A basketball fans outlook

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Yes, there are some

My co-worker reading my April 4 account of basketball factories asked me the question. “Isn’t public high school ball still good,” my response was immediate? Of course it is, however, it seems in this day athletes desire to play at a Montverde or Oak Hill Academy. There are metro Kansas City athletes that have begun their journey at a public high school and graduate from one of the prep academies mentioned in last Saturdays’ edition.

Jason Crowe Jr. says there was an opportunity to leave Inglewood High School but he chose to remain there strictly having his family surrounding him. Perhaps having talent and family have aided his basketball development, as he heads off to Missouri in the fall his high school record is outstanding. The 6-foot 4 170 pound Crowe Jr. has scored 4,718 points the most in California high school basketball history. Pause a moment, do you realize the number of athletes the state has produced and Crowe Jr. has outscored them all, his 43.6 point per game average ranks second in the nation. Inglewood High School in the Los Angeles metro has a history of producing outstanding basketball talent, a number who would go on to play in the NBA.  

Among the names who attended the school and later played in the NBA include Paul Pierce, Reggie Theus and Jason Hart, these are just a few of the names who hooped for Inglewood High School. Columbia Missouri is a great distance from Los Angeles, its hoped Crowe Jr. is able to display the talent for the basketball team most believe he possesses as a 5-star prospect and the number one high school player in California.

I must talk to my mom 

Those were the words of AJ Dybansta when questioned on the 2026 NBA draft, it will not become official until the evening of June 26, that is the date of the annual NBA draft. The commissioner will step to the mic as say, “With the first pick in the 2026 NBA draft the (insert a team name) select (insert a name) from (insert a school).” Did you notice what I did, no team, individuals name or school is mentioned? We just don’t really know who that might be. Despite what I just wrote its highly likely the NBA team making the selection will choose BYU’s AJ Dybansta. Recently he indicated he must discuss the draft with his mother prior to making a decision, could she say NO….that’s certainly possible however I don’t think so.

This is not a talent issue in my opinion, Darryn Peterson who played at Kansas might turned out to be the better choice in the long run however his season of illness and missed games leaves a number of NBA front office people with tons of questions. The number of slam dunk athletes are few, there are questions regarding the performance of all, do you take a chance based on the history? Four mock draft sites I utilize on a regular basis continue to list Dybansta at the top and Peterson second. It was reported that one mock site I never use placed Peterson at five. Following the NBA for a period of time we realize its location and the opportunity to play immediately are contributing factors to initial and later continued success in the NBA. Several from the 2025 draft led by Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have made the transition.

Literally everyone missed

How do you go from a relative unknown to a first round NBA draft pick? This has become the journey of this Shawnee Mission Northwest now considered a late bloomer. That’s the story for Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, I’d mention earlier this Kansas talent was overlooked by his home state Kansas Jayhawks plus the Kansas State Wildcats and next door at Missouri. Columbia home of the university is 136 miles one way from his home, the other two schools are even closer. But wait there is more to the story, UMKC-Kansas City is about 8 miles distance from his school.

UMKC also known as Kansas City offered Wagler a scholarship but he turned them down, there were a few other offers from smaller D-I schools he also turned down. He was recruited by the coach’s son and decided on Illinois and the balance of the story has been documented. Standing 6-foot 6 and 180 pounds this shooting guard has seen his stock rise significantly in the eyes of NBA scouts. Check out the number each mock draft indicates Wagler would/should be drafted. Is it possible we are all being misled by his outstanding play as a freshman, can Wagler come in and immediately begin play at the NBA level? Based on the mock draft projections below that would appear to be the case.

nbadraft.net 8

nbadraftroom.com 8

tankathon.com 6

bleacherreport.com 6

The surprise team 

I’ve got to give the Celtics a hand clap for several reasons. The first might be the fact Jayson Tatum has returned to the lineup and so far appears to have completely recovered. This was done in the space of less than one year, most of the media believed he’d miss the entire 2025-26 season. Number two might be the fact the team didn’t appear to miss Tatum, a number of others stepped up and filled the role while waiting on his return.

This past Sunday the Celtics registered win number 50, as this is written only the Thunder, Spurs and Pistons have won 50 games or more. Lastly I’m going to salute head coach Joe Mazzulla, he’s been able to make the moves he’s desired and the team has responded. Celtic play is especially comforting reading and listening to all the complaints about NBA teams tanking. At this point I’m going out on that precarious limb, in the East Conference it might be a battle between the Pistons and Celtics for supremacy. This is a change, in December or even January I would not have made such a statement.