AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson are two of the brightest stars in college basketball this season and both are expected to be taken at the top in the upcoming 2026 NBA draft. Peterson is a complete offensive guard with elite shooting and ball creation skills. On the other hand, Dybantsa brings size and scoring versatility.
They both were elite high-school players and have faced off in big games. Both five-star recruits were ranked first and second in the class of 2025 by 247Sports. Therefore, comparing them and finding a winner is very tough.
However, there’s one person who has coached them both in high school. Prolific Prep coach Ryan Bernardi coached Peterson’s senior year and Dybantsa’s junior season. Bernardi lauded Peterson for his supreme self-confidence.
“Darryn, one of the big reasons he came to Prolific … going into his senior year, national media had him widely considered as third (in the class),” Bernardi told The Star. “One of the big reasons was the head-to-head matchup with Boozer and the head-to-head matchup with AJ. Darryn always felt he was the best player and hasn’t had the opportunity to show (it). Darryn is pretty focused and pretty intrinsically motivated, but I will say in those games you get to see a little different side of him, which is fun.”
Darryn Peterson vs AJ Dybantsa? Ryan Bernardi Picks Kansas Guard
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson and BYU Cougars freshman AJ Dybantsa have faced each other twice. And in both games, Peterson’s team won. When Prolific Prep defeated Utah Prep 76-70 in December 2024, Peterson finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
In their second encounter, an 88-86 Prolific Prep victory, Peterson finished with 58 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In response, Dybantsa registered 49 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Bernardi picked Peterson over Dybantsa after seeing these encounters.
“It was just two pretty dominant wins … also, people forget that Darryn and AJ were on the same McDonald’s All-American team and Darryn won the MVP of that game,” Bernardi said. “So, in Darryn’s senior year, in every opportunity imaginable, he got the best of AJ.”
On Saturday, the two will match up again at Allen Fieldhouse. Peterson is rusty this season having played in only 10 games due to injuries while Dybantsa has suited up in all 20 games.
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