KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the floor, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson stand out in a crowd. It doesn’t take more than a few possessions to spot the superstar talents that have popped off the page since AAU basketball as 14- and 15-year-olds.
But Wednesday at Big 12 media day, days before they’ll make their much-anticipated college debuts, the two top contenders did their best to blend in. Peterson roamed around in his team-issued blue quarter-zip pullover and a fully buttoned polo, while Dybantsa let his million-dollar smile outshine the two diamond studs in his ears. Both stopped short of any bulletin-board comments about their NBA draft stock. Peterson even stopped before leaving the stage to snap a picture of the jumbotron, a sign of the 18-year-old still getting used to life in the spotlight.
