BYU commit AJ Dybantsa remains on top of the tightly contested class of 2025 college basketball recruit rankings, at least for now.
Dybantsa is listed first ahead of Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer in the latest high school recruit rankings shared by 247Sports.
247Sports' Adam Finkelstein that Dybantsa has held onto the No. 1 spot "by a decreasing margin" due to a push from Peterson and Boozer for the top spot.
Boozer committed to Duke in October, followed by Peterson's commitment to Kansas in November and Dybantsa's commitment to BYU in December.
Finkelstein provided some insight into why Dybantsa, who he described as "the most naturally talented prospect in the class," is having his No. 1 ranking called into question:
The dangers of being so celebrated at such an early stage are simultaneously becoming more of a threat. Dybantsa's Utah Prep games can oftentimes seem more like a show, where he's visibly playing to the cameras and otherwise theatrical, instead of just dominating like he should be capable of.
The hype around Dybantsa's future draft status has drawn significant crowds to his high school games, most recently Sunday's Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, against Cooper Flagg's alma mater of Montverde Academy.
The event drew a standing-room-only crowd, and Dybantsa put up 25 points, per Sports Illustrated's Tarek Fattal. But his team trailed by 27 points at halftime and eventually conceded a lopsided loss.
The Athletic's Jared Weiss wrote about Dybantsa's showing in the event:
The problem, which was on full display in Springfield, is that he is not consistently playing the playmaking-oriented brand of basketball that catapulted him to the top of his class. Dybantsa recently told The Athletic that the last thing he wants to be known as is a ball hog, but that is an apt description of the way he played in the first half of Utah Prep's matchup against Montverde Academy.
It looks like Dybantsa's raw skill will still be enough to keep him at the top of the rankings amid his ongoing development, barring a surprise surge from Boozer or Peterson.
Boozer was ranked at No. 2 on 247Sports' previous recruit rankings but was leapfrogged by Peterson in the latest edition.
Although Boozer, 17, has a prolific resume that includes the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year title as well as gold medals at the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship, Peterson impressed 247Sports scouts by coming out on top in head-to-head matchups with Boozer and Dybantsa, according to Finkelstein.
The rankings are likely set to shift again by the end of the high school basketball season as these three top prospects gear up to make their college debuts next fall.
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