Duke Basketball Recruiting: No. 1 Prep Shuts Down One Option

Five-star Duke basketball target AJ Dybantsa is planning to eliminate dozens of suitors as soon as later this month.

Duke basketball recruiting target AJ Dybantsa | Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA

Utah Prep rising senior AJ Dybantsa, No. 1 overall on the 2025 Composite, boasts roughly 30 offers, including the one he received from third-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer in early May to complete his blueblood collection. But it sounds like the 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward may narrow his recruitment to less than 10 choices by the end of July.

And that's despite the fact he's seen limited one-on-one interactions with recruiters.

"I have no college coaches' numbers," Dybantsa recently explained to Rivals' Krysten Peek. "My dad talks to all of the coaches. If they want to talk to me, he'll ring me on to a call, but that barely happens. So, around Peach Jam, right after Peach Jam, I'll talk to coaches through his phone, and then we'll narrow it down to probably, like, eight — around there."

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the 2025 high school class, talks recent offers, transferring to Utah Prep and timeline for cutting a school list. Full interview: https://t.co/TOk3FMlCQT pic.twitter.com/szeYXdFqBE

— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) July 10, 2024

Nike EYBL Peach Jam tips off in North Augusta, S.C., this weekend and runs through July 21.

Chances are all of the bluebloods, including Jon Scheyer and his crew, will be on hand at some point to watch Dybantsa, averaging 22.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in EYBL action this year, play for Oakland Soldiers (Calif.).

As for trips in his recruitment, Dybantsa mentioned back in May that he would like to check out Duke basketball and other powerhouses. However, the 17-year-old phenom, initially a 2026 prospect before announcing his reclassification back in October, told Peek that he's not sure which schools he'll visit, only that he and his dad will begin planning some for the fall once he reveals his finalists.

One option that some insiders have proposed, though, appears completely off the table.

"No," AJ Dybantsa said immediately after Peek asked if his dad has talked at all about the possibility of going overseas following his high school graduation rather than taking the college route to the NBA. "I'm going to college."

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