“Stop sleeping on Massachusetts, we can compete with the best of the best,” a 14-year-old AJ Dybantsa wrote. 4 years later, the Brockton native returns to his favorite floor, no longer the hometown kid, but the visitor. As a lifelong Celtics fan, TD Garden is like the Mecca for Dybantsa. However, the freshman remains unfazed ahead of the matchup against No.3 UConn Huskies. 

“It should be fun,” Dybantsa told the Boston Globe. “I played at TD, I think three or four years ago, when I was at St. Sebastian. So I’m undefeated there. I’m just looking forward to playing in front of people who haven’t seen me play in a long time due to me being on the West Coast.”

This is the kind of stage NBA scouts love, a hyped freshman walking into the UConn challenge with his hometown watching. As a freshman at St Sebastian, Dybantsa averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.5 blocks per contest while shooting 60.8 % from the field and 41% from 3-point range. 

He led St. Sebastian’s School to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A title game with a record of 26-2. So, while we don’t have the exact box scores of Dybantsa’s TD Garden games, it’s a safe guess that he balled out. His college career has started without any breaks. The five-star wing enters the game averaging 18.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in their unbeaten 3 games. While technically the game is at a neutral site, Dybantsa expects his home crowd to show up. 

Dybantsa to CLNS Media, “Connecticut’s pretty close, so I can only imagine it might be like 75-25 UConn (fans). Could be 50-50, could be more UConn fans, but there are BYU fans everywhere, and also me being from that area, I think a lot of people come show support to me. So I’m really gonna find out when we get there, what the split is gonna be.”

Either way, the crowd doesn’t seem to faze Dybantsa much. He is now used to the spotlight. However, some heavy emotions are playing on the same ground his childhood idols played. “I think my first NBA jersey ever was Kevin Garnett,” Dybantsa said. “I remember that team,  I was born in ‘07. I think they won in ‘08. I just remember watching Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett. I remember Rajon Rondo. I remember Isaiah Thomas.” It could even prove to be more motivation, pushing him higher rather than pressure. While his confidence is sky high, he is not underestimating UConn by any means. 

AJ Dybantsa Gears Up For His First Real Test 

AJ Dybantsa is said to be among the best talents out of high school in the last decade or so. Many fans considered him NBA-ready even before college. His clips swarmed social media, and the fans were left in awe. However, to be in the crème de la crème, Dybantsa opted to work under former Phoenix Suns assistant Kevin Young. Now he faces his first-ranked opponent, and it’s No.3 UConn.

“That should be fun, definitely seeing a lot of familiar faces,” Dybantsa told BYUtv Sports Nation. “But it’s a Top-3 team as they should be. UConn’s good, they’ve been good. It’s going to be a test for us, but we’ll be ready.”

UConn has had an impressive start, just like BYU. With the likes of Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, and Tarris Reed Jr, they are cruising at 3-0. Their latest was a 27-point win over Columbia at Gampel. The Huskies built a huge first-half lead and cruised in the second half, never allowing CU to creep closer than 19 in the second. While Dybantsa makes some of it up with the talent, he knows his experience is still well away from UConn’s stalwarts. 

“I’m a freshman coming in, they have a lot of returning guys that have won championships and have been on winning teams,” Dybantsa told CT Insider. “I think them being more experienced than me, and probably some of my teammates, is going to be very challenging. But I think we’re ready for that challenge.”

UConn could be a decisive game in his draft narrative. A statement performance here could punch him ahead of Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson. Or, if he fails to live up to the hype, it will prove the high school standout still has some work cut out. Against UConn, he is expected to go up against either Karaban or Jaylin Stewart. Dybantsa’s versatility, athleticism, and three-level scoring stand out, but his physicality will be tested against someone like Karaban. While BYU is a little handicapped, they have enough firepower around Dybantsa to go head-to-head against Dan Hurley and Co.