Strictly BBall Newsletter 3

A Clear No. 1 Team, Cooper Flagg Kills, and more!

Border League was exciting, here’s how different players/teams fared!

by Griffin Greenberg on October 15

We learned a lot about this upcoming high school basketball season this past weekend as Border League hosted top teams from across the country. The headline division was the Top Flight Invite, which featured four Strictly BBall Preseason Top 10 teams and gave us a reason to shake up our rankings. Check it out!

THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Updated Strictly BBall Top 10

by Griffin Greenberg

1. Montverde Academy (FL)

2. Link Academy (MO)

3. Columbus High School (FL)

4. Paul VI Catholic (VA)

5. Prolific Prep (CA)

6. Long Island Lutheran (NY)

7. La Lumiere School (IN)

8. IMG Academy (FL)

9. Huntington Expression Prep

10. AZ Compass Prep (AZ)

New No. 1: Montverde Academy marks our first new No. 1 team in our latest rankings update. Scroll down to ‘Headlines from Border League’ to see why!

Strictly Joe’s Take

by Joe Doerrer

Columbus High School made a big jump in these rankings and for good reason. What Columbus showed this weekend at Border League is that they will not only be one of the best teams in Florida, they truly have a case to be the best team in the country by season’s end.

The addition of Jase Richardson has already proven to be massive for this squad. We already know Cameron and Cayden will be efficient star players with unmatched chemistry. But Jase provides a 3rd guy who can go get his own bucket from all 3 levels.

The Explorers will now head to Atlanta to play the Cold Hearts and RWE of Overtime Elite this weekend.

Headlines from Border League

by Joe Doerrer

Florida Eagles Dominate

The Florida Eagles (Montverde Academy) finished with an absurd +66 point differential through three games at Border League. They blew past Bishop O’Connell and AZ Compass Prep in the first 2 rounds, and survived an Explorers comeback in the championship round. They went 6-deep all weekend, with five of those six players being returners from their team last year. Their comfortability with each other was evident. Cooper Flagg was dominant, but the play of Derik Queen was just as important. This squad has a chance to go undefeated this season.

Jase Richardson, Boozers and Co. Impress

Adding Richardson to their squad seems unfair to a team that already won a state championship. His presence, along with Randy Smith’s addition cements this team as one of the best teams in the nation. After beating Air Nado (NV) by 23, the Explorers were tasked with a very tough Prolific Prep squad that featured No. 1 2025 recruit AJ Dybantsa, No. 1 2026 recruit Tyran Stokes, No. 9 2024 recruit Derrion Reid, and more. They took over the second half and blew out the former Strictly BBall No. 2 team. Against the Florida Eagles (Montverde), they found themselves down 19 before coming back and losing by just a few possessions in the championship.

Young Talent Shines in Top Flight Invite

Half of the 12 leading PPG scorers at Border League were non-seniors, with 2025 Cameron Boozer leading the pack with 23.7 PPG. One underclassman that had a huge weekend was 2026 5-star Quincy Wadley, who averaged 19.7 PPG for Bishop O’Connell. He showed his effectiveness from beyond the arc and ability to get to his spots and knock down shots.

Strictly Joe’s Take

by Joe Doerrer

Mercy Miller is a STAR.

Everyone was excited to see Bryce James with his new squad, Notre Dame at the Border League. But my biggest takeaway from watching Notre Dame was the play of Houston commit, Mercy Miller.

After missing their first game with injury, Mercy came back for game 2 on Saturday on a minutes restriction. What did he do? Scored 34 points on 14/17 FG against Corner Canyon of Utah. He followed that up with a 31 point performance in a win against Owyhee High School on Sunday. Last year Mercy was an efficient scorer alongside seniors Dusty Stromer and Caleb Foster. He is naturally forced into a bigger role this year, and the early returns are that he will have a breakout season.

Strictly BBall Player of the Week

by Griffin Greenberg 

Cooper Flagg - 19 PPG (76% FG and 71% from three), 8.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.7 BPG

Cooper Flagg showed why he is undoubtedly the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class with a sensational weekend at the Border League. Flagg helped lead his team to a championship win over the Explorers, getting his revenge against the Boozer twins after falling to them in the Peach Jam E16 championship this summer.

Cooper posted a staggering 85% EFG in 3 games. With 2 minutes left in the first half of the championship game, he had 17 points on 7/7 FG. Cooper continues to show why scouts are calling him a once in a decade type prospect.

Strictly BBall Underrated Player of the Week

by Griffin Greenberg

Tiger Cuff - American Fork

American Fork was one of the most exciting teams to watch at Border League. Tiger Cuff leads the team with his high IQ and elite court vision, but his scoring and smooth play on the court are traits to take note of. He’s a great leader and is a big reason for how his team has found so much success against super talented teams from across the country. On Sunday Cuff scored 26 points in a 3 point loss against the Overtime Elite select team. A squad that featured countless 4 and 5 star recruits. Tiger holds offers from Weber State, UCSD, and NAU.

Weekly Recruiting Update

by Griffin Greenberg

Commitments

Class of 2024 5-star Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) forward Liam McNeeley has committed to Indiana.

Class of 2024 4-star Columbus (Miami, FL) guard Jase Richardson has committed to Michigan State.

Class of 2024 4-star Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, CA) guard Trent Perry has committed to the University of Southern California.

Class of 2024 4-star Combine Academy (Charlotte, NC) forward Rakease Passmore has committed to Kansas.

Class of 2024 4-star Pace Academy (Atlanta, GA) guard KJ Greene has committed to UCF.

Class of 2024 4-star IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) forward Chase McCarty has committed to Houston.

Class of 2024 4-star Link Academy (Branson, MO) forward Mitchell Holmes has committed to SMU.

Class of 2024 4-star ThunderRidge (Littleton, CO) wing Andrew Crawford has committed to Colorado.

Class of 2024 4-star Arbor View (Las Vegas, NV) forward Pharaoh Compton has committed to San Diego State.

Class of 2024 4-star Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, UT) center Malick Diallo has committed to TCU.

Reclasses

5-star Prolific Prep forward AJ Dybantsa has reclassified to the 2025 class and is now ranked as the No. 1 player in the class.

Commitment dates

Class of 2024 5-star guard Boogie Fland is set to announce his college decision between Alabama, Kentucky, and Indiana on October 20th.

Final schools

Class of 2024 5-star guard Tre Johnson is down to 2 schools… Baylor and Texas.

Class of 2024 4-star wing Billy Richmond is down to 4 schools… Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, and Alabama.

Class of 2024 4-star center Jaden Smith is down to 5 schools… Dayton, ASU, Fordham, Loyola Chicago, and DePaul.

Class of 2024 4-star wing Chris Riddle is down to 5 schools… UIC, Akron, Illinois State, DePaul and NIU.

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