10 Former HS Stars with Northeast Connections Selected in 2025 NBA Draft

Top pick Cooper Flagg played basketball in Maine before he became a star at Montverde Academy and Duke

VJ Edgecombe, a native of The Bahamas, played two seasons at Long Island Lutheran before he starred for the Baylor men's basketball team. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

A handful of former high school basketball standouts with connections to the Northeast region were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Some of them played for schools in the Northeast, others were born and raised in the area and went to schools outside of the region.

Below are players with ties to the Northeast region:

New York

V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor

Guard/Forward, 6-5

Long Island Lutheran

Pick: First round, No. 3 by the Philadelphia 76ers

A native of The Bahamas, Edgecombe played for the Bahamian National Team in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament.

Edgecombe played at Victory International Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida for two years before he transferred to Long Island Lutheran in Brookville for his junior and senior campaigns.

At Long Island Lutheran, Edgecombe averaged 15.5 points, five rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as junior – helping the Crusaders capture a state title. He received Gatorade New York and National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) Player of the Year honors that season.

Edgecombe averaged 17.3 points, six rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals per game in his final season with Long Island Lutheran. He went on to play in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game, where he chipped in nine points and five boards.

Koby Brea, Dayton and Kentucky

Guard, 6-7

Monsignor Scanlan High School

Pick: Second round, No. 41 by the Golden State Warriors (traded to the Phoenix Suns)

Brea is a native of The Bronx. In his junior campaign with Monsignor Scanlan High School, Brea averaged 18 points and five rebounds per game.

His senior season saw Brea average 20.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, helping the Crusaders reach the final four of the Class AA New York Catholic High School Association for the first time in program history.

Brea represented the Dominican Republic National Team at the U-17 FIBA Centrobasket Championships in San Juan. He averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 boards in five games.

New Jersey

Dylan Harper, Rutgers

Guard, 6-6

Don Bosco Prep

Pick: First round, No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs

Born and raised in Franklin Lakes, Harper attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School.

Harper averaged 15.2 points per game in his sophomore season for the Ironmen. As a junior, Harper was named NJ.com’s boys basketball player of the year after he averaged 24.9 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals per game.

His senior campaign saw him average 22.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to lead the Ironmen to a 29-3 record and a NJSIAA state title.

Rasheer Fleming, St. Joseph’s

Forward, 6-9

Camden High School

Pick: Second round, No. 31 by the Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to the Suns)

Fleming was a star for the nationally-ranked Camden boys basketball squad. He averaged 13.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in his sophomore campaign for the Panthers.

Fleming also competed with the New Jersey Scholars on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Jamir Watkins, VCU and Florida State

Guard, 6-7

Trenton Catholic Academy

Pick: Second round, No. 43 by the Utah Jazz (traded to the Washington Wizards)

A native of Trenton, Watkins starred at Trenton Catholic Academy. He compiled 1,212 points in 73 career games for the Iron Mikes, averaging 16.6 points per game in that span.

Watkins guided Trenton Catholic to three-straight Mercer County championship titles. He was named player of the year and the Mercer County MVP, as well as an All-State third team selection by NJ.com.

Pennsylvania

Thomas Sorber, Georgetown

Forward/Center, 6-10

Archbishop Ryan High School

Pick: First round, No. 15 by the Oklahoma City Thunder

Sorber is a Trenton, New Jersey native, but he played high school basketball for Archbishop Ryan in Philadelphia.

He was ranked the No. 50 prospect overall in the Class of 2024, and the No. 3 prospect out of Pennsylvania. Sorber was also a four-star recruit.

Sorber as a junior averaged 17.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 2.5 assists per game to aid the Raiders’ run to the Class 5A state semifinals in the 2022-23 season. In his senior season, Sorber averaged a double-double with 18.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, along with 4.8 blocks and 1.2 steals a game.

He led the Philadelphia Catholic League in rebounding during his sophomore campaign.

Will Riley, Illinois

Forward, 6-8

The Phelps School

Pick: First round, No. 21 by the Utah Jazz (traded to Washington)

Riley was born in Ontario and went to high school in Canada before he moved onto The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

He spent two seasons with the Lions, where he was considered a top-10 prospect and five-star recruit during that time. Riley averaged 26.5 points, six rebounds and 4.1 assists to lead the Lions to a runner-up finish in PAISAA tournament in the 2023-24 season.

Riley played for UPlay Canada in the EYBL circuit and averaged 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He was also named offensive MVP of the EYBL Indy Session.

Adou Thiero, Arkansas and Kentucky

Forward, 6-8

Quaker Valley High School

Pick: Second round, No. 36 by the Brooklyn Nets (traded to the Los Angeles Lakers)

Thiero was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. After living in Mali for a few years, he moved back to the United States when he was three.

Living in Pennsylvania, Thiero attended Quaker Valley. He averaged 17.7 points per game as a sophomore and 21.8 points a game as a junior.

Thiero averaged 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game in his senior campaign for the Quakers. He guided the team to the PIAA state championship game in 2022.

Receiving Class 4A, WPIAL and TribLive boys basketball player of the year honors, Thiero became a four-star recruit out of high school.

Maine

Cooper Flagg, Duke

Guard/Forward, 6-8

Nokomis Regional High School

Pick: First round, No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks

Before he was a star with Duke and Montverde Academy (Florida) – and became the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – Flagg grew up in Newport, Maine.

Flagg played at Nokomis Regional to start his high school basketball career. He became the first freshman to receive the Gatorade Maine Player of the Year honor after he averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game in his lone season with the Warriors.

Nokomis captured the Class A state title when they beat Falmouth, 43-27. Flagg tallied 22 points and 16 boards in that game.

Massachusetts

Danny Wolf, Yale and Michigan

Forward/Center, 7-0

Northfield Mount Hermon School

Pick: First round, No. 27 by the Brooklyn Nets

A native of Illinois, Wolf played at Lake Forest Academy for three years before he transferred to Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts for his senior season.

Wolf helped the Hoggers reach the NEPSAC AAA championship and the national prep title game that year. His senior performance led to him receiving a McDonald’s All-American nomination.

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