UNC basketball fell short in its pursuit of Utah Prep five-star forward and top-ranked 2025 recruit AJ Dybantsa, who announced his commitment to BYU on Tuesday. Many folks assumed that the Tar Heels were either unable or unwilling to match the eye-popping NIL package that the Cougars reportedly presented.
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However, according to an in-depth piece from CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander on Wednesday afternoon, UNC, BYU, and Alabama — three of the four finalists alongside Kansas — each met the asking price of roughly $5 million, a record-breaking figure.
AJ Dybantsa: “I play like a mix of Tracy McGrady and Shai.” pic.twitter.com/HHXg9FsCJs
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 10, 2024
As for Hubert Davis & Co.’s pitch to Dybantsa, Norlander reported that the UNC basketball staff pointed to 2018-19 Duke basketball one-and-done and eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson as an example of a player whose brand benefited immensely from suiting up for a college hoops powerhouse.
“North Carolina pitched him a vision of being the next all-time scoring superstar to wear Tar Heel Blue, following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse,” Norlander wrote. “They referenced how Zion Williamson’s net worth skyrocketed by choosing to play at Duke instead of Clemson, laying out what one season at a blue blood did for his career in advance of being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, including a shoe deal worth upward of $50 million before ever playing an NBA game.”
Less than two hours later, seemingly reacting to Norlander’s report, the Duke basketball social media team posted the following GIF showing Williamson in his Blue Devil jersey and snapping his fingers to ignite a fire:
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 11, 2024
Perhaps in recruiting Dybantsa, UNC should’ve refrained from highlighting a talent who didn’t attend its archrival.
It is worth mentioning that AJ Dybantsa eliminated Duke from contention months ago. That said, the Blue Devils currently boast the No. 1 haul in the cycle with four composite five-star prospects already on board.
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Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball recruiting news.
