OT: Long Boston Globe article on A.J. Dybantsa

[HooperScooper]

An interesting article. If you're asking why I'm posting this I'll tell you I am interested in following what he does and others might also. He's the #1 recruit in 2025, he's supposedly a generational talent, he's from New England, UConn was somewhat involved early on, the NIL angle to his recruitment is interesting to me, etc. Don't read it if you're not interested.

Btw, his father retired (he's not that old) this past summer from his job as a Boston University police officer.

The school saw an opportunity to make Dybantsa its cornerstone, but it would not be cheap. Ace declines to reveal specifics of the NIL deal that reportedly also includes partial ownership in the school, but he acknowledged that several high schools were prepared to pay AJ millions of dollars this year.

“And Utah Prep offered us a nice package, put it that way,” Ace says. “America, it’s the land of opportunity.”

The making of AJ Dybantsa, the most exciting basketball prospect in Massachusetts history - The Boston Globe

He’s already making millions. He’s worked out with LeBron James. But the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft has his family — and his Brockton roots — to keep him grounded.

www.bostonglobe.com

Alternate access:

The making of AJ Dybantsa, the most exciting basketball prospect in Massachusetts history​

 

[husky99]

Thanks.. top talent will be getting top NIL

 

[boog204]

I have no issues with him and the fam seeking out as much $$ as possible. I love UConn but if they were offering me 1 mill and BYU offers 10, I start looking for some golden plates of my own. I find it perplexing when ppl on the board begrudge a player for going to the highest bidder. This is a business.

 

[HU5KIES]

Partial ownership of the school (Utah Prep) is mind-blowing.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Partial ownership of the school (Utah Prep) is mind-blowing.

Insane the school would offer him that.

Brilliant that his team would think to negotiate that

 

[Kolumbo]

Ownership now makes sense. It's a new school and looks like they plopped a brand new campus in the middle of nowhere. They most likely need money and AJ will have it.

"Utah Prep, which sits at the foot of Zion National Park, opened last fall on a 55-acre campus in Hurricane. Its founders dreamed of a massive multi-sport academy to rival the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida, but this vision was, at least temporarily, scaled down due to financial hurdles. So at the start of this academic year, all 35 students were basketball players."

 

[NEforceUConn]

Maybe he wants London Bridge too.

 

[Fishy]

Insane the school would offer him that.

Brilliant that his team would think to negotiate that

A share in yet another diploma mill grafted onto a prep basketball team has the potential to deliver zeroes of dollars to the kid.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Partial ownership of the school (Utah Prep) is mind-blowing.

Who would want to own a school? Private schools are closing left and right.

 

[Skiblets]

Doubt owning a part of a school is part of his diversified portfolio strategy. It’ll be 0.0003% of his holdings. He’ll be fine

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

A share in yet another diploma mill grafted onto a prep basketball team has the potential to deliver zeroes of dollars to the kid.

Does the school make money for him being there? Don’t know how these things work fully. But if they do, it’s smart for him to make money off of himself.

I don’t see what the school does once he leaves because it looks real Bishop Sycamore outside of him being there

 

[Fishy]

Does the school make money for him being there? Don’t know how these things work fully. But if they do, it’s smart for him to make money off of himself.

I don’t see what the school does once he leaves because it looks real Bishop Sycamore outside of him being there

Go to their website - it's kinda funny.

He's like the only thing they mention outside of some pro golfer affiliation

 

[RuffRuff]

The Nate Ament recruitment has become fascinatingly indulgent.

Here we are a month from the portal opening and this cat has his list down to 5. I heard him run through his “whys” the other day and it was all based on what NBA player came out of that program. Way to let your incoming program prepare for the upcoming season with some advance Nate.

In some ways I appreciate the portal guys getting paid instead of these 17 year olds as at least they’ve shown some worth and may play a few years at the college level. These HS kids who make a giant hoopla of themself predetermined to bolt in a year, with often little impact, kinda nauseate me a bit.

Pearl came out the other day saying he’s generally recruiting mainly from mid majors, not high D1 as he doesn’t want to pay in some other programs bad goods. I thought that interesting another interesting twist in competing program mindset. This feels like the right place to put your NIL.

 

[Fishy]

Doubt owning a part of a school is part of his diversified portfolio strategy. It’ll be 0.0003% of his holdings. He’ll be fine

It's more general amusement at these sorts of articles that make a bunch of simpletons look like Charlie Munger when all they did was run hells bells at the biggest pile of money.