Before They Were Lottery Picks They Were Prep Stars
Anwar Stetson
Reliving the best high school moments from this year’s top five draft picks
- COOPER FLAGG: The Maine Event Wins the Natty as a Freshman
Only the third ever NBA player born in Maine, and the first number one overall pick from the Pine Tree State, Cooper Flagg’s meteoric rise to the NBA began as a freshman at Nokomis High School where he led the relatively unknown Warriors squad to its first ever state championship over Falmouth High. The 6’8 freshman, known as “The Maine Event”, scored 22 of Nokomis’ 43 points in the victory and averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks on the season. Though he flourished the next three years at national powerhouse Monteverde Academy in Florida, there’s no place like home. Now a Dallas Maverick, the former Duke Blue Devil and Naismith Player of the Year put Maine on the map as the home of a basketball legend. Watch his dominant freshman season as a 14-year-old, and watch him hit a tough trey-ball over future teammate Anthony Davis during last year’s Team USA scrimmage.
- DYLAN HARPER: The Jersey native proves a little East Coast swag can go a long way
Some of the biggest stars have a little dawg in them, and number two overall pick Dylan Harper proved he had the bark and the bite to be a future pro at New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep. His fiery 2024 matchups against four-star recruit Tahaad Pettiford and Hudson Catholic cemented a high school rivalry like no other. Harper had the last laugh, leading Don Bosco past Hudson to an eventual NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championship as a senior. The son of former NBA All-Star Ron Harper, the younger Harper’s 6’6 and 220 lbs frame allowed him to bully smaller guards, averaging 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game as a senior at Bosco, and a solid 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists during his short tenure at Rutgers. Now he joins French sensation Victor Wembanyama to usher in a new era in San Antonio as a Spur. Check out his high school matchup with Tahaad Pettiford and a game-winning shot this past season with Rutgers.
- VJ EDGECOMBE: VJ’s Verticals propel him from unknown to superstar
The Bahamian skyscraper moved to the U.S. in 9th grade with little recognition, but his otherworldly athleticism helped him rise to a five-star recruit, graded number three on ESPN’s rankings for the class of 2024. Representing Long Island Lutheran in New York, Edgecombe went viral on social media for this monstrous jam in a 2023 non-league matchup against Chaminade as a senior. As the third overall pick, Edgecombe joins a Sixers squad ripe with young talent including Jared McCain and All-Star Tyrese Maxey, complimenting star vets Joel Embiid and Paul George. Watch his high-flying breakaway poster below.
- KON KNUEPPEL: Milwaukee’s finest drops a 30 piece
A fundamentally sound, pass-first point guard out of Wisconsin Lutheran, Kon Knueppel looked exactly like the prototypical Duke Blue Devil when he committed to the program in 2023. Averaging a scorching 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists as a senior, he led the Vikings to a perfect 30-0 record and a Wisconsin Division II State Championship. But it was this 30-point performance as a part of Team Herro in EYBL that helped put the future pro on the map. Knueppel won’t stray too far from Tobacco Road, as he heads from Duke to the Charlotte Hornets as the fourth overall pick of the draft.
- ACE BAILEY: “AIR” Bailey shakes the prep hoops world with a thunderous jam
Airious “Ace” Bailey had perhaps the most incredible viral prep moments of the lottery picks on this list. A posterizing windmill jam off of a lob would be impressive in a slam-dunk contest, but it’s otherworldly in-game. Then 17-years-old, Ace Bailey and supporters from McEachern High School taunted the North Paulding Wolfpack with a “headtop” celebration after the monstrous dunk. The versatile 6’7 forward averaged 32.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 blocks his senior year before committing with fellow lottery pick Dylan Harper to Rutgers. With hops like these, it’s easy to see why his first name begins with “air”. With the fifth pick in the draft, he heads up in the mountains to join a rebuilding Jazz franchise with cornerstone Lauri Markkanen.