Cooper Flagg F 6-8 17 Montverde Academy (Newport, ME) *Duke
From an NBA perspective, Flagg is the clear cut top prospect in the class at this point in time. There’s a full year for players like Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe to possibly make a run at him, but for now he’s THE GUY with room to spare. While it didn’t always look pretty as a number of his plays looked wild, the end result was mostly positive. Flagg shot very well in the game and finished with a strong performance, ending up with a (19 and 11) double-double . Cooper has franchise level upside, if he’s able to maximize his abilities, with both leadership and charisma. An elite defender, who shows great potential as a 2-way talent. If he can successfully adjust his shooting motion and tuck his elbow in, he would enhance his long term potential. He shows a great feel for passing. His jumpshot is decent but lacks consistency, as he shoots the ball above his right shoulder, and his form takes away some of his precision. He shows great coordination and leg strength and absorbs contact without getting knocked off balance.. His ability to defend both the post and perimeter and be disruptive on that end of the floor gives him a lot of upside as a two way player. For now, his defense is ahead of his offensive impact. At Lake Oswego in front of a gym full of scouts and GMs in the scrimmage,, he struggled. Overall the week was below his standard, but he made up for that with a strong game. Flagg’s demeanor is all business and he has a maturity and determination that you rarely find in an 17 year old. All of his energy is focused and he acts more like a college senior than a high school senior. Look for him to make major strides in the next year at Duke. He projects to be the likely top overall pick of the 2025 draft.
Ace Bailey F 6-9 17 McEachern HS (Powder Springs, GA) *Rutgers
Airious “Ace” Bailey is perhaps the most talented player in the entire class, Flagg included. His upside is extremely intriguing. An excellent shooter with range. And the shooting combined with elite level length and athleticism puts him on another level as a prospect. But right now he still he still has bouts of unfocused play and immaturity, his body language shows a lot of “youthful energy”. He played well in the scrimmage. When he’s on, he can put up points in a hurry. Possesses a near 7-foot wingspan. Shows solid understanding of playing off the ball, and using screens to get himself open. Has a nose for scoring. Slipped into the paint at one point for a rebound put back, showing hustle and anticipation. Also knocked down a step back corner three. In his interview he came across as a younger HS senior in need of structure and perhaps somewhat misunderstood. He’s clearly passionate about basketball, and just needs to gain more maturity socially. On the court, he brings the total package. He’s long and athletic and a great finisher, and it’s clear that he has worked on his jump shot and his range. With shades of Paul George and Rashard Lewis, Bailey has immense upside but developing his body and consistency will be the key. Bailey had 14 points in the game but struggled some from the floor hitting just 6-15 and 2-7 from 3.
Dylan Harper G 6-6 18 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) *Rutgers
Harper is one of the most poised and crafty players in his class. While not the highest upside guy, he plays with a high IQ and makes winning plays. He’s not going to wow you but definitely a stat-sheet-stuffer. He’s also an above average perimeter defender. Had a coast to coast lay in in the scrimmage, displaying his ability to push the ball up the floor. He plays a very controlled game. A combo guard with good, but not great length. Has a very calm, mature, even keeled demeanor. Plays with a lot of consistency. High floor, low ceiling type of prospect. Finished the game with 14 points on 4-11 shooting and a perfect 5-5 from the line. Also had 7 boards, 3 assists, and hit his only three point attempt. Scouts see a potential Jalen Brunson type of player for the next level with more size and less point guard ability.
Isaiah Evans F 6-6 18 North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, NC) *Duke
Evans has some shades of Brandon Ingram body and game wise but a few inches smaller. He still obviously needs to gain a lot of weight. He’s a naturally gifted scorer that excels at all 3 levels. But he still needs to develop more intensity. He seems to coast some when playing with other good players. The talent is there for him to take off at Duke, it’s a matter of putting in the work on his body and coming into the season focused and motivated and playing to his abilities. Came off the bench and played just 5 minutes, but was efficient in his time on the floor knocking down 3/4 shots, finishing with 6 points.
Boogie Fland G 6-2 17 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY) *Kentucky
Johnuel “Boogie” Fland has that typical flashy NY game. He dominates the ball some, but to his credit makes things happen. He showed his quickness in the scrimmage and got into the lane with ease. His jump shot is still a little inconsistent. He sees the court well. Showcased a nice pull up off the dribble. Had a productive 9 points on 4-8 shooting in 17 minutes of action in the game. Sort of in the Cole Anthony mold. It will be interesting to see how quickly he takes over at Kentucky and realizes his talent.
Ian Jackson G 6-5 19 Our Savior Lutheran (Centereach, NY) *North Carolina
His game is mostly predicated on playing downhill and attacking. Jackson has excellent speed off the dribble, which he had on display in the scrimmage. He also showed when locked in, he can be a dynamic defender. He displays a great shot from outside, with pull up ability. He’s also a very good athlete who can get up above the rim for highlight finishes. Jackson started but struggled to impact in the game, scoring just 2 points on 1-5 shooting in 18 minutes. He was more impressive in the week of practices and looks like one of the best backcourt prospects in the class.
Morez Johnson Jr. C 6-9 18 Thornton Township (Harvey, IL) *Illinois
The Illinois recruit has a long and well developed frame. He showed some flashes in the practices with very good ability to absorb contact and get to the free throw line. His shot is still in need of work and he’s probably a multi-year recruit which should impact Illinois pretty quickly and stick around a while, music to the ears of Illinois supporters. Small power forward with good strength. His free throw shooting looks good. Form from outside the paint breaks down in games some.
Tre Johnson G 6-5 18 Link Academy (Dallas, TX) *Texas
Johnson is a bit of an enigma. When he’s on, he looks like a future NBA star, but he often floats and looks unfocused. He shows excellent size for a wing, and very good handles. Nice drive and dish ability with vision. At times it seems that he loses his cool. Like most of the players his age, he still needs to mature. While he disappointed in the game shooting just 1-7, and finishing with just 2 points, his performance in practices showed the talent he possesses. When he’s dialed in he brings a lot to the game.. He is supreme level ISO player with the ability to create shots off the dribble and has a picture perfect stroke. He also is adept at driving and dishing with both handles and creative passing. He was good off the bounce and was dialed in from deep in a number of the practices. He just seems to run hot and cold at times, as the game showed. Sure to be one of the more polarizing prospects a year from now.
Asa Newell F 6-9 18 Monteverde Academy (Destin, FL) *Georgia
Newell played in the shadow of Queen and Cooper all year at Montverde. This week he got show how good he is when he’s allowed some space. He’s a very good scorer around the basket and showed a motor we didn’t see all the time this year. In practice he showed that he consistently knock down the mid-range jumper. Great bigman body. He’s got a big frame with a huge wingspan and big hands. A smart kid. He shows a smooth shooting stroke with range. Newell got the start in the game and really played well going 6-12 from the floor for 17 points and 10 boards in 30 minutes.
Patrick Ngongba II C 6-11 18 Paul VI Catholic (Fairfax, VA) *Duke
The future Duke bigman did not play in the game but was in action during the week in practices. He has a decent looking shot with soft touch. He was just back from injury so his conditioning and weight are not there yet. Appeared very slow, but unfair to judge him while he gets back to his normal playing weight. Obviously needs to lose weight and then can get back to moving and playing better.
Jayden Quaintance PF/C 6-9 16 Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, NC) *Kentucky
Quaintance didn’t produce much in the scrimmage. But his attention to detail and his non-stop motor in practice was eye opening for a 16 year old. He’s aggressive and always attacking the basket. His development could produce something scary. An absolute beast of a 16 year old. He has put on quite a bit of muscle in the past year. He needs to continue to focus on ball skills, and becoming more proficient at creating offense facing the basket. Big Q was a perfect 3-3 from the floor and 1-3 from the line for a productive 7 points in just 9 minutes of action in the game. Very solid showing for the youngest player in the game.
David Castillo G 6-1 18 Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, KS) *Kansas St.
An undersized PG for the highest level. Castillo has a polished skill set for his age. He shows solid strength. He’s tough and a very good floor general. In practice he was focused and dialed in. His game won’t wow you, as he generally makes the right decision most the time. In the scrimmage he ran the offense the way the coaches wanted. He’s also a solid on ball defender. Missed his two shots in the game with 0 points and had 1 assist.
Portland Generals
Carter Bryant 6-8 210 PF/SF Corona Centennial *Arizona
Played in the scrimmage at Lake Oswego and had some flashes. Started slow. Obviously very talented athlete but still very inconsistent and unfocused. Brought the ball up vs pressure without any issue at one point. Hit a nice 3 pointer. Also had one bigtime 2 handed flush. Shows flashes but decision making is still a ways away.
*Darnell “Tate” Johnson contributed to this report.
