Wild West Basket Roadtrip – Episode 2 – AJ Dibants in the viewfinder

Our photographer Thomas Savoia returned to the United States to experience the start of the college season, and his second stop focused on BIU and its gem AJ Dibantsa, promised to be the No. 1 pick in the next draft.

SALT LAKE CITY (UT), November 21, 2025 – It’s been barely two days since I settled in the Mormon capital and I’m already getting the hang of it. I appreciate its calm, as well as the invigorating air of the surrounding mountains. After a little shopping this morning at Dick Sporting Goods to stock up on NCAA goodies, I visited the Capitol overlooking downtown. It’s the Utah seat of government built in 1918 and the light is truly magnificent on this fall morning.

The Delta Center is only 5 minutes away by car. I park around 1 p.m. on John Stockton Road. BIU Cougars fans are already gathering outside the enclosure gates. As I walk around the blue crowd with my photo suitcase, I have a feeling that this afternoon will offer us an encounter like no other. There is something special in the air, in the conversations before the game, in the looks of the fans, in the amount of cameras and media that get lost at the entrance to the venue.

The name returns to everyone’s lips, as a vow: AJ Dibants.

Dibanca never fit the mold. The Boston native was committed to a traditional institution like North Carolina or Kansas, surprised everyone by choosing BIU, almost the opposite, as a perspective that takes on its own trajectory rather than adapting to it. His explanation is simple: in Provo he found what he was really looking for, namely an NBA-calibrated environment combined with a family atmosphere. Coach Kevin Young, a pro himself, built his project around this idea: transform BIU into a direct gateway to the big leagues. Advanced analytical sessions, rich personnel, jazz-inspired preparation routines… Everything breathes NBA in this team. And for Dibanca, who grew up with mentors like Kevin Durant, the equation made sense.

I pass the security check and, with my credentials around my neck, sink into the bowels of the room. I walk in the darkness of the tunnel that suddenly opens into the bright light of the NBA floor. Tonight, after the college game, the Jazz host the Thunder in the NBA Cup. Therefore, we have the right to purple parquet with the most beautiful effect! Taking pictures here at the “Jazz Temple” gives every college game a big league flavor. But with Dibanca in the decor, the atmosphere is even more electric.

On the edge of the floor, I watch his first steps. He crosses the room without saying a word, his headphones twisted, his eyes alert. I adjust the speed, check the white balance: cool light, clean angles, sharp silhouettes. When he takes off his hoodie to head for the three-point line, my eye is already glued to the peephole. The trigger is just waiting for a moment.

Dibanca has yet to draw a single snap to understand why BIU became his choice: this need for a professional, almost tailor-made environment in which he can grow as a future number one draft pick. His gesture, of rare fluidity, is repeated noiselessly in a routine worthy of an NBA warmup. From his first “jump” time seemed to stand still: a sharp ascent, a broken wrist, a clean landing. The perfect sequence to freeze the moment.

I move along the baseline, looking for a contrast between the shadow of the panel and the unreal verticality of the Dibanca. His relaxation, which was announced close to the “NBA Combine” record, becomes a topic in itself. In the photographs, it takes on an even greater dimension: legs stretched out like a bow, body suspended between two breaths, a calm expression despite the physical explosion. This boy doesn’t jump, he flies!

I feel like I may be recording the beginnings of a great story, the story of a player whose choice of BIU was a carefully considered calculation. It shows in the details, in the way he communicates with assistants, in his ability to pick up patterns almost instantly, in the way he repeats every move as if NBA scouts were recording it live.

When Wisconsin finally appears on the floor for warmups, the volume increases. The Badgers, known for their defensive density, thrive with their usual toughness. I sit on the side of the BIU bench to catch the first visual clashes. Dibanca hardly stares at his opponents, but in his eyes, it seems to me, I see a spark: that of a young man who knows that this match will be examined, analyzed, dissected.

Behind the camera I feel the importance of the moment. Here, even the smallest dunk could become an iconic image of the future face of the NBA. Even the slightest exchange with Kevin Young could reveal his maturity. The ambition is no longer just to illustrate the NCAA night, but to immortalize the turning point, the zero chapter.

The lights go out to announce the players. I put the second camera around my neck, ready to speed up. The room rumbles, a rumble so deep that it even shakes the stands of the Delta Center. When the name of AJ Dibants is heard, the wave spreads. He walks forward, indifferent, but the audience is already vibrating.

I trigger. Once, twice, ten times.

On the floor, the first thing that strikes you is its almost disturbing lightness. Lean, explosive, with a dizzying vertical swing, he gives off an impression of instinctive mastery. Defenders barely have time to adjust their support when Dibanca is already somewhere else: feinting, no retreat, suspended retreat or sharp acceleration into the circle. His disappearance is simply devastating.

You got it, there will be no match because the Cougars are above the visitors tonight. It’s not just a game anymore. It’s the story of an exceptional freshman, told from the sidelines, through the camera’s viewfinder. A story that has just begun.

All photos of the meeting are go.