2023 NBA draft is primed to be best and biggest in Dallas high school basketball history

Keyonte George followed a packed schedule last month during the NBA’s pre-draft combine in Chicago.

He met with team scouts and executives.

He worked out alongside fellow potential NBA draft lottery picks.

More meetings. More workouts.

And lots and lots of text messages.

That last task helped George keep up with other Dallas-raised prospects at the combine, and their daily check-ins and updates might’ve been his most meaningful — and the city’s most historic — part of this evaluation period yet.

The 2023 NBA draft pool includes eight prospects who attended Dallas-area high schools — a mark almost guaranteed to beat local records soon after the draft starts June 22. After years of competing against one another and forming lifelong bonds, the stars in the group say the influx of Dallas-bred NBA talent is not a fluke.

“I really think it’s turning into a basketball state,” Red Oak graduate and Houston senior Marcus Sasser said. “We got a lot of good guys coming out of Dallas. It just shows how talented and how deep Dallas is, the whole Metroplex really is. It’s just good to see the Dallas guys coming out of college and things like that and going to the league and doing big things and representing the city.”

Dallas as a basketball hotbed

For years, Dallas-area basketball has been achieving major NBA draft milestones.

Arlington-born Cade Cunningham was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, 20 years after Skyline’s Larry Johnson went top overall in 1991.

Don’t forget the early 2000s stretch when Lincoln’s Chris Bosh went No. 4 in 2003, The Colony’s Deron Williams went No. 3 in 2005 and Seagoville’s LaMarcus Aldridge went No. 2 in 2006.

Or the back-to-back lottery buzz for Flower Mound Marcus’ Marcus Smart (No. 6) and Prestonwood Christian’s Julius Randle (No. 7) in 2014.

But Dallas has never produced more than two first-round picks in a single draft.

South Garland’s Tyrese Maxey (No. 21) and Little Elm’s RJ Hampton (No. 24) in 2020 were the most recent first-round duo, and Prime Prep’s Emmanuel Mudiay (No. 7) and Euless Trinity’s Myles Turner (No. 11) were the last local pair to go in the lottery in 2015.

This 2023 class is primed for more.

Anthony Black (Coppell and Duncanville), Cason Wallace (Richardson) and George (Lewisville, iSchool of Lewisville and IMG Academy) are projected top-15 picks.

As an Arkansas freshman, Black shined as a ball-handler, creator and versatile defender. A year after transfer eligibility issues overshadowed his championship senior year at Duncanville, Black averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in nearly 35 minutes a game for the Razorbacks.

Wallace thrived in his lone season at Kentucky, much like one-and-done Maxey a few years earlier. His fluid catch-and-shoot motion and high-energy defense have prompted experts to compare Wallace’s NBA outlook and skillset to Jrue Holiday, the Milwaukee Bucks’ ace defender and two-time All-Star.

George earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors at Baylor while averaging 15.3 points in 33 starts. He has studied Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal’s game as a comparable scoring threat from three, with mid-range pull-ups and floaters, and in driving to the rim.

If the Mavericks keep their No. 10 overall selection, any of the local players could fit their needs for more offensive creation and defensive acumen.

“Basketball is making a big come-up in Texas in general,” Wallace said. “You hear a lot about football, but the past few years, you’ve been having a lot of guys [from Dallas] enter the NBA draft and go highly ranked … and we have a lot more to come through.”

Sasser, 2019 Denton Guyer graduate Jalen Wilson and former Oak Cliff Faith Family state champion Jordan Walsh slot as late first- to early second-round options.

A year after a toe injury cut short his junior year and 2022 draft hopes, Sasser finished his senior season at Houston as a consensus first-team All-American.

So did Wilson for his redshirt junior year at Kansas.

Both draw similarities to TCU wing Desmond Bane, who has thrived with the Memphis Grizzlies after dropping to the last pick of the 2020 first round, in part, because of his long college tenure.

Walsh drew standout praise during the combine, perhaps elevating his profile as a strong interior defender. Lancaster’s Mike Miles projects as a second-round pick after three years as a starting TCU guard, too.

Don’t overlook Richardson Pearce’s Drew Timme after his three All-American seasons in four years at Gonzaga, either.

“We have a lot of hoopers in Texas,” Timme said. “The fun part is we’ve all played against each other. Age doesn’t really matter when you’re hooping, man.”

That competition has extended to AAU games, like when Sasser, Wilson and 2020 draftee Hampton’s middle school travel team often held showdowns against Maxey’s.

And to the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, where Walsh’s Drive Nation squad beat George’s Pro Skills late in high school. “I still talk my trash,” Walsh quipped.

And also to individual rivalries, such as when Wallace, George, Black and Walsh ranked in the national top 20 for the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports.

All wanted to earn status as the No. 1 player in the state.

All four became McDonald’s All-Americans.

“We take pride over that because that was such a strong class in Dallas,” Walsh said. “Even now, we’re fighting for NBA spots and teams or whatever, but it’s great to have [people] from your city that you knew well that’s on this journey with you, that’s on your side.”

No doubt those friendships will extend into the NBA.

Miles and Cunningham became inseparable as childhood teammates and now talk daily about Miles’ draft preparation to join Cunningham in the league.

Timme said summer pickup games against Smart, Mudiay and Turner have most helped him prepare to turn pro.

Black and George used to have sleepovers before and after AAU games — even when they played against each other.

Wallace shared birthday parties with George, whom he’s dubbed his “little bro” because Wallace was born one day earlier. They went to a skating rink in Frisco for their 10th birthday and indoor skydiving when they became teenagers.

They’re ready for double the celebrations this year — on draft night, as likely lottery picks to lead a historic Dallas class, and when their November birthdays arrive early in their rookie NBA season.

“We all grew up with each other,” George said. “It’s a big-time blessing for all of us to be here, so it’s just fun seeing all those guys. We’re really close to achieving our lifelong dream.”

Twitter: @CallieCaplan

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.