As the debate rages on over who will be first to shake hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the NBA draft in three months, the most pressing question is which of the five prospects in the running can lead their team the furthest in the NCAA tournament.
This year’s class is defined by its youth, with first-year players dominating the top of draft boards. The current projected top 10 is made up entirely of freshmen — a reflection of both the depth of talent and how quickly these players have made an impact at the college level.
With the men’s NCAA tournament tipping off, the spotlight shifts from potential to production, as these prospects begin to shape their draft stock on the sport’s biggest stage.
North Carolina guard Caleb Wilson is out for the season, narrowing the field. But to get a better sense of who’s built for a deep run, we caught up with the high school coaches of AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and Keaton Wagler to break down why their former stars are best positioned to lead their teams in March.
In his coach’s words: “Cam’s No. 1 skill is winning. He’s won his whole life: He’s won as a kid, he’s won as a middle schooler, he’s won as a high school player, he’s won on the travel level, he’s winning right now. He’s going to win every award there is possible to win this year. The kid plays to win and plays with poise. His poise is what makes him so great. The game moves slow to him, and he just makes the game easier — and he always makes his coach look like a genius.” — Andrew Moran, Miami assistant coach and former head coach at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School
In his coach’s words: “All those guys are dominant; we played against a lot of those guys. But when I got to Utah Prep, I got to see AJ and I said he had NBA instincts already. His work ethic is unmatched. He has Kobe [Bryant]-like instincts already. He is a really smart kid, so he has all those intangibles. One of his goals he told me about was to win a national title in college, so I know that he will elevate his game in the tournament. The bigger the game, the bigger he plays. He’s going to do some things we haven’t seen yet.” — Keith Smart, former Utah Prep Academy head coach
In his coach’s words: “The NCAA tournament isn’t about talent alone. All five of those guys have that. It’s about who can impose their will on a game when everything gets chaotic — scouting is tight, possessions slow down and every possession matters. Darryn has shown time and time again that when the pressure rises, his competitiveness rises with it. He doesn’t just play well when things are going right. He’s at his best when there’s doubt, when the game gets physical and when his team needs someone to take control. He impacts winning in multiple ways — scoring, defending, making the right play — but more importantly, he has a presence about him that teammates respond to. In March, that matters. The tournament always ends up rewarding the player who can bend the game to his will in the biggest moments.” — Ryan Bernardi, Prolific Prep head coach (Napa, California)
In his coach’s words: “I think he’s a guy who can hurt you in multiple different ways, which makes him tough to stop. His ability to score works perfectly because it’s a guard’s game, especially in March. He’s a guy who is always even keel, and that maximizes his opportunities on the court. A lot of times, these games come down to one or two possessions, and when you have a guy who’s an elite decision-maker, you’re in great position. He’s always going to do what’s best for the team in any given game situation. I feel like we’ve got a Final Four team with him.” — Victor Williams, VWBA Elite head coach (Kansas City, Missouri)
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