate to rule out the other two options, though. Back in October, Eli Henderson, who covers the NIL beat for Sports Illustrated, wrote that Kansas was backing off a bit:

As enticing as it sounds to land a generational talent like Dybantsa, there’s a catch. High NIL valuations create a dynamic that’s forcing traditional basketball powerhouses to think twice. Traditional Powerhouses like the Kansas Jayhawks, which initially pursued Dybantsa, appear to be opting out of this bidding war, instead focusing on other top players with a lower NIL price tag. This isn’t about Kansas being cheap; it’s about long-term strategy. With the average NIL compensation for top-tier players in the transfer portal estimated at around $750,000, allocating $4 million to one high school recruit could have major repercussions on a program’s ability to build a complete, competitive roster.

Then again, Kansas later made Dybantsa's top 4, and we are talking about Bill Self, the one coach who can afford to change his mind and give all of his players $4 million.

As for UNC, I can never rule out one of their annoying comebacks, and further proof that we're living in the worst timeline. Brains would explode with a one-year Boozer vs. Dybantsa takeover of the Duke-Carolina rivalry. One of the reasons that I'm rooting for the football team to hire Bill Belichick is that it would financially wreck a basketball program that's already kind of on NIL life support.
 
brevity said:
Thanks for the heads up. Jeff Borzello posted the details: AJ Dybantsa will announce this decision -- Alabama, BYU, Kansas, or UNC -- Tuesday morning at 10:30am ET, live on ESPN's TV show "First Take". (If you want to watch, here's a streaming link.)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1866188177787994290

I'm being told that Dybantsa will offer a few talking points justifying his decision, and Stephen A. Smith will respond with a series of carefully prepared screaming points.




I agree with both of you. The buzz -- defined as probable paywall material carelessly revealed by other sources -- is that it's probably down to BYU (the steady leader) or Alabama (the late riser). I'd hesitate to rule out the other two options, though. Back in October, Eli Henderson, who covers the NIL beat for Sports Illustrated, wrote that Kansas was backing off a bit:

As enticing as it sounds to land a generational talent like Dybantsa, there’s a catch. High NIL valuations create a dynamic that’s forcing traditional basketball powerhouses to think twice. Traditional Powerhouses like the Kansas Jayhawks, which initially pursued Dybantsa, appear to be opting out of this bidding war, instead focusing on other top players with a lower NIL price tag. This isn’t about Kansas being cheap; it’s about long-term strategy. With the average NIL compensation for top-tier players in the transfer portal estimated at around $750,000, allocating $4 million to one high school recruit could have major repercussions on a program’s ability to build a complete, competitive roster.

Then again, Kansas later made Dybantsa's top 4, and we are talking about Bill Self, the one coach who can afford to change his mind and give all of his players $4 million.

As for UNC, I can never rule out one of their annoying comebacks, and further proof that we're living in the worst timeline. Brains would explode with a one-year Boozer vs. Dybantsa takeover of the Duke-Carolina rivalry. One of the reasons that I'm rooting for the football team to hire Bill Belichick is that it would financially wreck a basketball program that's already kind of on NIL life support.
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Who knows, maybe Uncheat can have AJ follow in Bacot's path to the NBA. Stay 25 years and gain experience.

GoDuke!
 
UrinalCake said:
Dybantsa to BYU. CHeats left at the altar once again.
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More like left at the altar when you're the third bridesmaid.

Here's the announcement on ESPN's "First Take". I've embedded the video and quoted the best part below:


Stephen A. Smith: "I thought you were going to pick North Carolina because of the ACC, and the Duke-North Carolina rivalry! That's what I thought was going on."

AJ Dybantsa: "Who said I can't play Duke at BYU?"
 
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