Of the 24 gamers mingling within the NBA draft’s unique inexperienced room on the Barclays Middle on Wednesday night time, 4 had no downside making pals.
Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Asa Newell and Liam McNeeley have been all smiles, greeting one another with custom-made handshakes little doubt originating from their highschool taking part in days at Montverde (Florida) Academy.
The foursome made historical past in 2024, capping off a dream season with a Chipotle Nationals title.
These Montverde Eagles completed 33-0, steamrolling groups by a mean of 34 factors a recreation, firmly entrenching their standing within the “best highschool basketball group ever assembled” dialog.
Liam McNeeley received emotional when speaking about his former Montverde teammates getting drafted ❤️ @SCNext pic.twitter.com/y7JxQftq1v
— ESPN (@espn) June 26, 2025
Former Montverde coach Kevin Boyle, now the top coach at SPIRE (Ohio) Academy, got here to Brooklyn to help his former stars and mentioned their trajectory to attaining their desires was a testomony to their unselfishness.
This marks the second time Boyle’s Montverde groups have had 4 gamers from the identical squad chosen within the first spherical.
Cade Cunningham (No. 1 to the Detroit Pistons), Scottie Barnes (No. 4 to the Toronto Raptors), Moses Moody (No. 14 to the Golden State Warriors) and Day’Ron Sharpe (No. 29 to the Brooklyn Nets) have been the primary foursome to realize the feat for Montverde in 2021.
“Lots of people throw round ‘unselfish,’ however these guys actually sacrificed numbers and accolades to win,” Boyle mentioned. “There was by no means complaining or pushback, they usually may’ve legitimately achieved that primarily based on who they’re. That set a tone for them as a result of it recognized them pretty much as good group and good tradition guys who’re all about successful.
“I’ve a fame for being actually powerful on gamers, however the actuality was that I used to be by no means powerful on these guys. I did not should be. I used to be agency, however they all the time went above and past working and focusing.”
Here is a take a look at the Montverde foursome chosen within the first spherical of the 2025 NBA draft.
Cooper Flagg
Drafted: No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks
Earlier than he took the faculty basketball world by storm, successful Nationwide Participant of the 12 months and main the Duke Blue Devils to the Remaining 4, Flagg averaged 13.6 factors, 6.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals and a couple of.5 blocks a recreation in two seasons at Montverde.
Derik Queen
Drafted: No. 13 to the New Orleans Pelicans
Earlier than he dominated the paint with the Maryland Terrapins, successful Huge Ten Freshman of the 12 months and main the Terps to the Candy 16, Queen owned the publish for the Eagles, pumping out 14.4 factors (66% from the sphere) and seven.1 rebounds a recreation in his remaining two seasons at Montverde.
Asa Newell
Drafted: No. 23 to the Atlanta Hawks
Newell was a matchup nightmare on each ends of the ground for the Eagles, averaging 9.1 factors and 4.8 rebounds in two seasons at Montverde. He used his measurement and flexibility to dominate the competitors for the Georgia Bulldogs and snag a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Staff.
Liam McNeeley
Drafted: No. 29 to the Charlotte Hornets
McNeeley was a marksman for the Eagles, draining 44% of his 3-pointers and averaging 12.4 factors, 3.9 rebounds and a couple of.6 assists a recreation in two seasons at Montverde. He put up huge numbers for the UConn Huskies en path to claiming Huge East Freshman of the 12 months.
