Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer lead top performers at loaded Border League

LAS VEGAS — Basketball fans got a taste of what to expect this high school season from the top players in the country during the three-day fall ball Border League tournament where almost all of the top players and teams were competing. This is the most talent, spanning across three high school classes, to come up in recent memory and has NBA executives making moves to secure picks in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 NBA Drafts.

Montverde Academy (playing as the Florida Eagles during the fall) took home the championship in the top flight division after defeating Christopher Columbus High School (playing as the Explorers during the fall), 83-77. It was the third time in four months that Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer squared off and both players competed at a high level.

Yahoo Sports takes a look at 12 top performers and a few other prospects who played well ahead of the high school season.

Cooper Flagg and the entire starting five for the Florida Eagles

The Florida Eagles have a history of having great players and this is as close to a super-team as there is in high school basketball. Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward, is the most versatile player in high school basketball and the No. 1 player in the 2024 class. He reclassified up a grade over the summer and is the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg is still uncommitted, but has taken an official visit to UConn and has an upcoming official visit to Duke.

Flagg does it all on the court and he makes hard plays look easy. Defensively, he's the best rim protector in the country, but he was also picking up the opposing team's point guard and switching everything on the perimeter and keeping players in front. On offense he can lead the break, catch lobs and step into long 3s with confidence. At just 16 years old, there's still room for growth in his game and he is one of the most exciting players to watch anytime he hits the court. Flagg finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks in the championship game.

Rounding out the rest of the starting five are Rob Wright, Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley and Derik Queen. Wright, a Baylor commit, sets the pace for the Florida Eagles offense and is a fantastic facilitator, always making the right reads. He's patient and rarely turns the ball over, dishing out nine assists and committing only one turnover in the last game.

Newell could be a future lottery pick with his length and versatility on offense. At 6-10, he's a force in the lane and had a few impressive dunks. He can also step outside and knock down tough shots in the pick-and-pop and elevate over players off the dribble. Newell is still uncommitted, but Georgia, Texas, Gonzaga and Alabama are in the mix.

McNeeley committed to Indiana ahead of the championship game Sunday and put on a show for Hoosier fans who were tuned in, scoring 16 points in the win. He's known for his 3-point shot, but he's more than a specialized shooter. McNeeley plays hard every possession and runs the floor well, creating space for his teammates with his offensive threat behind the arc.

Queen is the true center on this Florida Eagles squad and is in much better shape than the summer AAU season. At 6-9, 220 pounds, he's nearly impossible to go around in the lane and has some of the best hands for his position in the way he catches passes on the fly and his soft touch around the rim. Queen is still uncommitted with Maryland and Indiana rumored to be in the lead to land the talented center.

Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer

Cameron is one of the best players in the country and completely dominated games at times, but Cayden was the biggest surprise. Cayden grew over the summer and is now between 6-4 and 6-5. He's playing more of a combo guard this year for the Explorers with the addition of Jase Richardson on the team. His decision-making and passing is elite. His outside shooting kept the Explorers in the game during the second half, finishing with 22 points and nine assists in the loss.

Cameron, similar to Flagg, is a player a lot of NBA scouts have their eye on and can't wait for him to hit the league in 2026. Coming into the Border League, Cameron was moved down to the No. 2 slot in the 2025 class after A.J. Dybantsa reclassified up from 2026 to 2025. The pair went head-to-head Saturday night, and Cameron came out on top, making a strong case to be the No. 1 player again.

Cameron, a 6-9 forward, is the best outlet passer in the country, always finding his teammates breaking on the wing off a missed shot. He made some tough plays offensively and can score from anywhere on the court. During the win over Dybantsa and Prolific Prep, Cameron finished with 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. In the championship game, he put up impressive numbers once again, netting 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

A.J. Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes

Dybantsa had an off night against Boozer but bounced back in the final game for Prolific Prep on Sunday and single-handedly took over the game when things got close in the first matchup against Harvard Westlake (playing as LABC for the fall), scoring 27 points (11-for-15 from the field) and grabbing six boards. At nearly 6-9, he has long strides and moves with intention with the ball in his hands, needing only three dribbles to get from halfcourt to the basket in transition. Dybantsa was streaky from 3-point range (shooting only 1-for-8 in the loss to the Explorers), but has excellent form and a high release.

Stokes, the No. 1 player in the 2026 class, just turned 16 last week and doesn't look like your typical teenager. At 6-8, 240 pounds, he moves extremely well for his frame and has improved his 3-point shot from over the summer. Stokes reads the game extremely well, always talking on defense and making the extra pass on offense, whether that's driving baseline and hitting a shooter in the opposite corner or zipping the ball around when the defense is scrambling. Stokes finished with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in a win over AZ Compass (Arizona) on Sunday.

Jase Richardson

Richardson is coming off a strong summer where he averaged 20.8 points and 4.2 assists per game during Nike's Peach Jam and didn't skip a beat, putting on another impressive performance at the Border League. He and his younger brother, Jaxon, transferred to Christopher Columbus (Miami) from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and joined the Boozer twins for the upcoming season. Jase Richardson is an excellent passer, he ran the floor extremely well, converted for easy buckets in transition and had some tough finishes around the rim. Richardson averaged 17.3 points over three games and looked very comfortable in the backcourt alongside Cayden Boozer.

Additionally, Richardson announced his decision to play for Tom Izzo and Michigan State next year. His dad, Jason, won a national championship for the Spartans in 2000 and played 13 seasons in the NBA.

Derrion Reid

The 6-7 wing was one of the toughest players to guard on the perimeter off the dribble and is a great complementary player to Stokes and Dybantsa on the talented Prolific Prep roster. Reid is so strong with the ball, he finds pockets in the lane and hit a few 3-pointers over the weekend. In the first game against LABC, Reid finished with a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds) and added three assists in the win, Reid is still uncommitted, but has taken official visits to Florida State and Georgia and has an upcoming visit to Alabama this weekend.

Brandon McCoy Jr.

There's a lot of attention on the talent in the 2024 and 2025 high school classes, but McCoy is quietly dominating competition and outplaying other guards, sometimes two years older than him. He has great size as a 6-4 point guard and could still add an inch or two before the end of his high school career. He was doing a little bit of everything over the weekend from hitting stepback 3s with a defender in his face, scoring off the bounce or in catch-and-shoot and defensively, McCoy had a couple blocked shots on the opposing team's center. He is the No. 2 player in the 2026 class for a reason and holds a handful of early offers, including UCLA, Oregon, Louisville, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State and Rutgers.

Other players to keep tabs on this season

Arizona commit Carter Bryant was put on NBA scouts' radars during a scrimmage at Nike Hoop Summit last April. Bryant, a junior at the time, has great size (6-8) and a smooth jumper. In his last game Sunday afternoon, Bryant went 6-for-8 from 3-point range and cut well off the ball when the defense extended after a couple made 3s.

Trent Perry committed to USC at the Border League on Friday evening with head coach Andy Enfield and two assistant coaches in the gym to support him. He's one of the most reliable guards in the 2024 class and can score at all three levels. He's improved his body from last season and has the speed and footwork to defend both backcourt positions, keeping players in front even when picking them up full court.

Scottie Pippen's youngest son, Justin Pippen, is a late bloomer but could have a breakout senior season at Sierra Canyon High School (California). He grew over the summer and is now a 6-4 point guard with a natural feel for the game, similar to his older brother, Scotty (Los Angeles Lakers guard). He dropped 26 points on Sunday and won't be a player flying under the radar much longer.

Overtime Elite has a ton of young talent this season. Jahki Howard and Karter Knox were two of the most exciting players to watch over the weekend. Howard is one of the most athletic players in transition with his bounce and how he plays at the rim, but he's showing more to his game with an improved outside jumper and better timing on blocks defensively. Knox, the younger brother of Portland Trail Blazers forward Kevin Knox, is a big guard who plays hard and does a lot of little things really well. At 6-6, 213 pounds, Knox uses his size to his advantage and has a nice touch around the rim.

Southern California Academy has a roster full of athleticism and length led by Larry Johnson Jr. and Naasir Cunningham. Johnson, a Creighton commit, is one of the bounciest guards in the senior class and just floats when he gets off the ground. He put on a scoring clinic Saturday night, finishing with 21 points and the game winner. Cunningham, a 6-7 wing, showed off an improved handle and had a better shot selection, particularly when getting in the lane. Cunningham is still uncommitted, but has visited Rutgers, Duke, Missouri and UConn with Memphis, Arkansas and Creighton in the mix.