Shanghai Sharks Announce: Top American High School Prospect Leads Shanghai’s Rising Stars Basketball Championship

On July 11, according to an official post on the Shanghai Sharks’ social media, the 2024 Shanghai Rising Stars Basketball Championship is heating up. Eight outstanding youth teams from six countries will gather here to learn from and compete with each other, all working together for the prosperity and development of basketball.

The eight participating teams are: China National Youth Team, Canada League Badgers, Japan B League U18 Elite Team, Shanghai Student Alliance, Australia U18 Elite Team, Utah Prep Academy (USA), Serbia KK Igokabel Club, and the Shanghai Sharks Elite Team.

A standout player in this tournament is AJ Dybantsa, a talented forward from the Utah Prep Academy team.

A.J. Dybantsa was born on January 29, 2007. Standing at 2.01 meters tall and weighing 89 kilograms, he plays as a small forward. In July 2023, On3.com ranked him as the top overall high school prospect in the United States regardless of class. On October 11, he announced that he would reclassify to the class of 2025 and was subsequently rated as the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation by multiple professional draft websites, including ESPN and 247Sports.

In the 2024 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, A.J. Dybantsa helped the USA team win all seven games and claim the championship title in dominant fashion. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, earning a spot in the All-Tournament Team. In 2023, he also contributed to the USA U16 men’s basketball team’s victory in the FIBA U16 Americas Championship.

In the 2024 Shanghai Rising Stars Basketball Championship, A.J. Dybantsa will represent the Utah Prep Academy team alongside several other highly-talented American high school players such as Jaden Vance and JJ Mandaquit. Let’s look forward to their performances on the court together.