For high school seniors, the summer after their junior year is when their recruiting class officially takes center stage. In the spring, college coaches and fans are preoccupied with the transfer portal and the shuffling of rosters. But come summer, these players move into focus.
This month, though, it would be easy to forget the 2024 class is technically the next group in line. That’s because the three best prospects in all of high school basketball — Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer and A.J. Dybantsa — are in the 2025 and 2026 classes. They had the stat lines that went viral and the games that drew the most eyeballs at last week’s Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina.
Boozer was the top-ranked player in the 2025 class — and the No. 1 player regardless of class — entering the summer; Flagg was No. 2 in both groups before putting forth one of the most dominant all-around performances we’ve seen at the elite youth basketball event; and Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the 2026 class, led the Peach Jam in scoring, despite playing up two age groups.
What makes this trio even more intriguing is the age factor. Boozer won’t turn 16 years old until next week. Flagg is 16 and seven months, and Dybantsa is five weeks younger than him. Flagg is widely rumored to be considering a reclassification into the 2024 class, and Dybantsa could potentially eye a move into the 2025 class. And Boozer and Flagg played on the Nike circuit in the 16U division, with Dybantsa playing in the 17s.
But there’s a chance that Boozer, Flagg and Dybantsa — three of the best prospects in recent memory — could all be in the same high school (and NBA draft) class.
So who is the best of the group? We asked 20 college coaches and NBA scouts for their rankings and thoughts on the Flagg-Boozer-Dybantsa pecking order.
