AJ Dybantsa and the sixth-seed BYU Cougars kick off their March Madness against the No. 11 Texans Longhorns Thursday.The 6ft 9in small forward turned 19 in January but is already being talked about as the next big thing.Dybantsa is a rare comboination of size, movement and techniqueGettyIn a star-studded NBA Draft class, Dybantsa is potentially the best of the best.“It’s an extremely strong draft class,” said draft analyst Ben Pfeifer via USA Today. “And it starts at the top with, I think, three MVP-level, No. 1-pick-caliber guys in Darryn Peterson, Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.”All three have bright futures and a stellar NCAA tournament could be the difference come May.Will AJ Dybantsa be the No. 1 pick?Dybantsa committed to BYU as a five-star prospect from Brockton, Massachusetts.The Cougars made the Sweet 16 in 2025 and added the phenom to a promising team that includes holdover guard Richie Saunders and Baylor Transfer Robert Wright III.A 17-2 start has fallen by the wayside with BYU falling to 23-11 after a run of injuries.Dybantsa has done his part as the top scorer in the nation, with a 43-point outing against Utah in January the best so far.“He’s a truly absurd scorer,” Pfeifer said. “Some of the best footwork you’re ever going to see from a player this age.“Truly absurd stuff that he can do with pivots and step-throughs and just creative moves that you very rarely see players like him pulling out on a basketball court.”Coming into the tournament, Dybantsa was averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.BYU flew out of the gate but hit a rough patchGettyOnly three freshman ever have led Division I in scoringGettyDybantsa will likely go first overall when he does declare, but he has hinted that he may stay in Provo, Utah, for another year.“My mom wants me to graduate. So I might not leave, but I might leave,” he said on the Deseret Voices podcast.How much is AJ Dybantsa getting paid?Dybantsa’s NIL valuation is almost $7 million, per Forbes including a $5 million base and deals with Nike and Red Bull.He chose BYU over Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina in what has been touted as a shining example of how money is reshaping college hoops.“What I think this shows you is that NIL…it opens it up for other places to have a chance now,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. “AJ Dybantsa is not a player that BYU would have been in on pre-NIL, and now they’re in on him.”View Tweet: https://twitter.com/AJ_Dybantsa?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWho are AJ Dybantsa’s parents?Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr. has played a key role in AJ’s rise.He is not difficult to miss in the bleachers with his tailored suit and diamond-studded earring.Effectively his son’s manager and agent, Ace Sr. and his wife Chelsea visited BYU before the 19-year-old laid eyes on the campus.Ace was born in the Congo in the late 1960s and relocated to France, where he lived with his brother before arriving in Boston in 1989.“He pretty much got the education my dad provided for me,” he said of AJ. “Respect your elders, be humble, polite, that’s what I’ve instilled in all three of my kids, not only AJ but my two daughters.”AJ is kept grounded by his familyGettyMom Chelsea — also a regular at games — originally hails from Jamaica and has also helped shape the prodigy, ensuring that he doesn’t neglect his education and providing a rock-solid support system.“The kid was tall when he was born, so we knew he was going to be athletic,” said Ace. “Plus, me being from Africa, we have a lot of athletic background. My wife being from Jamaica, you know about Jamaicans, they run fast. “It’s kind of in his genes and the rest he just worked at it, there is no secret.”The secret is well and truly out, all that remains is to see if Dybantsa can enshrine himself as one of the greats.Stay up to date with the latest from basketball across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.