Montverde Academy continued its storied run Wednesday night when four members of its unbeaten 2023–24 national championship team were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, making the Florida prep powerhouse only the second high school ever to place four players in Round 1 twice. Cooper Flagg went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks; Derik Queen went No. 13 to the Atlanta Hawks (then traded to New Orleans); Asa Newell went No. 23 to New Orleans (then to Atlanta); and Liam McNeeley closed out the night at No. 29 to the Charlotte Hornets.
All four played pivotal roles in Montverde’s 33–0 run to its eighth national title, outscoring opponents by an average of 34 points per game and notching 30 double-digit wins. Flagg, the 6-foot-9 forward lauded as a “generational talent,” posted averages of 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.5 blocks over two seasons at Montverde and at Duke University before declaring for the draft. Queen, a 6-8 multi-dimensional forward, and Newell, a 6-11 SEC All-Freshman honoree at Georgia, both showcased two-way prowess that vaulted them into lottery consideration. McNeeley, a sharpshooting guard, provided the clutch scoring and depth that defined the Eagles’ title run.
Founded in 1912 and situated on a 125-acre campus in Central Florida, Montverde Academy sits just west of Lake Apopka and roughly 35 miles northwest of Orlando. The nonsectarian, co-educational school fields 21 athletic teams and competes in national circuits beyond its membership in the Florida High School Athletic Association. The Sunshine State’s year-round weather and deep AAU scene—from Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League to Adidas Gauntlet events—have made Florida a hotbed for prep talent, with Montverde Academy at its epicenter. The Eagles’ boarding program draws players nationwide and internationally, yet its roots and summer showcase camps remain firmly planted in Florida’s fast-growing high school basketball ecosystem.
With their roots in Florida’s youth basketball scene, the draftees each bring Sunshine State pedigrees. Flagg arrived from Maine as a freshman and quickly adapted to Florida’s elite prep competition. Queen spent his off-season honing his midrange scoring at local AAU powerhouse Palm Beach Lakers, while Newell earned Northwest Florida Daily News Area Player of the Year honors as a sophomore at Choctawhatchee High in Destin before transferring to Montverde. McNeeley, originally from Richardson, Texas, made Florida his basketball home during his final two high school seasons, thriving under the state’s top-tier coaching and competition.
Montverde first pulled off the four-in-Round 1 feat in 2021 with Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, and Day’Ron Sharpe. Repeating that historic accomplishment amid Florida’s competitive prep landscape cements the Eagles’ status as a premier NBA pipeline, joining a lineage that includes Andrew Wiggins, Ben Simmons, and D’Angelo Russell. As the Mavericks, Pelicans, Hawks, and Hornets integrate these players into summer league and training camp, all eyes will be on how Montverde’s hallmark teamwork, coaching, and Sunshine State-bred toughness translate to the professional game.
