Kansas head coach Bill Self has a simple reason for passing on AJ Dybantsa

SI's Eli Henderson explained Bill Self's reasons for passing on the next great wing, AJ Dybantsa: Kansas needs to spread the zero wealth across the entire lineup. One-man shows typically don't win titles at the college level.

“Traditional powerhouses like the Kansas Jayhawks, who initially pursued Dybantsa, appear to be retreating from this bidding war and instead focusing on other top players at a lower zero price,” Henderson prefaced before saying, “This is not about Kansas.” cheap; It's about a long-term strategy. With the average zero compensation for top players in the transfer portal estimated to be around $750,000, allocating $4 million to a high school recruit could have a significant impact on a program's ability to build a complete, competitive roster.”

Dybantsa told Paul George and the “Podcast P” panel that he was looking for a family-oriented approach that would get him to the NBA quickly.

“Everyone will think there should be four or five bluebloods in there, but I mean, me and my family have pillars,” Dybantsa said. “We need a family-oriented school, I need a coach who doesn't sugarcoat things, I need the best and fastest development plan – I'm trying to be one, I need a successful organization and I just chose that.” “The seven best Schools that I think are a good fit… I’m just trying to pick the school that fits me best.”

AJ Dybantsa explains why he moved from the 2026 recruiting class to 2025

Dybantsa explained in this interview with George that his depleted roster was the only thing keeping him from moving from the 2026 class to the 2025 class – a player he wants to emulate from a merit perspective but is hoping for a shorter college career.

“That's my original class, I just wasn't ready to play with those guys, and then once I grew into my body and got a strength coach, I thought, 'I'm ready to step up again,'” Dybantsa said .

Dybantsa doesn't have any crystal ball predictions yet. Where he plans to go for a one-year transformation into an NBA-ready prospect is unclear.