Kansas State Basketball is set for one of the bigger weekends of the final month of their offseason. According to Ryan Gilbert of GoPowercat.com, AJ Dybantsa — the consensus top-ranked recruit in the class of 2025– will be on the Manhattan (KS) campus this weekend.
Gilbert said that Dybantsa will be at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday night when the Wildcats kick off their 2024 campaign against UT Martin. This is the first time K-State has hosted the No. 1 high school prospect since Michael Beasley visited the Little Apple in 2006. Beasley ultimately selected the Wildcats and played one season in Manhatten.
Kansas State to Host Two of the Top 2025 Hoop Prospects
Dybantsa is down to seven schools. The Little Apple is the first of six official visits the 6-9 200-pound forward will make this fall. The other finalists are BYU, Auburn, North Carolina, Alabama, Baylor, and Kansas.
Kansas State is one of the more recent teams to offer Dybantsa, making the overture on June 15. Still, the Wildcats are considered a “major” player in his recruitment.
While BYU is considered a slight favorite for the Brockton (MA) native, Dybantsa’s father, Anicet Dybantsa Sr., recently emphasized to 247Sports’ Eric Bossi that all seven schools are equally playing.
“Speaking with AJ’s father, he made it pretty clear that he’s entering this process open to everyone and that everyone has a clean slate and equal footing. Now, I know everyone rolls their eyes when they hear that. But again, we’re talking straight from the horse’s mouth here. So, we have to kind of take Dad at his word on this.”
According to Derek Young of K-State Online, Wildcats coach Jerome Tang made an impression on the Dybantsa family when he traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, to watch AJ play in the U17 FIBA World Cup this summer.
Dybantsa is considered the best scorer and one of the most explosive players in the class. He is very athletic and long, and he gets downhill quickly. Plus, he can be a three-level scorer due to his excellent mid-range game and his ability to work in the mid-post.
Dybantsa is ranked No. 1 in the class by all four major recruiting services and has a comprehensive rating of 99.74. Here is more from Jaime Shaw of On3:
Sitting among the NBA Scouts throughout the open sessions of the Training Camp [USA Basketball U17 Training Camp], during our conversation one scout matter-of-factly stated, AJ Dybantsa would be the No. 1 player in this year’s draft (2024), next year’s draft (2025), and in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dybantsa’s Future Visits
Dybantsa didn’t disappoint at the U17 FIBA World Cup, helping the USA to another gold medal. Over 21 minutes in seven games, Dybantsa averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals with a shooting slash line of 58.7/31.8/69.2%. He scored in double-figures in six of the seven contests.
Dybantsa will attend Kansas on September 6. After taking a week off, he will visit Chapel Hill with the Tar Heels on September 20. He will then visit Tuscaloosa (Ala.) to talk with Alabama on September 27, Baylor (October 4), and BYU (October 11). He took an official visit to Auburn in March.
Darryn Peterson
Darryn Peterson is visiting Columbus, his home state’s top college program, Ohio State Buckeyes (August 30-September 1), per Joe Tipton of On3. The Canton (OH) native playing at Prolific Prep (Calif.) is slated to be on K-State’s campus on September 27.
Peterson is down to eight schools and considers Arizona State, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, USC, and Washington. The consensus five-star prospect has also visited Kentucky, USC, and Kansas. He has said that he wants to set up official visits with Arizona State, Washington, Louisville, and the new Kentucky staff.
Peterson has a solid physical frame and is considered one of the best scorers in the class of 2025. He loves to attack the rim and lives at the foul line. Here is more from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports Scouting Director:
Darryn Peterson possesses a combination size, length, strength and skill which allows him to smoothly score and make plays for himself and others. He’s a versatile threat, who can operate from multiple spots on the floor, and has a way of making it look effortless in the process.
He can play both on and off the ball, has a very good pull-up game, is a consistent shooting threat off the catch from behind the three-point line, and also willing to bring smaller guards into the low post. Peterson sees the floor well and can facilitate for those around him, and also has an advanced understanding of how to get himself to the free-throw line.
Peterson is the consensus No. 3 player and top shooting guard in the class, with a 99.23 rating. The 6-5 195-pounder is rated as the third-best prospect by three of the four major recruiting services, and On3 lists him fourth.
Latest Recruiting Intel on Dybantsa and Peterson
Kansas State is believed to have a better chance of securing a commitment from Dybantsa than Peterson. Dybantsa is not expected to make his college commitment until February or March. Meanwhile, Peterson could announce his decision at the end of November.
While Dybantsa’s recruitment is wide open if you believe his father, BYU only has a slight edge. Peterson is expected to choose Kanas.
“‘It’s an uphill battle (K-State’s recruiting position) for Peterson, said Young. “And they’ll have to get him away from Adidas if they want to top Kansas.”
On3’s Jaime Shaw seemed to echo this sentiment when he made his prediction about where Peterson will end up:
Sources tell me that the long-time leader here is Kansas. While a source close to the recruitment tells me that the Jayhawks remain the leader, they are watching for the Ohio State visit. A source close to the recruitment has told me all along that no matter what, Peterson will take the Ohio State visit. I am told it is worth paying attention to what happens next. Does he set more visits? Does he announce a commitment date.
In the same article, Shaw also spoke on Dybantsa’s recruiting situation:
BYU has a lot of momentum with the general population here. Sources also tell me they have their ducks in a row with their NIL and presentation. A source close to the recruitment told me that BYU is going into this recruitment with the intention to make it very hard for Dybantsa to say no what they have to offer. With that said, Alabama continues have some things going its way as well. Heading into these visits, a source close to the recruitment has continued to suggest watching how Alabama moves in this one
Shaw entered a prediction of Alabama to win Dybantsa’s sweepstakes.
