By MATT WHITFIELD
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Brockton, Mass. has produced several great boxers in Marvin Hagler and Rocky Marciano. On the basketball front, Brockton native AJ Dybantsa has the potential to be a very special athlete himself.
“Not everybody knows about Brockton, so I’m really trying to put it on that map, Massachusetts gets a little bit more love, but Brockton is my home,” Dybantsa, one of 18 finalists for the 2023 USA Men’s U16 National Team, said during training camp.
Dybantsa is only a freshman at Saint Sebastian’s Country Day School, and the top rated player in the Class of 2026, but the youngster already sees the need to give back to his community.
“After winning [Massachusetts] Gatorade Player of the Year, I donated $1,000 to the Boys and Girls Club on behalf of Gatorade, so that was a great,” said Dybantsa.
Dybantsa said he went to the Boys and Girls club a couple time during his early years. Being that home is special to him, Dybantsa is also considering playing at home in the Northeast in college.
“It’s definitely a consideration [to stay home in the Northeast]. I don’t have any specific schools I want to go to but, it’s definitely a consideration,” said Dybantsa
One school that may be hard to turn down is UConn, as they recently offered Dybantsa.
“[It’s] exciting, I know that they just won a national championship, so it’s a blessing. Any offer is really a blessing,” said Dybantsa.
He also holds offers from Boston College, Providence, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Alabama and Washington, according to his dad.
Dybantsa hasn’t taken any unofficial visits and recruitment wise says, “I’m open to anybody.”
Dybantsa is only a freshman but his court acumen is already very special.
“[I’m a] play-maker first, leader. I try and get to the rim a lot, but I can do a little bit of everything. I can play defense as well,” said Dybantsa.
Follow Matt on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
