‘Future Superstar’ 2025 Recruit Reveals Kentucky Basketball Re-Offer
In his brief time in Lexington, new Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has already altered the program’s methodology from that of outgoing coach John Calipari. He will not, however, alter the Wildcats’ intention to select forward AJ Dybantsa of Prolific Prep in California, who is considered as the best player in the Class of 2025 and is expected to be the first choice in the 2026 NBA draft.
Dybantsa is a hot commodity heading into his senior season, and has received offers from a wide range of top programs. Alabama, Michigan, Connecticut, Baylor and Duke are among offers he’s received, but he seems ballhandler, someone who’s already been observed by NBA scouts. Though it’s likely that he’ll be the first pick in two years, Cameron Boozer, the son of NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, will give him competition. Most people believe he has great potential in the game.
Cayden Boozer, Cameron’s twin brother, will also arrive as a kind of twin bundle. Although there is an expectation that they will attend Duke, where their father was a standout, Kentucky is wooing them.
In the first ten EYBL games, Boozer has averaged 24.4 points, the highest in the competition. Dybantsa ranks third with an average of 23.3.
Kentucky Basketball ‘Re-Offered’ Scholarship
More than that, Dybantsa was asked directly about whether Pope and Kentucky had offered him a scholarship. He told KSR: “When we hopped on the call, I received the offer. … I had (John) Calipari first, and now, I’ve been re-offered by Pope.”
Dybantsa is already 6-foot-9 and 200 pounds, and just turned 17 in January. He is a fluid athlete and an excellent ballhandler, someone who’s already been observed by NBA scouts. Though it’s likely that he’ll be the first pick in two years, Cameron Boozer, the son of NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, will give him competition. Most people believe he has great potential in the game.
Cayden Boozer, Cameron’s twin brother, will also arrive as a kind of twin bundle. Although there is an expectation that they will attend Duke, where their father was a standout, Kentucky is wooing them.
In the first ten EYBL games, Boozer has averaged 24.4 points, the highest in the competition. Dybantsa ranks third with an average of 23.3.
AJ Dybantsa a ‘Generational Talent’
Landing Dybantsa, who reclassified to the Class of 2025, would be a big-time feather in the cap of Pope, who is a quality coach and has done well cobbling together a Kentucky basketball roster on the fly in the wake of Calipari’s departure. But Pope needs to show he can reel in big fish. For collegiate recruiting, Dybantsa is the biggest fish out there.
“At 6-9, 200 pounds, he’s long and wiry, yet slithery and smooth, carrying himself like a guard with the body of a four,” KSR’s Jack Pilgrim wrote of Dybantsa. That kind of movement isn’t appropriate for a player his size, especially when he’s creating plays, shots, and defensive stops. He is genuinely a generational talent in an age when the term is used far too loosely.
Dybantsa gets selected first overall in 2026 at NBA Draft Room, ahead of Cameron Boozer. “After reclassifying to join the 2025 recruiting class, Dybantsa will now face Cameron Boozer for the top pick in the 2026 draft,” the website stated. He is a superb scoring wing with the makings of an NBA superstar.
