‘He Set the Blueprint’: How the Late Terrence Clarke Inspired No. 1-Ranked AJ Dybantsa
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AJ Dybantsa has always looked up to Terrence Clarke. Before he had any connection with the Expressions Elite AAU program, Dybantsa knew who Clarke was.
Dybantsa, widely considered to be the top prospect in the class of 2026, idolized Clarke when he was younger, and after Clarke’s untimely death in 2021, Dybantsa has kept his memory alive through his play.
“That’s like my big brother,” Dybantsa told KSR+. “We weren’t cousins, we weren’t related, but that was basically my cousin. I was little brother every time he came back. Ever since he passed away, I do the basketball stuff for him. Everything is for him.”
Terrence Clarke, the former Kentucky basketball standout, tragically passed away after a car accident in Los Angeles at only 19 years old. His death came just one day after signing with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports and a few months before the NBA Draft.
Clarke’s death sent shockwaves throughout the entire basketball community, especially within the Expressions Elite program. There’s perhaps no one better to describe the impact Terrence Clarke has had on AJ Dybantsa and the Expressions Elite program as a whole than the program’s director and head coach Todd Quarles.
“[AJ] started working out with Terrence Clarke four years ago and he looked up to Terrence Clarke,” Quarles told KSR+. “They’re similar in the fact that they look similar. Their size and length are similar and they both could do similar things. You could see the type of influence that Terrence Clarke had on AJ. They trained with the same trainer and I think they both were great.”
That trainer is Brandon Ball, who first began training with Terrence Clarke through Dexter Foe of Expressions Elite. Around Clarke’s junior or senior year of high school, he also began training with Dybantsa.
“I was blessed to be a part of [Clarke’s] journey and watch this kid develop into a transcendent talent. He was amazing to watch him continue to develop his confidence and everything,” Ball said.
Since Clarke’s death, Dybantsa has made it a point to pursue his dreams and accomplish what Clarke was unable to.
“AJ did his thing to keep Terrence’s name alive and play for Terrence,” Ball said. “You saw something click into him. He began playing extremely hard and extremely consistently.”
By the time Dybantsa learned of the Expressions Elite AAU program, he was well familiar with Terrence Clarke.
“I didn’t know Expressions,” Dybantsa said. “If you knew him, you probably knew Expressions. He was a star. I’m just trying to carry his legacy.”
A Comforting Figure to the Clarke Family
To this day, AJ Dybantsa still keeps in touch with the Clarke family, namely Terrence’s mother, Osmine Clarke, and his brother Gavin.
“[Gavin] is like six or seven right now, but he’ll come to the gym and shoot on the little hoop,” Dybantsa said. “I talk to [Osmine], give her a hug every time. She’ll reach out sometimes crying. I try to comfort her in ways.”
Although some people say that Dybantsa and Clarke looked alike, Dybantsa doesn’t quite buy it.
“His mom doesn’t think I look like him. His mom always says I don’t look like him,” Dybantsa said. “[We both] played on Expressions, both from Boston. I think that’s it. I think if he was from Cali, they wouldn’t say that.”
However, there’s one defining trait that causes many people to point out similarities between Clarke and Dybantsa: their smiles.
“Terrence had an incredible smile,” Ball said. “It was infectious with anybody he came into contact with. You see that with AJ. Terrence would never turn down a pitch, would never turn down an autograph. He really put the city of Boston and New England on his back. You can see that in AJ. He has a great smile himself. He really enjoys communicating with the youth and the community. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned that Terrence passed on to AJ.”
Best Player in the Country?
AJ Dybantsa is currently in the 2026 class, which means he is not yet included in the On3 Industry Rankings, however, On3’s Jamie Shaw currently considers him the No. 1 prospect in all of high school basketball.
At Peach Jam, Dybantsa was asked if he considers himself the best high school player in the world currently.
“With my confidence, I’m not trying to be cocky, but yeah,” he said.
If you ask Quarles, there are several things that make Dybantsa such a special player.
“His size, length, versatility, and being able to create his own shot,” Quarles said. “I think the biggest thing he’s got to continue to improve on is his ball handling. As he matures in age, he’s going to get stronger because he’s got great genes with his mother and father. That’s going to come.”
Despite his high acclaim as one of the nation’s top prospects, Quarles still doesn’t think the wider basketball community knows the effort Dybantsa has put in.
“I don’t think people understand how hard AJ has worked at this,” Quarles said. “He’s always had time for young kids, just like Terrence Clarke did. I think the world of him as a basketball player, but even a bigger part as a human being.”
Whether or not Dybantsa ends up at Kentucky or achieves his dream of becoming a Hall-of-Famer, it’s clear that he’s been influenced tremendously by Terrence Clarke, just like many others in the basketball community.
“I think everyone in our program and in Boston will remember Terrence for the rest of their lives,” Quarles said. “He had that big of an impact. That genuine, sincere smile. How he touched young kids and always had time for them. People just see the basketball side, but he influenced a lot of people.”
The post ‘He Set the Blueprint’: How the Late Terrence Clarke Inspired No. 1-Ranked AJ Dybantsa appeared first on On3.
