"Redeem Team time": BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa shares what made the FIBA U19 Gold special for him  

AJ Dybantsa is a champion once again after he led Team USA to victory in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup. The teen phenom shared what made his latest gold-medal win for the United States so special to him in an interview with BYUtv Sports Nation.

Host Spencer Linton asked Dybantsa what made this win so unique from his perspective. Linton brought up the fact that the BYU star had previously won the gold medal for Team USA in the FIBA U17 World Cup.

“Yeah, U19 is definitely the hardest one,” Dybantsa said (Timestamp 5:04). “U16, U17 and then U19 was definitely the hardest one out of the three. And plus, two years ago, U19 didn’t win for USA, so they wanted us to be on some like Redeem Team time. Yeah, we got it done.”

Team USA headed into this year's FIBA U19 World Cup with something to prove. The Americans failed to defend their title in the 2023 edition, losing 89-86 to France in the semifinals. It was a historic result for the Frenchmen, who collected their first win against Team USA in a youth world basketball event.

Zacharie Perrin starred for France in that contest, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds and delivering five assists. Melvin Ajinca also contributed well, dropping 17 points in the semis win.

Team USA returned to the mountaintop this year, winning all seven of their games in the tournament. The Americans showed their offensive prowess in the U19 World Cup, averaging 114.6 points per game. That's the highest average scoring total in the history of the tournament.

How AJ Dybantsa fared in the FIBA U19 World Cup

AJ Dybantsa helped Team USA get off to a perfect start in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, averaging 16.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in the group-phase wins over Australia, France and Cameroon.

BYU signee AJ Dybantsa joins the student section during the second half of the Cougars' NCAA game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Marriott Center. Photo: Imagn

Dybantsa continued his scoring outburst in the knockout stages, averaging 12.5 points through four games. He dazzled in the quarterfinals against Canada, recording 22 points, four boards and three dimes in Team USA's 108-102 victory.

He scored 10 points in Team USA's semis win over New Zealand before dropping 11 points in the gold-medal match against Germany. Dybantsa's stellar performances were recognized, as he was named the MVP of the tournament.