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Maine high school basketball stars are leaving the state for prep school at an alarming rate, and it’s not just the Flagg brothers.
When Cooper Flagg — a future No. 1 prospect — and his twin brother Ace transferred to powerhouses Montverde Academy in 2022, it came as no surprise. The duo had led Nokomis to a state championship as freshmen, and Cooper had just won the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year Award.
That same year, Landon Clark from Bangor, JP Estrella from South Portland and Dom Campbell from Waynflete — all would-be Mr. Maine Basketball finalists — followed in the Flaggs’ footsteps, also shipping off to elite prep schools at remarkably young ages.
At the time, fanbases and coaching circles wrote this exodus off as a one-time by-product of COVID protocols, social media and “the Cooper Flagg effect.”
But during the latest offseason, rising seniors Teigan Pelletier of Oxford Hills and Yusuf Dakane of Lewiston headlined the latest high-profile transfers.
This new wave of departures of the state’s most talented male athletes has sparked concerns that Maine high school boys basketball could be entering a less competitive era, and debate continues about the benefits these players see from leaving their hometowns.
“The talent pool is just not as deep,” longtime Hampden Academy head coach Russ Bartlett said. “There are still some high level teams in Maine, but [imagine] if the players had all stayed — prep school used to be just for fifth years.”
While it’s possible that the pursuit of better competition could push more and more players to leave Maine, coaches believe that it’s a trend that will cool off. Since college recruitment is a major consideration for these athletes, coaches believe that most of these transfers have been unnecessary.
“If you’re good enough, they’ll find you,” Brad Libby of Bangor said of college recruitment. “I think Maine basketball can prepare kids for the next level just as well.”
“Apart from Cooper and JP, most guys could have stayed and ended up in the same spot after high school,” Bartlett said. “There’s something to be said for winning a gold ball with your home team.”
Cooper Flagg and Estrella have gone on to be recruited by established Division I teams in Duke and Tennessee, respectively.
The coaches acknowledge that prep schools allow for better out-of-state exposure — plus year-round access to coaching, which is prohibited by the Maine Principals’ Association — but point to local AAU teams such as Maine United and the Gym Rats as a means for local athletes to achieve both.
“AAU has been tremendously useful,” Scott Flagg of Brewer said. “Some of these kids are searching for greener pastures when they don’t need to.”
The decision to leave Maine may not be fully rooted in the chase for a Division I offer, however, but rather readiness for when that offer comes along.
With the rise of new NCAA rules surrounding player eligibility and NIL earnings, competition for minutes at the Division I level is at an all-time high, and it’s having a trickle-down effect on high school athletics.
In 2021, the NCAA gave existing college athletes a fifth-year of eligibility due to the pandemic, it legalized NIL considerations, and it dropped the requirement that transfer students sit out a season, thus incentivizing upperclassmen to stay in college longer and putting playing time for rookies in jeopardy.
“Freshmen are not the priority anymore,” UMaine men’s basketball head coach Chris Markwood said. “It’s a perfect storm we’ve never seen before. We’re not gonna jump on high school recruits as quickly; you know what you’re getting through the transfer portal.”
Markwood recruited four new Black Bears through the portal this offseason, and just two true freshmen. Neither of the freshmen are averaging more than six minutes played per game.
To better compete with college upperclassmen for playing time, Markwood and former Houlton coach Matt McCluskey say that more high schoolers nationwide are treating prep school as a necessity, where they can practice alongside other top recruits 365 days a year.
“It’s not about clawing for an offer,” said McCluskey, who coached Houlton to a gold ball in 2014 and now works with some of the best Portland-based athletes at XLP Basketball. “It’s about being in an ecosystem that puts you ahead of the game.”
