Guard Race

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1. NBA executives rank the loaded guard class

The NBA Draft is just a day away, and there are still several debates over how the lottery will unfold.

Right now, the top four appears locked in some order: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. It’s after those four where things get dicey, as a talented wave of guards will be next up.

Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (18.2 ppg, 4.7 apg), Arkansas’ Darius Acuff (23.5 ppg, 6.4 apg), Arizona’s Brayden Burries (16.1 ppg, 2.4 apg), Houston’s Kingston Flemings (16.1 ppg, 5.2 apg) and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler (17.9 ppg, 4.2 apg) will all be under consideration between picks 5 and 10.

But how would NBA executives rank those five? Here’s how the voting shook out:

On our live mock draft show, Corey Tulaba of No Ceilings said there’s a “non-zero chance” that Brown ends up being the best guard in this draft. It appears NBA executives feel the same way.

My other biggest takeaways? The size and scoring prowess of Burries looks to be resonating with front offices more than mock drafts suggest, and Wagler's lone vote was surprising given his production at Illinois. In all honesty, though, it’s hard to go wrong with a group of five guards this good.

Make sure to stay tuned for more draft content, including our preview show today and our reaction show on Wednesday.

2. UCF finalizes roster with prep addition, more commits

Last season, Johnny Dawkins built a roster at UCF that came out of nowhere and made the NCAA Tournament.

He’s trying to do it again this coming season, and the last piece of his roster is now in place with four-star 2026 guard Jahda Swann choosing the Knights over the weekend.

Swann is known as an athletic, high-flying guard who can make plays off the bounce. He’s ranked the No. 130 player in the 2026 class per Rivals and is a four-star on ESPN. During his senior year at The St. James Academy (VA), the guard led the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game.

Swann will be one of two high school commits on UCF’s roster next season, joining four-star center Ladarius Givan. The Knights also return five players from last season and added eight transfers.

More commits from the weekend:

• Brazilian forward Mathias Vazquez and 2026 guard Ford Wilder to South Carolina

• 2026 point guard Marcus Zelee to North Texas

• Fullerton College guard Jaqari Miles to Grand Canyon

• Morgan State forward Christian Meeks to NC Central

• Saint Mary’s guard Cade Bennett to Northern Arizona

• Spanish forward Owen Aquino to High Point

3. Who’s on Team USA’s U17 World Cup roster?

Team USA officially announced its 12-man roster for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup on Friday, finalizing a group featuring some of the top players in the 2027 class and plenty of NBA bloodlines.

Among those on the roster are the sons of former NBA players Reuben Boumtje Boumtje, Mardy Collins, Jamal Crawford and Erick Dampier, the son former NFL standout NaVorro Bowman and the younger brother of Orlando Magic’s Anthony Black.

That’s some serious pedigree.

Just missing out on the final roster included Logan Chwastyk, Colton Hiller, Bentley Lusakeuno, Draydne McDaniel, Jordan Mize and Evan Willis.

The U17 World cup officially tips off on Saturday, June 27, in Istanbul, Turkey. Team USA’s first game will be against France at 10:30 am ET on Saturday, and then they’ll play Japan on Sunday and Italy on Tuesday. All the games will be live streamed on the FIBA YouTube channel.

Team USA will be looking to bounce back after the U18 team fell to Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup championship game earlier this month.

Wright or Wrong?

Jay Wright became a legendary head coach during his time at Villanova, winning two national titles and tripping the Final Four four times. He’s been out of the game since his last Final Four in 2022, but would Wright ever consider coming back to coach? He explains why there’s “zero chance” of that happening:

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Some more news and links from the weekend…

• UCLA basketball will have seats next to the team bench and a courtside lounge next season.

• Kendrick Perkins will become the general manager of Jackson State. 

• Utah announced seating changes inside the Huntsman Center.

• Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb received a contract extension through 2030-31. 

• Washington hired DeAndre Haynes as an assistant coach.

• The matchups for the inaugural “The Dallas Tournament” have been set. 

• Arizona State will host Southern Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 29. 

• San Diego will host Sam Houston on Saturday, Nov. 28. 

• Baylor will host Yale as part of its nonconference schedule.

• Loyola Marymount will host Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, Dec. 7.

• Hawaii will host Green Bay on Saturday, Dec. 12.

• Gonzaga will host New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 7.

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