WESTFIELD, IN - A.J. Dybantsa is in rare air. When we first saw him play in person over 13 months ago he jumped off the page even with Cooper Flagg fever at its height. At that time he was still a 2026 prospect playing up two grades. Even then he looked like a man among boys.

He quickly jumped into the conversation with Flagg and Cameron Boozer as the best high school player regardless of class. It has been a conversation that never let up. When Flagg reclassed to 2024, Dybantsa immediately assumed the top spot in 2025 even with he heavy presence of Boozer.

Jason Jordan watched him three weeks ago at the EYBL's second session in Atlanta. He upped the ante even more on the immense level of talent by writing, "Dybantsa’s skillset is unparalleled and coupled with his motor creates a force so dominant it’s scary to think of the ceiling. Dybantsa, who is ranked No. 1 overall in the Rivals150, gets to his spots because of his quickness and footwork but is adept at recognizing which dominant attribute to unleash given the situation."

There was nothing for us to edit from that critique after seeing him three times in Indianapolis last weekend. The Oakland Soldiers went a perfect 4-0 although it wasn't always easy. For example, City Rocks led them for much of the game on Saturday afternoon as the Soldiers were in a deep sleep for a majority of the game. But don't poke the bear. Dybantsa wasn't about to let his team lose. He dominated down the stretch to the tune of 21 points and 12 rebounds to spur his team on to a narrow 70-68 victory.

The EYBL has moved on to Kansas City for the fourth and final spring session this Memorial Day weekend. The venue may have changed, but that's it. Friday night's opener featured a huge matchup against Arizona Unity who boast of Cameron Holmes, Maper Makur, and a battle between Tyran Stokes and Brandon McCoy Jr. for the top spot in the Class of 2026. Once again, Dybantsa took over down the stretch. He scored 10 points in the final few minutes which was capped off by by a bomb at the buzzer for a 60-57 win.

At the time this was written the Soldiers have a 10-1 record with four games remaining over the weekend. Dybantsa is averaging 22.6 points, and 5.4 rebounds, but that may not be the topic of conversation on him right now. He announced a transfer this week from Prolific Prep to Utah Prep.

Obviously, recruitment is a huge issue. Dybantsa is not in the know about it like many of his peers. His father handles all of it leaving his son to focus on, "books and ball." However, he is still a delightful interview. He is loose and funny in these situations. Keep in mind that he draws media members from all four corners of the country when he speaks, so lots of different topics get covered.

That was the case in Indianapolis.