"Ridiculously crazy": BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa shares his favorite summer moment apart from winning the FIBA U19 gold

AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the 2025 class, has already proved his worth — before even making his college debut — by leading Team USA to the FIBA U19 World Cup gold medal this month in Switzerland. He was also named tournament MVP after averaging 14.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Besides winning a FIBA gold medal, Dybantsa had a busy summer — arriving in Provo, Utah, to practice with the BYU Cougars teammates, representing Red Bull at the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo and throwing out the inaugural pitch during the Boston Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park.

On Monday, Dybantsa sat down with Spencer Linton and Dave McCann on "BYU Sports Nation" to discuss his summer, how his transition to Provo is going and his favorite moment from the past few months, which included travels to several countries.

"Definitely winning the gold is at the top but going to Monoco and watching F1."

Dybantsa shared his impression of going to Monaco for the Formula One race.

"Ridiculously crazy," he said (Timestamp: 1:06). "You just see yachts lined up, yachts lined up and more yachts lined up. But I actually had a good view, Red Bull actually got us seats right above the pit stop. So I got to see one of the Red Bull athletes do their pit stops."

The Massachusetts native added that he wished to drive one of those F1 cars but couldn't fit in when he tried in Vegas.

AJ Dybantsa praises team chemistry during early summer practices at BYU

AJ Dybantsa, a Utah Prep standout, had almost every top program in the country vying for his commitment. He went on several official visits, including Alabama, North Carolina, Auburn and Kansas, before deciding to join Kevin Young and the Cougars in Provo.

In the same interview with "BYU Sports Nation," he shared his thoughts on the connection he felt with the team during summer practices.

"We had a couple practices last week. It was optional, but a lot of us opted in," Dybantsa said (8:30). "For people who haven’t played together for long, I can definitely see the chemistry getting along ... it was just crazy that we haven’t played (together) a lot and the chemistry was still there."

Dybantsa will join a BYU squad that is entering its second season under coach Young. The Cougars made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in April and are looking to build on that success.