Masters Academy International’s inaugural basketball season is underway.
New England’s first sports academy officially opened its doors in September. This month, its two boys teams started playing games. One team, which will compete in the Nike EYBL Scholastic, went 3-0 at the Border League in Las Vegas earlier this month. On Sunday, MAI’s prep team – which will compete in the New England Basketball League – beat CATS Academy, 83-80.
Led by head coach Jason Smith, who spent the last 26 seasons building Brewster into a national power, MAI hopes to develop some of the best talent both locally and around the world. Their roster is already plenty loaded for their first season.
Here are 10 boys prospects to watch at MAI in Year 1.
Josiah Adamson
Class of 2027, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
NCAA: Towson
Our No. 6-ranked player in our updated 2027 rankings, Adamson announced his commitment to Towson on Sunday. He spent one season at Catholic Memorial as a freshman, then two seasons at CATS Academy before transferring to MAI for his final season. He’s one of the most physical two-way guards in the region who’s explosive to the rim and has rapidly improved his 3-point shooting ability. He’ll be an important piece on MAI’s EYBL Scholastic team.
Braxton Bogard
Class of 2028, 6-9 forward
Hometown: Pasadena, Md.
Bogard steps into New England as one of the best recruits regionally in the 2028 class; he’s ranked No. 39 nationally by ESPN and No. 57 by 24/7 Sports with offers from West Virginia and Kansas. He’s a versatile prospect who can stretch the floor with his shooting, make good passes and rebound well. Smith lauded his ability to play the right way, saying he’s not consumed with scoring numbers and understands the difference between good and bad shots.
Brayden Buckley
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
If Buckley – who checked in at No. 7 in our 2028 rankings in August – isn’t already nationally-ranked, Smith thinks he’s trending in that direction. The transfer guard from Thayer played up on the Middlesex Magic’s 17U team this summer and should play a big role in a loaded MAI backcourt. He has great positional size, can play on and off the ball and pass at an elite level.
Aidan Dayco-Green
Class of 2027, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Vancouver, CAN
Dayco-Green has already played in several prominent national programs, including Prolific Prep and then Montverde Academy and SPIRE Academy under legendary coach Kevin Boyle. He’s a high-IQ lead guard who can play well on and off the ball and makes all the little plays that impact winning, including tip rebounds and extra passes.
“Whatever Division 1 program gets him will not be sorry,” Smith said. “Because he will impact winning from Day 1.”
A’mire Gill
Class of 2027, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
NCAA: Miami (Ohio)
An explosive scorer, Gill averaged 17.7 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range with 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game to lead Princeton High School to an Ohio state championship last season. He led MAI’s prep team with 24 points on Sunday in its win over CATS.
Andrew Kretkowski
Class of 2027, 6-7 forward
Hometown: Old Bridge, N.J.
Kretkowski was ranked nationally by some outlets and held offers from Northwestern and Rutgers before a torn meniscus sidelined him this spring and summer and slowed his recruitment. But he was fully cleared a few weeks ago and looked excellent during a recent MAI practice, where he showcased his versatility, athleticism and skill as a big. He took an official visit to Harvard last week, and Stanford and Vanderbilt are both interested in him.
Tayden Langdon
Class of 2027, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Birmingham, Mich.
Langdon spent last season at Brewster and followed Smith to MAI, where he’ll be a member of the prep team because he’s not eligible to play on the EYBL Scholastic team as a fifth-year player. He was a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist last year at Brewster who has improved significantly as a driving scorer.
Aidan McGrath
Class of 2029, 6-8 forward
Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
A transfer from Thayer, McGrath will likely split time this winter between MAI’s Nike EYBL team and prep team as Smith aims to get the skilled forward as many reps as possible. He’s an improved 3-point shooter who Smith compared to Zane Meeks, one of his former players at Brewster who went on to play college hoops at Nevada, San Francisco and Arizona State.
Michael McNamara
Class of 2027, 6-9 wing
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
A transfer from CATS, McNamara was ranked No. 22 in our 2027 rankings update this summer. A skilled, athletic prospect with 3-point shooting ability, he’s continuing to add strength. Smith wants him to be more vocal, but he’s excited about his future and “high ceiling,” saying his best basketball is in front of him. He remains uncommitted.
Antonio Pemberton
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
NCAA: Michigan State
The star of the program, Pemberton is our top-ranked recruit in New England and committed to Michigan State in September. He spent the last two seasons at Brewster and followed Smith to MAI as his first recruit at the sports academy. Pemberton is coming off a massive summer, when he led Mass Rivals to the Adidas 3SSB championship game with a breakout grassroots season as one of the best scorers on the circuit.
