AJ Dybantsa’s journey to BYU started with parents – Deseret News

AJ Dybantsa rocked college basketball on Tuesday when he revealed BYU’s best-kept secret since introducing caffeinated Coca-Cola to campus — he said no to Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama and came to play for the Cougars instead.

The country’s top prospect signed his commitment letter last month, but he kept the most significant player signing in program history a secret until this week.

The noise created by Dybantsa’s announcement was deafening — a far cry from the day his parents first set foot on campus last spring.

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Unexpected call

On Monday, April 22nd, my phone rang in the morning. Assistant coach Collin Terry was on the phone. Terry was still in office, although most of Mark Pope’s former employees were already employed elsewhere. He needed a favor, and since I was in the middle of a neighborhood cleanup project, I quickly accepted it.

Terry asked if I could rush to campus to lead a private tour of the BYUtv studios for a “big” recruit. I asked him who it was and he said, “AJ Dybantsa.” I had never heard of AJ before, but assumed he was pretty important and that the haste behind the request told me this was no ordinary tour was.

The sting operation became even more unusual when Terry told me that AJ wasn’t actually on the trip, but that the tour was for his parents Ace and Chelsea. It was clear that the Cougars would never get to AJ if they didn’t win over his parents first.

This has been an interesting time for the BYU basketball program. New head coach Kevin Young was still with the Suns in the NBA playoffs. The only people in the basketball office were Terry, Nate Austin, Pope’s operations manager, and a few assistants.

“We put together what I thought was a fantastic visit,” Terry said. “I thought we could show what BYU is all about and the potential opportunities it offers for them as a family and their son.”

The Dybantsas toured the campus, the Marriott Center and BYUtv. They also met with Young, who flew in from Phoenix for a few hours to see them.

First impressions

“I thought they were incredible people,” Terry said. “I thought there was some interest, and as the visit went on, I think they realized, just like everyone else who goes to BYU, that the university and the program has a lot more to offer than what you see would have thought at first. ”

The BYUtv broadcast building is located next to the Marriott Center and the Basketball Annex. It has very little to do with how a player develops his basketball skills; But it’s all about telling their story, building their brand and, in Dybantsa’s case, preparing him for relentless media coverage.

Ace and Chelsea came through the front door and greeted me and another of my BYUtv colleagues. The idea of ​​a global television platform on campus intrigued them and as we walked around the site they peppered us with curious questions.

Both wanted to know what BYUtv could do for their son. Big promises are thrown around freely on the recruiting trail. We were sure they had heard pretty much everything, but we knew BYU had something that Kansas, Alabama and North Carolina didn’t have – BYU had BYUtv.

We’re in the studio where we produce “SportsNation” and “After Further Review.” and “BYUSN GameDay” we made our pitch. We said, “Next door, AJ will definitely develop as a player and go to the NBA.” But where will he be trained to use all media? We can do that here. Here he can improve his interview skills.”

Name dropping

It never hurts to drop a few names, so we did. Current NFL players Jamaal Williams, Taysom Hill, Puka Nacua, Fred Warner, Zach Wilson and Tyler Allgeier are all former Cougars who perform admirably on the field and shine in front of the camera after the game – skills they learned at BYU have refined.

“I think they thought (BYUtv) was one of the highlights,” Terry said. “The opportunity to be connected to something that no other university offers was, I think, pretty unique and a big differentiator.”

Impressed by their first visit, Ace and Chelsea returned to campus on Monday, June 3rd. This time AJ was with them and once again BYUtv was on the tour.

As I waited for them to arrive, I joked to my colleague, “When AJ gets here, he’ll be the highest-rated recruit in school history to ever walk through these doors.” Let’s not screw it up!”

A few minutes later, AJ’s “team” arrived, which included several assistant coaches, athletic director Tom Holmoe and several others. With a height of 1.90 meters, AJ towered head and shoulders above everyone else. Being a typical teenager, he came in with his phone handcuffed.

After a short introduction, we walked through the building. AJ was respectful but a little distracted – as any high school senior exhausted by the recruiting process might be. However, Ace and Chelsea remained in the loop about every detail.

The tour lasted 30 minutes and as AJ scurried out the door he shook our hands, expressed his gratitude for our time and told us he would see us again.

Dybantsa returned in early October for his official visit, which included the BYU-Arizona football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Here AJ was introduced to the ROC student section. Steve Young was also on the field, greeting the country’s top recruit. A month later, he signed with BYU as the No. 1 recruit, and a month later, on Tuesday, he announced his plans to the world.

“He can take (BYU) to places it’s never been,” said Terry, who now works as an assistant coach at Utah Prep in Hurricane, where Dybantsa is enrolled. “The sky’s the limit — Final Four, national championship — he’s that good.”

Dybantsa’s first Utah County game since his announcement will be Saturday night at Lehi High when Utah Prep takes on Duncanville, Texas at 6 p.m. The event will cap a week of unprecedented exposure for him and BYU — and their respective future prospects.

There are a number of big reasons why Dybantsa chose BYU, with Young and his NBA-laden team at the top. Zero incentives and options were also part of the package. BYUtv and the ROC may be lower on the list, but they are still important. In a fight like this, even the smallest detail can make or break.

Luckily for the Cougars, Dybantsa’s journey to BYU began with his parents.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” on ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar”, available at desertbook.com.