From J.R. Smith to DaRon Holmes II: Flyin’ to the Hoop’s NBA pipeline keeps growing

Smith became the first of more than 100 professional athletes to have played at FTTH in its history.

The 23rd annual The Beacon Orthopaedics Flyin’ to the Hoop basketball invitational gets underway Friday with 18 games over four days.

There have been four players to play in FTTH who went on to be selected No. 1 in the NBA Draft.

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The first was Anthony Davis. The current Dallas Mavericks star came with Perspectives Charter (Ill.) in 2011 and became the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans just over a year later.

The Cleveland Cavaliers made two straight No. 1 picks on FTTH alumni in selecting Anthony Bennett in 2013 after he played with Findlay Prep (Nev.), and then Andrew Wiggins of Huntington Prep (W. Va.) in 2014 to make it three straight years the top pick also played at FTTH.

The latest top overall pick to play at FTTH was DeAndre Ayton, picked by the Phoenix Suns in 2018, of Balboa City School (Calif.).

DaRon Holmes II is the most recent FTTH alum to be drafted. The former Dayton Flyers star came with Arizona Compass Prep (Ariz.) and spent three years at UD before being drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2024.

He isn’t the only former Flyers player on the list. Chris Wright of Trotwood and Jordan Sibert with Cincinnati Princeton both appeared at FTTH.

There have been 17 former Findlay Prep players that have gone on to the NBA between 2010-20 to appear in a NBA game. Huntington Prep is next with eight, followed by IMG Academy (Fla.) with six.

Several other greats from the Miami Valley are on the list to have made it to the league as well.

Dunbar has two former players, Norris Cole and Daequan Cook, that both became first round NBA Draft picks.

Luke Kennard of Franklin, Adreian Payne of Jefferson, Vince Edwards of Middletown, and Jarron Cumberland of Wilmington all became NBA players as well.

In all, 24 players to play at FTTH went on to be lottery picks by being selected in the top-14 and there have been 55 first round draft picks.

Flyin’ to the Hoop alumni to make it into the NBA is nearing 100 in the event’s history.

Credit: MARC PENDLETON / STAFF

Credit: MARC PENDLETON / STAFF

There have been more than than that have gone on to play professionally in sports, with not all in basketball.

Middletown’s Jalin Marshall played at FTTH in 2012 before going on to a brief NFL career with the New York Jets, as did Cincinnati Taft’s Adolphus Washington with the Buffalo Bills and Jefferson’s Cody Latimer with the Denver Broncos. Franklin’s Travis Lakins was a MLB Draft pick that went on to play for the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.

Past FTTH participants in NBA or other professional sports