NBA Draft 2022 preview: Will 3 Washington high school products go in the first round?
Paolo Banchero stopped by a recent practice to help out with Jamal Crawford's AAU little league teams at Seattle's Rainier Beach High School and he caught up with Beach coach Mike Bethea, who coached against him during Banchero's three-year run at O'Dea.
To Bethea, it reinforced the bond and level of respect many coaches and players share across the Metro League. It's especially evident when a standout high school player — or three — go on to play professionally.
Banchero, Garfield's Tari Eason and Marjon Beauchamp, who played at Nathan Hale, Garfield and Rainier Beach before transferring out of state, are all projected to be picked in the NBA Draft on Thursday, which starts at 5 p.m. PT.
"When it's all said and done, we're all really close-knit here in Seattle," Bethea said. "It feels good because you know these kids personally and you're just excited to see these kids reach their dreams. They put in the work and they deserve it."
How to watch?
What: 2022 NBA Draft
When: 5 p.m. PT
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
How to watch: ESPN, ABC
It's possible all three are selected in the first round. Banchero is on track to become one of the highest-drafted players ever out of the Seattle-area. Eason is sneaking into the late lottery in most projections and Beauchamp is a late first round, early second round projection.
The three took different routes from their Seattle starts to get to the Barclays Center green room in Brooklyn, N.Y., where they were invited to attend the draft.
Here is background on each, where they are projected to go and a rewind on their high school careers:
PAOLO BANCHERO, O'Dea High School (class of 2021)
Measurables
6-foot-10 (height), 7-foot-1 (wingspan), 250 pounds (weight) — all unofficial, did not participate in NBA Combine.
Pick projection
He's long been a consensus top-three pick in the draft and most have him at No. 3. The Ringer, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Sports Illustrated have him going No. 3 to Houston.
College resume
At Duke, he emerged as one of college basketball's preeminent stars, leading Duke to an ACC championship and Final Four appearance in Coach Mike Krzyzewski's last season. Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and more than a steal a game on 47.8 percent shooting. Banchero was among the top recruits in the 2021 class out of high school and has long been projected as a high first-round pick.
High school resume
The list of talented players that have played in Seattle's Metro League is long, and just a year after he graduated from O'Dea High School, Banchero's already near the top. He grew up under the tutelage of his mom, Rhonda Smith-Banchero, who was a bruising post presence at the University of Washington, played in the WNBA and pushed Paolo from an early age. "His mom said he was soft," Eastside Catholic coach Brent Merritt, a longtime friend of Rhonda's, said). Paolo played for Jason Kerr at O'Dea, earning a spot in the starting lineup as a freshman. "I give a lot of credit to coach Kerr for pushing me and holding me to a higher standard," Banchero said on the Hoop Narrative podcast in 2020. As a sophomore, he led the Fighting Irish to a 3A state championship alongside now-University of Washington guard Noah Williams. As a junior, he led O'Dea back to the 3A state title game where it lost handily to Tari Eason and Garfield, 69-44. He averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game and was SBLive's most impactful player in the state. “There’s just no answer for him,” Merritt said. “He’s going to be an all-star.” He did not play senior season, which was shortened and postponed to spring in the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead went to Duke.
Favorite high school highlight
Banchero saw Garfield's defense sagging off of him and guarding him straight up. He took that as an opportunity for a lesson, and delivered one, giving Tari Eason and Garfield 24 points, 11 boards, three blocks and three assists in a 76-56 drubbing inside the tinderbox-small O'Dea High School gym in downtown Seattle.
Prep rewind
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TARI EASON, Garfield High School (class of 2020)
Photo by Vince Miller
Measurables
6-foot-9 1/4 (height), 7-foot-2 (wingspan), 215 pounds (weight), per NBA Combine measurements.
Pick projection
CBS Sports projects Eason at No. 15 to New Orleans. The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, slot him at No. 17 to Houston (a pick via the Nets), Yahoo Sports likes him at No. 18 to Chicago, Bleacher Report forecasts him to Minnesota at No. 19 and NBC Sports sees him going No. 21 to Denver.
College resume
Cincinnati: Worked his way into the starting lineup as a freshman for eight games, averaging 7.3 points, 5.9 board, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. He was picked to the AAC's All-Freshman team and was fourth in the conference in blocks and offensive boards and was among the first to leave in what ended up a mass exodus in the wake of coach John Brannen's departure. LSU: Transferred to LSU to play for coach Will Wade and his game flourished with an increased role. He averaged 16.9 points and 6.6 boards on 52.1 percent shooting. Wade was fired before the NCAA Tournament in March after receiving a notice of allegations to potential violations.
High school resume
Eason attended Garfield as an underclassman and came off the bench for a 3A state runner-up team coached Ed Haskins in 2017 (freshman) and a state championship-winning team in 2018 under head coach Brandon Roy (sophomore). He transferred to Federal Way for his junior season, where he excelled as a versatile interior presence alongside now-Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and leading the Eagles to a Class 4A third-place finish. Tacoma News Tribune first-team all-area selection and Class 4A honorable mention all-state selection by the Associated Press. Transferred back to Garfield as a senior and averaged 23 points and 8.0 boards, leading the Bulldogs to a 3A state championship. Named SBLive's all-classification state player of the year and the second most impactful player in the state that season. Eason had a strong regular season, and was fantastic in the state tournament, thrashing Paolo Banchero and O'Dea in the 2020 state championship game, 69-44, with a game-high 21 points, 14 boards and a torrent of highlight-worthy plays. “I told him, use your teammates, but we need you to be superman, too,” Roy told SBLive after the game. To Eason, a three-star prospect by prominent recruiting sites, the state title was fueled by a need to prove himself among the state and country's best: “I’ve said it since the beginning of the season," he told SBLive after that game. "I worked so hard, and sometimes it’s under-appreciated, but this at the end is everything. This at the end means the world to me. I’m just so happy I can go on top a champion.”
Favorite high school highlight
Prep rewind
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MARJON BEAUCHAMP, Rainier Beach High School (2019)
Measurables
6-foot-6 (height), 7-foot 3/4 (wingspan), per NBA Combine measurements.
Pick projection
Late first round/early second. The Ringer and NBC Sports like him going No. 29 to Memphis, Bleacher Report has Beauchamp going to Miami at No. 27, says No. 29 to Memphis, CBS Sports says No. 38 to San Antonio, NBADraft.net and Yahoo Sports slot him at No. 26 to Houston and Sporting News has him at No. 22 to Memphis.
Road to the draft
Beauchamp was a consensus four-star recruit but did not commit to a college out of high school. He instead went a more unorthodox route. He opted for private training for a year ahead of the draft, signing as the first client in former NBA trainer Frank Matrisciano's Chameleon BX program. Only it went sideways when the program was forced to shut down in the pandemic. Beauchamp moved to his native Yakima and played 12 games with Yakima Valley College — a community college. He posted a 50-point game. Averaged 30.7 points, 10.5 boards and 4.8 assists. It helped him raise enough awareness about his game — enough for the G-League Ignite to offer him a contract. He posted 15.1 points, 7.3 boards and 2.3 assists per game this past season and did so well enough to convince NBA teams he's expected to hear his name called on Thursday.
High school resume
Originally from Yakima, Beauchamp moved to Seattle and won two Class 3A WIAA state championships playing for head coach Brandon Roy, as a freshman at Nathan Hale with Michael Porter Jr. and a sophomore at Garfield. But the lanky, sweet-shooting Beauchamp was a role player. And when his dad moved around the corner from Rainier Beach, he decided to transfer to play for coach Mike Bethea. That came with a program-wide emphasis on defense and the expectations that accompany being the team's top player. "I said my goal is to get you to blow up and be the best player in this league," Bethea said. "He came in and he blew up ... he needed to be in a Batman-type role and that's what I wanted to do for him. Put him in a role where everything is flowing through you, really showcase all your talents." Beauchamp did just that. He averaged 26 points, 11 boards and five assists, leading the Vikings to a 3A state third-place finish. He transferred to Dream City Christian in Arizona for his senior season.
Favorite high school highlight
Beauchamp's best high school season (2019) took place before SBLive Washington was fully up and running, so our Beauchamp highlights are minimal. Here are his season highlights from the G League Ignite — a season that vaulted him into a bonafide draft prospect.
Prep rewind
- Report: Former Rainier Beach standout Marjon Beauchamp to skip college to prepare for 2021 NBA Draft
