Jonae McCloud-USA Basketball
After playing for the World Team last year representing Jamaica and Congo, AJ Dybantsa told HoopsHype at last year’s Hoop Summit that the plan was to suit up for USA at this Hoop Summit, which was exactly what he did.
The game comes easily to him, as he reads and reacts to defenses at ease. The BYU commit got to the rim at will and will continue at the college and professional level with his natural ability to showcase an array of offensive moves partnered with his advanced footwork for his age. His jumper has improved from last year’s Hoop Summit, which will make him even more lethal in the halfcourt.
The Brockton native has great defensive instincts and habits. He plays extremely hard on that end and can match up and guard one to four seamlessly. His athleticism and elite basketball IQ allow him to jump passing lanes and create havoc on that end, which usually leads to easy transition buckets for himself and teammates.
Notably, he seemed to disappear at some points in games – like he did in the first half of the Hoop Summit game – but it seems like he is just letting the game come to him and wants to get his teammates involved. He took over in the third quarter, and there’s not much opponents can do against a three-level scorer of his caliber. It seems like he already has so much confidence – rare for someone his age.
“Yeah, leadership. I mean, you got to get guys involved, Dybantsa told HoopsHype after practice. “Some guys might not have the confidence because they’re not what I had at Prolific Prep. So it’s getting guys confidence in practice, getting guys touches early, doing a little bit of everything so we can all mess together and get some wins.”
With Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer right there in terms of talent and potential, Dybantsa at the moment is not the surefire consensus No. 1 pick for the 2026 Draft Class, so it will be interesting to see how he plays at BYU next season.
Hoops Summit performance: 35 minutes, 24 points, 6 rebounds (3 offensive, 3 defensive), 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 53.9% FG (7-13), 25.0% 3PT (1-4), 90.0% FT (9-10).
