Top-ranked prospect AJ Dybantsa and Utah Prep saw their Grind Session World Championship run end on Sunday after a narrow 64-61 loss to Canadian high school team Fort Erie. The 6-foot-3 Fort Erie guard Chris Kumu played a crucial role in the semifinal victory, delivering 19 points, two rebounds and two assists to win the Player of the Game award.
Slam HS on Instagram shared some highlights from the game, and many fans found Fort Erie's performance quite impressive, especially because it beat Utah Prep earlier in the season.
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In reaction, some fans were praising and commending Fort Erie's performance:
"Think about it. Fort Erie gave Utah Prep their first and last loss of the season. They built different," one fan wrote.
"Those Fort Erie boys did it again 🇨🇦," another posted.
"Fort Erie been tuff ngl 🇨🇦🔥🔥," wrote another.
"Why fort Erie hooping like that?" one fan said.
Slam HS, in the post, described Fort Erie's victory as an upset, which several fans did not agree with.
"How is it an upset if they went 2-0 this season??" a fan commented.
"They are 2-0 up against Utah, stop calling it an upset 😭," another wrote.
"What upset? They beat them TWICE!!!" one posted.
"They beat them twice, how is it an upset 😭," said another.
Some fans were also of the opinion that Utah Prep is quite overhyped and is just not good enough without AJ Dybantsa.
"Utah is gettin overhyped bc of aj they were so a** without him," one fan said.
"People have been knocking off Utah Prep all year," said another.
"Aj was giving em the work," another said.
AJ Dybantsa ended the game with a whopping 36 points, alongside 13 rebounds, one assist and two steals. The game was Utah Prep's final game of the season, which also means it was the last high school game for Dybantsa.
Five-star BYU signee AJ Dybantsa aims for gold at FIBA U-19 World Cup in Switzerland
Five-star BYU signee AJ Dybantsa has expressed his desire to win gold at the Switzerland FIBA U-19 World Cup in June. The No. 1-ranked prospect is already a two-time gold medalist, winning the U-16 championship in 2023 and the FIBA U-17 World Cup in 2024.
In the Grind Session postgame interview, Dybantsa expressed his desire for a third gold medal before playing college basketball.
"I'm trying to be a three-time gold medalist before I even start college," Dybantsa said. "Imma be at BYU a couple of months before then, so I'll try to prepare my body."
AJ Dybantsa has been a crucial part of the United States Junior team. Last year at the U17 FIBA World Cup, he averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
The U19 World Cup is set to tip off on June 28 and will run through July 6.
