"The NBA, that's the end goal": AJ Dybantsa showers praise on BYU HC Kevin Young, defines expectations for freshman season 

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 (according to On3's Industry Rankings), concluded a stellar high school basketball career and will be playing for coach Kevin Young's BYU Cougars next season. The 6-foot-9 small forward is also leading Team USA at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.

In a conversation with On3's Jamie Shaw, Dybantsa talked about Kevin Young's coaching style.

“It is good with him,” Dybantsa said. “Coach gets his point across. He’s not really a yeller, but he gets his point across clearly. You hear everything he says, and you respect him. He’s a great person. When you meet him, you understand why. I mean, he is just cool, calm and collected, and he is himself.”

Dybantsa also explained that his decision to join BYU was the NBA experience of the staff. Before joining the Cougars, Young was the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coach and the associate head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

“The NBA, that’s the end goal,” Dybantsa said. “That’s a big reason why I went there: to get the NBA knowledge early and the feel and style.”

AJ Dybantsa has won gold medals at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Merida, Mexico, and the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. He's now aiming to secure his third gold medal in Switzerland.

A part of the 33-member roster in the USA Basketball U19 Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dybantsa also talked about his mindset going into the camp.

“I came into training camp with the goal of being a leader,” Dybantsa told On3. “I’ve been here two times already, so I came in with the mindset of being a leader, making this team, and winning gold for the US.”

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AJ Dybantsa leads Team USA to FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup final

Team USA boasts a 6-0 record in the tournament, having defeated Australia, France and Cameroon in the group phase. They then beat Jordan in the Round of 16, Canada in the quarterfinals and New Zealand in the semifinals.

AJ Dybantsa is averaging 14.8 points on 53.3% shooting, including 13.3% from behind the arc. He's also grabbing 3.8 rebounds, dishing out 2.3 assists, stealing the ball 1.2 times and recording 0.3 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game.

Team USA faces Germany in the final on Sunday.