Rutgers' Harper headlines a bevy of 1-and-done guards set to go high in the NBA draft

There's a deep set of high-end guard prospects in the upcoming NBA draft.

Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is positioned to be the first name called after projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, while Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas' Tre Johnson, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears and Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis are possible top-10 picks as one-and-done prospects.

Here's a look at the guards entering Wednesday's first round:

STRENGTHS: The 6-foot-5, 213-pound son of former NBA guard Ron Harper has size at the point and two-way potential. The lefty thrived as a scorer (19.4 points) with athleticism to finish at the rim, score on stepbacks and hit catch-and-shoot looks. Notably, he went for 36 points in an overtime win against Notre Dame, then 37 more a day later in a loss to then-No. 9 Alabama during the Players Era Festival in November.

Harper is a playmaker with good court vision, averaging 4.0 assists. He also averaged 1.4 steals, including six against Southern California and four more against a ranked Illinois team in February.

CONCERNS: He shot 33.3% on 3-pointers while launching 5.2 per game, though shot selection against contested looks didn't always help. There’s also the optics of being the NBA-bound floor leader on a team that finished with a losing record despite featuring a second one-and-done talent in forward Ace Bailey.

STRENGTHS: Explosive athleticism stands out at both ends, notably as an above-the-rim finisher who creates highlight-reel moments. The 6-4, 193-pound Edgecombe finished in the combine's top 10 with a 38.5-inch max vertical leap, had seven games with at least three made 3s and 11 games with three-plus steals.

“I think for freshmen, the universal (issue) is just being able to sustain the level of intensity required as long as they’re on the court,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said recently. “The size, length, speed is one thing, but just to be able to compete each and every play, it’s a different level. And VJ has that.”

CONCERNS: Edgecombe shot just 34% on 3s, though Drew said Edgecombe could see gains after refining his shot mechanics. He could also improve in shot creation, such making just 25% (13 of 59) in off-dribble jumpers, according to Synergy's analytics rankings.

STRENGTHS: The 6-5, 190-pound Johnson averaged 19.9 points to lead all Division I freshmen, as well as being the Southeastern Conference’s overall scoring leader. The highlight was Johnson going for 39 points against Arkansas in February to break Kevin Durant’s Longhorns freshman single-game record.

He thrived off screens (shot 52.1% in those scenarios to rate in the 91st percentile in Synergy) and shot 39.7% from 3-point range, including 12 games with at least four made 3s. He also shot 87.1% at the foul line.

CONCERNS: The 19-year-old could use some bulk on a slender frame to help him hold up against bigger and stronger opponents at both ends.

STRENGTHS: The combo guard pressures defenders with his ball-handling and space creation, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He got to the line 6.3 times per game and ranked tied for 11th among all Division I players by making 183 free throws.

Fears also had a knack for clutch plays, including a four-point play to beat a ranked Michigan team along with a tough late scoring drive for the lead in the SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky.

CONCERNS: He needs to get stronger (6-3, 180) and improve his outside shot. He made 28.4% of his 3s, including nine games of going 0 for 3 or worse. Reducing turnovers (3.4) would help, too.

STRENGTHS: Jakucionis brings size (6-5, 205) and an all-around floor game to the perimeter. He averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists with four double-digit rebounding games and eight games with at least seven assists.

He was also one of the nation's best freshmen at getting to the foul line (5.1 attempts per game).

CONCERNS: Jakucionis shot just 31.8% on 3s, including 5 of 22 (22.7%) in four bright-spotlight games during the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. He averaged 3.7 turnovers — sixth-most in Division I, most among freshmen — and had 13 games with at least five turnovers.

— EGOR DEMIN: The BYU freshman from Russia is a possible lottery prospect as a playmaker with size (6-8, 199), known for elite passing and vision. He averaged 5.5 assists to rank second among all Division I freshmen.

— JASE RICHARDSON: The Michigan State freshman and son of former NBA guard Jason Richardson is small (6-1, 178), though the first-round prospect is a 41.2% 3-point shooter.

— NOLAN TRAORE: The 6-5, 175-pounder is a scoring playmaker from France. The first-round prospect had previously drawn interest from programs like Duke, Alabama and Gonzaga.

— NIQUE CLIFFORD: The 6-5, 202-pound Clifford spent three years at Colorado then two at Colorado State. The first-round prospect is older (23) but had career-best numbers last year (18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 37.7% on 3s).

— BEN SARAF: The 6-6, 201-pound lefty from Israel is a scoring playmaker and first-round prospect. He averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 assists last season with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.

— CEDRIC COWARD: The 6-5, 213-pound senior started at Division III Willamette, spent two years at Eastern Washington, had an injury-shortened season at Washington State and was set to transfer to Duke. Now he's a first-round prospect after testing well at the combine.

— WALTER CLAYTON JR.: The 6-2, 199-pound combo guard was a first-team Associated Press All-American and Final Four’s most outstanding player in Florida's national title run. He's a first-round prospect and gamer who thrived in pressure moments.

— DRAKE POWELL: The North Carolina freshman wing has perimeter size (6-6, 195), athleticism, 3-point range and defensive potential to be a possible first-round pick. He has a 7-foot wingspan and had combine-best marks in standing and max vertical leap.

— KAM JONES: The Marquette senior and potential first-rounder was a finalist for the Cousy Award presented to the nation's top point guard after averaging 19.2 points and 5.9 assists. He missed two games in his career.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Texas contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

FILE - Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis advances the ball during an NCAA college basketball game against Michigan State, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman, File)

FILE - Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears pushes down the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas A&M, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips, File)

FILE - Texas guard Tre Johnson (20) controls the ball against Xavier guard Dayvion McKnight (20) during a First Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

FILE - Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe drives the ball to the basket in an NCAA college basketball game against TCU Sunday, Jan.19, 2025, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerry Larson, File)

FILE - Rutgers guard Dylan Harper (2) handles the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday formally called on Emirati-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates their forces now control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels.

The statement from Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Christmas morning appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis the kingdom launched in 2015.

The separatists' actions have "resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry warned.

It added: “The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences.”

The Council has moved into Yemen's governorates of Hadramout and Mahra. The Saudi statement said meditation efforts were aimed at having the Council's forces return to “their previous positions outside of the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas” to the National Shield Forces.

“These efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous statement,” the ministry added.

The local Hadramout governorate's authority said it supported the Saudi announcement and welcomed the arrival of a joint Saudi-UAE delegation to Hadramout. It called for the Emirati-backed separatists to withdraw back to positions outside the governorates.

Those aligned with the Council have increasingly flown the flag of the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967 to 1990. There were calls for demonstrations Thursday in Aden to support political forces wanting South Yemen to again secede from Yemen, but it wasn't immediately clear if they would go ahead given Saudi Arabia's announcement. Aden has been the seat of power in Yemen for forces aligned against the Houthis.

The confrontation also has put pressure on the relationship between neighboring Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which maintain close relations and are members of the OPEC oil cartel but also have vied for influence and international business in recent years.

The Council's moves in Yemen follow an escalation of violence in Sudan, another nation on the Red Sea where the kingdom and the Emirates back opposing forces in an ongoing war.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Tehran denies arming the rebels, although Iranian-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.

A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine.

The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

The Houthis launched attacks on hundreds of ships in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war, greatly disrupting regional shipping.

While traffic has inched up recently in the lull in attacks, many shippers continue to go around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Further chaos in Yemen could again draw in the United States. The U.S. launched an intense bombing campaign targeting the rebels earlier this year that President Donald Trump halted just before his trip to the Mideast. The Biden administration also conducted strikes against the Houthis, including using America’s B-2 bombers to target what it described as underground bunkers used by the Houthis.

The Houthis meanwhile announced plans for a funeral Thursday for several of its fighters, including Maj. Gen. Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, whom analysts identified as the group's drone and missile chief. U.S. forces reportedly targeted Hajar, who allegedly received training from the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in a strike in March in Sanaa. The Houthis provided no information on how or when he died in the funeral announcement.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken dozens of workers at U.N. agencies and other aid groups as prisoners, alleging without evidence that they were spies — something fiercely denied by the U.N. and others.

Houthi supporters carry the coffin of one of their leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, during a funeral at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

A boy prays in front of his relative coffin during the funeral of 5 Houthi leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Houthi supporters carry the coffins of 5 leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, during a funeral at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Houthi supporters carry the coffins of 5 leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, during a funeral at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Houthi supporters carry the coffins of 5 leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, during a funeral at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)