Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- AJ Dybantsa and Xavion Staton, both BYU signees, join Utah Prep.
- They will compete on the Grind Session circuit aiming for Chipotle Nationals.
- Coach Kevin Young emphasizes their chemistry and future BYU collaboration.
PROVO — AJ Dybantsa won't be the only BYU signee playing for head coach Justin Yamzon and Utah Prep for the rest of the season.
Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025 who has signed with BYU, will be joined at the Hurricane-based prep school by fellow BYU signee Xavion Staton, the four-star rim-runner from Las Vegas who announced his transfer to Utah Prep for the remainder of his senior year.
The duo will be joined by Washington-bound point guard J.J. Mandaquit and Anthony Felesi, a four-star Class of 2026 wing rated the No. 3 prospect in the state by 247Sports with offers from BYU, Cal, UNLV and Utah State, among others.
Another recent addition to the team includes Hamza Zahran, a 6-foot-7 wing from Auckland, New Zealand, who previously prepped at Oak Hill Academy.
"Cougar nation," Dybantsa wrote on the post on Instagram announcing Staton's transfer, "ya'll ready."
Rated the No. 30 prospect in the Class of 2025 by On3, Staton comes to Utah Prep after a standout career at Sierra Vista High in Las Vegas.
The 7-foot, 210-pound center averaged 7.2 points 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game after nine games of his senior season with the Mountain Lions, whom he led to a 23-9 record and Nevada Class 4A state championship a year ago en route to earning the state's Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
The duo will now team up with Utah Prep on the Grind Session circuit, in competing for a berth at Chipotle Nationals this spring.
Let's welcome the best big man in the country @XavionStaton who has transferred to Utah Prep for the remainder of his senior year! Let's work! pic.twitter.com/rfz7x9i2iM
— Utah Prep Boys Basketball (@UtahPrepMBB) January 6, 2025
And the added relationship bonus should pay off for Dybantsa and Staton when they enroll together at BYU for the 2025-26 season, head coach Kevin Young said.
"I think it's good for Zay, because the level of competition they'll play against will be good for him," Young said Monday during his weekly briefing with local media. "I think the chemistry between those two definitely helps more than it hurts."
Young sees the duo "scratching each other's backs" with Staton, whom he called the best rim protector in the country when he signed back in November. That defense should help Dybantsa, the 6-foot-7 jumbo wing who earned MVP honors this past weekend in Arizona after going off for 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in an 80-63 win over Texas' Faith Family Academy at Hoophall West.
"I think AJ is smart enough to know he'll have to feed the big fella," Young said. "It'll be fun to watch; they've got a good program down there at Utah Prep, with a lot of talent, and it will be fun for us to keep our eyes of those guys together."
Ranked No. 4 nationally in ESPN's SC Next Top 25, Utah Prep (14-4) heads to New Jersey this weekend to face Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas) at the Iverson Classic. The Grind Session first-round finals are scheduled for March 14 in Salt Lake City, with the championship game a week later in Dallas before Chipotle Nationals beginning April 3.
