PICTURED: ALL-GymRat paint dominator THEO EDEMA is a constant threat to shatter a backboard. The 6’11” 236 pounder from Cushing Academy is ranked by 24/7 Sports as the #44 player nationally in the class of 2027 and is currently weighing offers from Kansas, Alabama, Georgetown, Cal, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Villanova. (Photo, Eddie Quinn, GymRat Event Staff)

More players are recruited out of GymRat Events than any other event in the nation. The GymRat CHALLENGE is one of the most iconic events in the history of grassroots basketball and a true test of both basketball skill and will where today’s NCAA and NBA, stars have come to earn their reputations over the past four decades….and where thousands of others have come to compete against them to see how they measure up against the best in the nation. From McDonald’s All-Americans to Gatorade National High School Players of the Year to NCAA National Champions, All-Americans & Naismith National Players of the Year, to NBA All-Stars, MVPs & Champions to Olympic Gold Medalists, since 1998, some of the greatest players on the planet have arrived in Albany, NY to compete at GymRat, and exited the GymRat CHALLENGE having catapulted themselves to the top of recruiting boards across the country.

The list of GymRat alums is long, distinguished….and growing every year. That list includes NBA MVP Steph Curry, NCAA players of the year & national champions Jimmer Fredette, Kemba Walker & Emeka Okafor perennial NBA all-stars Donovan Mitchell & Tobias Harris, 2018 NBA First Round Draft picks Mo Bamba (#6) & Kevin Huerter (#19) and 2019 Naismith National High School Player of the Year & Detroit Piston First Round selection (#16) Isaiah Stewart.

The GymRat talent parade is marching stronger than ever. At the very highest level, thirteen ALL-GymRat performers have received the ultimate honor of hearing their names called during the NBA Draft since 2022 alone. That list is led by former GymRat MVP Jalen Duren who was the #13 overall pick to the Detroit Pistons in the 2022 Draft. In the 2023 NBA Draft, a record four former ALL-GymRat selections were chosen among the top 60 players in the world led by Dereck Lively II (#12 to Dallas Mavericks), Jalen Pickett (#32 to Denver Nuggets), Andre Jackson, Jr. (#36 to Milwaukee Bucks) & Emoni Bates (#49 to Cleveland Cavaliers). The 2024 GymRat NBA Draft class included four more event alums with Donovan Clingan leading three NBA Lottery picks (#7 to Portland Trailblazers) followed by Matas Buzelis (#11 to Chicago Bulls), Bub Carrington (#14 to Washington Wizards) and Kyle Filipowski (#32 to Utah Jazz).

The 2025 NBA Draft class saw four GymRat alums chosen in the top 15 picks led by former GymRat CHALLENGE MVP Cooper Flagg of Maine United. Flagg was the 2024 Gatorade National High School Basketball Player of the Year at Montverde Acadmey (FL) before attending Duke & being named the 2025 NCAA National Player of the Year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The Maine native was selected as the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Former ALL-GymRat performer Dylan Harper (NY RENS/Rutgers) immediately followed Flagg as the #2 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs. All-GymRat selection Derik Queen of Team Thrill (Baltimore, MD) was selected #13 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. A 2024 McDonald’s All-American, Queen was named 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year while starring for the University of Maryland & emerging as a Lottery Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.  6’10” All-GymRat selection Thomas Sorber of Team Final (Philadelphia, PA) rounded out the GymRat alums that made the 2025 NBA Draft class The Trenton, NJ native whose family hails from Liberia was an All-Big East selection at Georgetown before being selected in the first round (#15 overall) of the 2025 NBA Draft by the World Champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Both Flagg and Filipowski started their GymRat appearances in the 7^th grade and returned annually to showcase their development through the end of their high school eligibility.

With unparalleled coverage from college coaches, scouting services, and basketball publications, as well as the most comprehensive & credible evaluation services in grassroots basketball, more players are recruited out of the GymRat Events than any other events in the nation. With team and individual national notoriety on the line, those that perform well in this high visibility event receive an unparalleled boost in recruiting exposure. Each year several ALL-GymRat selections are tabbed by the legendary GymRat CHALLENGE Evaluation Team as rising members of their classes both nationally as well as regionally in their home areas of the country. All of this, combined with a reputation as the best organized event in the nation, makes the GymRat CHALLENGE one of the most complete and competitive stops on the summer basketball schedule