Columbus High School turned out the top pick in this year’s NFL draft and now the Explorers might produce the NBA’s top pick Tuesday night. Miami’s Columbus High School, with just over 1,700 students, has been the center of attention in the NFL and the NBA. In Tuesday’s NBA draft, form er Columbus and Duke star Cameron Boozer is projected to be a top 5 pick. Under head coach Jorge Milo, Boozer helped lead the Explorers to four straight state championship titles and the 2025 Chipotle Nationals championship. “He’s our guy, you know, he’s been our guy and I’m really, really excited for him,” said Milo. As a freshman at Duke, he was the AP Player of the Year. “You could see the greatness, you could see the level of focus, the discipline, and I just think that the everyday habits, how he showed up every day, he has an attention to detail, obviously, he’s a talented kid,” said Milo. Boozer’s legacy at Columbus lives on for the next generation of players. “He’s a big role model around here, he always pushes us, he set a big standard here, he’s pushing everybody to be the best they can here,” said Columbus forward Jordan Fisher. “He’s a big brother to me and stuff like that, throughout the program too.” Former Columbus quarterback Fernando Mendoza has also been a role model at his former high school. He was part of their 2019 state championship team and the Heisman Trophy winner most recently led the Indiana Hoosiers to its first national championship in January. Mendoza was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the NFL’s first overall pick in April. “You can’t write a better story than this, definitely puts us on the map,” said Columbus Football Head Coach Dave Dunn . “He, you know, great young man and great representative of our school and just, you know, his kind of trajectory and his career, it’s been really enjoyable to watch.” Mendoza’s impact is still felt by the school’s players. “He just shows us how to be a good person in life, you know, how to be a man,” said Columbus quarterback Kai Moore. “He doesn’t just show us how to play football or how to play quarterback and things like that, he shows it off the field, he shows us life skills, he’s truly been a blessing and a favor to Christopher Columbus in the way he’s been a leader.” There are a total of 13 Columbus alum either playing or coaching in the NFL, MLB, and the NBA, and Canes Football coach Mario Cristobal is also a proud Columbus alumni. ...read more read less