STOUGHTON, Mass. — The main attraction of the NERR Northeast Hoop Festival was the undeniable talent of the 2027 class, which included many of the best prospects from New England and even some from outside the region.
But if you looked closer, the rising stars of the region also assumed center stage.
The event gave us a great opportunity to take a longer look at how the 2028 and 2029 classes are shaping up, and it reaffirmed the intrigue that’s developing. I spent my Saturday and Sunday at the Dana Barros Basketball Club, where top area clubs like the Middlesex Magic, BABC, Expressions Elite and Mass Rivals all competed and showed well.
One takeaway from the weekend: There are several 2028 and 2029 prospects playing up on older teams and contributing at a high level; that obviously bodes well for their future as they get valuable run against experienced, mature and more physical opponents.
Here are 10 standouts from the 2028 and 2029 classes I saw this weekend. Note: The players listed here only come from New England-based AAU programs.
NERR NORTHEAST HOOP FESTIVAL: 2027 standouts
Tighe Arache, Mass Rivals 16U 3SSB
Class of 2029, 6-4 guard
St. Paul’s/Lawrence, Mass.
Arache is playing up on Rivals’ top 16U team and he continued to show several glimpses of his bright future as a skilled, long and athletic guard. He’s consistently in the right spots to impact the game and he plays with great patience, confidence and feel with the ball in his hands. I saw him get to the free-throw line six times in a five-minute span during Saturday’s game vs. Rhode Island Elite. He’s a confident shooter on pull-ups and from beyond the 3-point arc, and he’s a strong 1-on-1 creator with an ability to create separation on dribble-drives. I saw flashes of his facilitating, too, which included one play where he ripped away a steal from behind as a help defender before pushing a fast break and finding an open teammate for 3.
Ja Bennett, Expressions Elite 16U EYBL
Class of 2028, 6-1 guard
St. Sebastian’s/Raynham, Mass.
A lead guard who plays with some flair and creativity, Bennett was setting up teammates often with great reads and timely passes. He hit teammates Maxxwell Thorpe with a pair of impressive dimes, one in transition through a tight window between defenders and another a perfectly placed lob to Thorpe, who flushed a ridiculous reverse alley-oop. Bennett was tilting the defense with his drives to find open cutters and controlling the offense with a good tempo. He was also super active and instinctive defensively with deflections and steals – including one play where he stole an inbounds pass for a score – and I also noted him hustling to the ground for a loose ball.
Jack Charchaflian, Middlesex Magic 16U UAA
Class of 2028, 6-1 guard
Nobles/Winchester, Mass.
Charchaflian was cleared just a few weeks ago after missing the second half of his season at Nobles with an injury, and the All-NEPSAC guard looked like he didn’t miss a beat in a 5-0 weekend for the Magic’s top 16U team. He scored the first bucket of the game in two games on Sunday, including a first-possession corner 3-pointer in a championship win over Lu Dort Elite, and the dynamic scoring and facilitating ability we were accustomed to seeing at the start of the Nobles season was all there. In a dramatic win over BABC, he made a terrific coast-to-coast play, using a behind-the-back dribble at midcourt before getting to the rim for a finish, and he came up clutch for the double-overtime winner with a strong attack to the cup.
Wiji Dak, BABC 16U 3SSB
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard
Tilton/Bedford, N.H.
Dak has always been a powerful big guard who can bulldoze his way into the paint, draw fouls and win plays with his physicality on both ends. There were several examples against the Middlesex Magic. He opened the game with a monster one-handed dunk and recorded a few blocks, and he was fouled multiple times on offensive putbacks or hard drives to the hoop. But he also showed some finesse with a turnaround jumper off the window and an off-the-dribble step-back 3. One coach watching with me said Dak has a little Alex Egbuonu to his game. I can see it.
BEST OF NEW ENGLAND WATCH LISTS: 25 top 2028 prospects | 15 top 2029 prospects
Jayden Gibson, Team Sims 16U UA Rise
Class of 2028, 6-3 guard
Brooks/Stoughton, Mass.
Gibson played as a lead guard in a strong weekend for Team Sims, which included a dramatic win over Expressions Elite where he took over in the final minute. He scored on two consecutive drives, including a three-point play in the final seconds, that gave Team Sims a one-point victory. At 6-foot-3, Gibson is a big, physical guard who finishes well around the basket and brings strong on-ball defense. He showed his 3-point range throughout the weekend, too.
Michael Leese, Middlesex Magic 16U UAA
Class of 2029, 6-6 forward
Nobles/Newton, Mass.
Leese was one of the most consistent performers of the weekend – and he was playing up. The long forward hit a handful of 3-pointers in each of my viewings of the Magic’s 16Us, and I loved how he embraced physicality at the rim, where he kept drawing fouls and showed an ability to finish through contact. That’s been a huge growth element for Leese, who’s understanding that he needs to mix it up inside – like rebounding at a high level, setting good screens, finishing out of the post and getting to the line – to open up his game beyond the perimeter. There was one play against BABC where he dribbled into a defender’s chest at the rim, pump faked twice and finished over him, that showed how far he’s come. I’m excited about Leese’s growth as he continues to assert his physicality with his skill.
Aidan McGrath, Expressions Elite 16U EYBL
Class of 2029, 6-8 forward
Thayer/Quincy, Mass.
The intrigue revolving around McGrath was all packed into a short viewing of Expressions on Sunday morning. I saw him dribble into a defender’s chest to create separation for a pull-up mid-range jumper and later make a strong cut for a finish. He then had a dominant sequence where he blew by a defender for a lefty layup before knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing on the next possession. McGrath is a super fascinating prospect with his skill and shooting ability at 6-foot-8.
Malachi Odugbela, BABC 16U 3SSB
Class of 2028, 6-6 guard
St. Andrew’s/Providence, R.I.
Every time I watch Odugbela, I’m seeing more confidence and more consistency. He was terrific vs. the Middlesex Magic on Sunday morning, when I saw him score from all three levels, engineer the offense with good reads and make a big impact on the defensive end with multiple blocks, including one swat as the last defender on a Magic fast break. One of my favorite scores of the day came when he beat multiple defenders and used a crafty spin move to quickly change his direction for a finish at the rim. This is shaping up to be a big spring and summer for Odugbela, who had a strong sophomore season at St. Andrew’s.
Derek Swartz, Mass Rivals 17U 3SSB
Class of 2028, 6-5 guard
Portsmouth/Portsmouth, N.H.
A year ago, Swartz made his Rivals debut as a 15-year-old playing up on the 16U 3SSB team – and he broke out with a strong finish to the summer that included Division 1 offers from Georgetown, Oklahoma State and Rutgers. That experience got him used to the extra physicality and talent that comes with playing a year up, and he clearly wasn’t fazed with the 17U team this weekend. With Antonio Pemberton in his backcourt, Swartz doesn’t need to score as much as he did at Portsmouth or even last summer, but he still found several ways to impact the game with his rebounding, defense and passing. He also had a loud sequence with a pair of breakaway dunks in about a 30-second span, the latter of which should have been a three-point play.
Alex Weaver, BABC 15U 3SSB
Class of 2029, 5-10 guard
Windsor/Windsor, Conn.
There weren’t a lot of opportunities to watch the region’s top 15U teams this weekend at the Dana Barros Basketball Club, but there was a window on Sunday to take a look at BABC’s loaded 15U roster. Weaver is definitely a name to know, an electric scorer and confident shotmaker with a quick and shifty handle who’s going to be really fun to watch grow over the coming years. He averaged 23 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals this winter as he propelled Windsor to the CIAC Division 2 state championship.
