Brooklyn Nets NBA Draft Notebook: High School Stars Scouted in New York and Las Vegas

The Brooklyn Nets scouted some of the best prospects in all of high school over the past two weeks.

Columbus Explorers forward Cameron Boozer (12) is fouled by IMG Academy Ascenders forward Sadiq White Jr. (1) during the first quarter of the City of Palms Classic semifinal game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets scouted the best high school prospects in the United States over the last two weeks. 

Nets scouts were in attendance at the Jordan Holiday Classic from Dec. 27-29. The showcase, which took place at Baruch College in New York City, was headlined by Cameron Boozer. The Duke commit is firmly in the mix to go No. 1 in the 2026 NBA Draft, in which Brooklyn is once again projected to have a top pick.

The Jordan Holiday Classic also featured some of the best New York-based talent, including Long Island Lutheran’s Kayden and Dylan Mingo. They defeated Boozer’s Christopher Columbus (FL) squad on Saturday night, picking up their best win of the year.

Dylan, a junior at LuHi, is in the middle of a breakout season and recently picked up offers from Alabama and Illinois. Kiyan Anthony, the son of NBA legend Carmelo, is on LuHi’s roster but was unavailable due to a minor injury. He will be attending Syracuse next season.

Nets scouts were also present at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas from Dec. 15-21. The annual west coast showcase's alumni includes LaMelo Ball, Evan Mobley, Jared McCain and Deandre Ayton. This year's event was headlined by Darryn Peterson, another contender to go first in the 2026 draft. Tyran Stokes, Chris Cenac, Brayden Burries, Tajh Ariza and Meleek Thomas were other star-level prospects worth tracking.

Peterson, who currently plays for Prolific Prep in the Napa Valley, will play college hoops for Kansas. Just before the Tarkanian Classic, Peterson made waves by dropping 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against AJ Dybantsa's Utah Prep squad. Dybantsa didn’t play at the Jordan Holiday or the Tarkanian Classics, but he is the third frontrunner to be the first pick in 2026.

The Nets own their first and second round picks for next year’s draft. The team, at least theoretically, also has plenty of mobility thanks to its vast array of future draft assets. 

Watch List: 

Here are three options per day of college games to watch for this upcoming week in the 2025 NBA Draft cycle.

Sunday, Dec. 29 — Texas vs. Northwestern State at 2 PM ET: Tre Johnson, Arthur Kaluma (Texas)

Sunday, Dec. 29 — Illinois vs. Chicago State at 4 PM ET: Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois)

Sunday, Dec. 29 — Georgia vs. South Carolina State at 4 PM ET: Asa Newell (Georgia)

Monday, Dec. 30 — Princeton vs. Akron at 3 PM ET: Xaivian Lee, Caden Pierce (Princeton)

Monday, Dec. 30 — Rutgers vs. Columbia at 7 PM ET: Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey (Rutgers)

Monday, Dec. 30 — Arizona vs. TCU at 10 PM ET: Carter Bryant, Motiejus Krivas, KJ Lewis (Arizona)

Tues., Dec. 31 — Baylor vs. Utah at 4 PM ET: VJ Edgecombe, Norchad Omier, Robert Wright III (Baylor); Mike Sharavjamts (Utah)

Tues., Dec. 31 — Syracuse vs. Wake Forest at 4 PM ET: Donnie Freeman, JJ Starling (Syracuse); Hunter Sallis, Omaha Biliew (Wake Forest)

Tues., Dec. 31 — BYU vs. Arizona State at 6 PM ET: Egor Demin, Kanon Catchings (BYU); Joson Sanon, Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State)

Wed., Jan. 1, 2025 — DePaul vs. UConn at 4 PM ET: Alex Karaban, Liam McNeeley, Solo Ball, Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn)

Wed., Jan. 1, 2025 — Pitt vs. Cal at 4 PM ET: Jaland Lowe, Guillermo Diaz Graham (Pitt); Andrej Stojakovic (Cal)

Wed., Jan. 1, 2025 — Clemson vs. Stanford at 6 PM ET: Maxime Raynaud, Jaylen Blakes (Stanford)

Thurs., Jan. 2, 2025 — Indiana vs. Rutgers at 10:30 PM ET: Mackenzie Mgbako, Oumar Ballo (Indiana); Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey (Rutgers)

Thurs., Jan. 2, 2025 — Penn State vs. Northwestern at 9 PM ET: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Nick Kern Jr. (Penn State)

Thurs., Jan. 2, 2025 — Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis at 9 PM ET: Baba Miller (Florida Atlantic); PJ Haggerty (Memphis)

Fri., Jan. 3, 2025 — Georgetown vs. Xavier at 10 PM ET: Thomas Sorber (Georgetown); Dailyn Swain (Xavier)

Fri., Jan. 3, 2025 — Saint Louis vs. St. Joe's at 11 PM ET: Rasheer Fleming (St. Joe’s)

Fri., Jan. 3, 2025 — Marquette vs. Creighton at 11 PM ET: Kam Jones (Marquette); Ryan Kalkbrenner, Jackson McAndrew (Creighton)

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