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2026 Top Prospect AJ Dybantsa Discusses NCAA or G League Decision

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated17 Aug 2023

2026 Top Prospect AJ Dybantsa Discusses NCAA or G League Decision

Class of 2026 top prospect AJ Dybantsa from Brockton, Massachusetts, discussed his NCAA or G League decision during “The Field Of 68” podcast on Thursday. “I promised my mom one year of college… which would be a tough one to break,” Dybantsa said.

Dybantsa just completed his freshman year of high school at St. Sebastians’s School in Needham. The 6-foot-7 small forward averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.

Dybantsa helped lead St. Sebastian’s to the NEPSAC Class A state championship, but the Arrows lost 77-76 to Milton Academy. However, he was named 2022-2023 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.


In July, Dybantsa led the Nike Peach Jam in scoring with 25.8 points per game as a member of Expressions Elite. Regardless of class, On3.com named Dybantsa the top high school player in the country.

The Massachusetts native transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, California, ahead of his sophomore season. At Prolific Prep, he will be teammates with Tyran Stokes, the No. 2 ranked player in the 2026 class.

Prolific Prep alumni include NBA players Jalen Brown, Josh Jackson, Jeenathan Williams, and Gary Trent Jr.

High School Basketball Class of 2026 top prospect AJ Dybantsa is “leaning more toward the college route” after receiving scholarship offers from nine schools

Furthermore, Dybantsa recently won a gold medal while representing Team USA in the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mérida, Mexico. He scored 12 points in the gold medal game and averaged 13.8 points for the tournament.

After transferring to Prolific Prep, Dybantsa received advice from Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

“[Tatum] just told me to keep my head level, don’t get too high, don’t get too low and just continue to work,” Dybantsa said in another interview. “He just told me to be more simple, just get to my spots and don’t over-dribble.”


Although Dybantsa is a big Celtics fan, it wasn’t his first time meeting the four-time NBA All-Star.

“But definitely coming from him, he was first-team All-NBA, so it’s good getting advice from someone like that,” Dybantsa added.

Earlier this month, the forward also received one-on-one lessons from Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul.

“Every option is available, but I’m leaning more toward the college route,” he told Kyle Irving of The Sporting News.

After only one year of high school, AJ Dybantsa has already received scholarship offers from nine schools: Alabama, Boston College, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ole Miss, Providence, UConn, and Washington.

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