Bobcat to the NBA: Brewster's Ebuka Okorie ’25 Selected 17th Overall in 2026 NBA Draft
By Kara McDuffee
On Monday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the name of a kid from Nashua, New Hampshire who once walked the halls of Brewster Academy. Ebuka Okorie ’25 is headed to the Detroit Pistons as the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
It is the latest chapter in a story Brewster fans have had the privilege of watching up close. At Brewster, Okorie won New Hampshire's Gatorade Player of the Year award, averaged 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game, and helped lead the Bobcats to a 28-5 record and a semifinals appearance at the Chipotle High School Basketball National Championships. He left Wolfeboro as one of the most decorated prep players in the state, heading to Stanford University to prove himself on one of the biggest stages in college basketball.
He wasted no time. As a freshman, he led the ACC in scoring, ranked seventh nationally, and broke the ACC freshman record for single-season scoring average and 30-point games. He recorded a 40-point game against Georgia Tech, the first Stanford player to reach that mark since 2002, and earned First-Team All-ACC and ACC All-Rookie honors. Detroit traded up from the 21st pick to land him, a clear statement of how highly the organization values what Okorie brings to the floor.
Scouts describe him as a dynamic, downhill point guard with elite ball security, a soft floater, and the competitive toughness to contribute real minutes from day one. Okorie put it simply: "I'm just a very selfless person. I'm very adaptable, I'm willing to sacrifice, do whatever it is for us to win and for the betterment of the team."
For Brewster, the moment is one to savor. Okorie joins a celebrated and growing list of alumni who have reached the NBA's highest stage. Brewster Academy alum Donovan Mitchell ’15, the All-Star guard and one of the most dynamic players in the league, is perhaps the most recognizable name on that list, but he is far from the only one. The program built in Wolfeboro has long been among the premier prep school basketball programs in New England, consistently developing players who are ready for the next level, in college and far beyond.
Congratulations to Ebuka Okorie. Bobcat Nation is watching, and could not be more proud.
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Visit athletics.brewsteracademy.org to learn more about the Brewster basketball program.
