How AJ Dybantsa, best NBA prospect, starred vs. UConn in Boston homecoming

BOSTON — While it was a slow start for AJ Dybantsa in his highly-anticipated Boston homecoming, that set the stage for his show in the second half. BYU’s comeback attempt fell just short to UConn, but Dybantsa showed why he’s such a highly-rated prospect in his first major college hoops test.

Dybantsa starred with a career-high 25 points and six rebounds, shooting 8-for-14 from the field in 33 minutes. He struggled early, making just one of his first six shots by halftime for four total points. But he took over as he was a major reason why the Cougars had a comeback bid late. Dybantsa finished with 21 points in the second half on 7-for-8 shooting, living up to the hype.

The No. 3-ranked Huskies held off the No. 7-ranked Cougars for the 86-84 win Saturday from TD Garden in what turned out to be a thriller. UConn led for the majority of the night, but BYU just kept coming in the second half.

Dybantsa, a Brockton native, played in Boston for the first time in college. He was rated as the No. 1 player in the nation throughout most of his preps career and is today projected as a best-3 pick in next year’s NBA Draft. He sputtered throughout the first half, leading to some “overrated” chants from UConn fans after a couple turnovers. It started as a lackluster night as the Cougars were down big.

But once Dybantsa knocked down a couple jumpers, he gained some confidence. The Cougars were down by as many as 20 points in the second half as they needed their star freshman to step up. That’s what Dybantsa did, knocking down tough shots to show why scouts have raved about his play. He was physical on his drives and drew multiple fouls as he shot 7-for-10 on free throws.

So, any Celtics fans dreaming about the future got to see the hometown kid excel on the parquet. The only alteration for the Celtics court was a slightly-closer 3-point line for the college game, but otherwise, it was the same thing. To best it off, C’s stars Jaylen Brown and Derrick White watched the game from courtside.

While it was mostly a pro-UConn crowd, BYU fans showed up with solid representation. There was a level of anticipation whenever Dybantsa had the ball on a quick break as Cougars fans rose to their feet. Plenty of the BYU faithful also had on new Dybantsa jerseys as he’s the highest-rated player ever to choose the Cougars for his college career.

The college season is just a few games old, though, so there will be natural improvement that happens for both Dybantsa and the Cougars. BYU is expected to be one of the best teams in the Big 12. The Cougars still have marquee games against Wisconsin, Miami and Clemson as part of their nonconference schedule coming up.