PROVO ā AJ Dybantsa hasn’t played a collegiate basketball game, but he’s already a champion.
The BYU freshman totaled 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal to help the United States to a 109-76 win Sunday over Germany in the gold-medal game of the FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The 6-foot-8 former five-star recruit and projected 2026 NBA lottery pick was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Americans, who also beat New Zealand, Canada and Jordan in knockout play en route to the team’s first U19 gold medal since 2021.
That was after Team USA, which also featured former Utah Prep star JJ Mandaquit, survived group play that included Australia, France and Cameroon.
Mandaquit, who has signed with former Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle and Washington, had 7 points, six assists and a steal in the final. That included one possession where he drained a three, stole the inbounds pass, and set up five-star Arizona freshman Koa Peat to score at the rim.
The Americans made it back to the top of junior world competition two years after failing to reach the podium in World Cup competition, and did so emphatically. Team USA’s 114.6 scoring average set a new World Cup record, eclipsing the previous mark of 108.9 points per game set by a legendary Yugoslavia team in 1987 that feature future stars Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Vlade Divac and Sasa Djordjevic on the roster.
For Dybantsa, it’s another trophy to add to titles claimed at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in 2024 and FIBA U17 World Cup in 2023. The native of Brockton, Massachusetts who spent his senior year at Utah Prep is the fifth American to be named MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup, and the first since Chet Holmgren in 2021. Reggie Perry (2019), Jalen Brunson (2015) and Aaron Gordon (2013) are the other three.
Team USA scored over 100 points for the sixth straight game, another FIBA U19 record to finish with a perfect 7-0 record.