In just two short weeks, college basketball will be back.
Several New England teams are once again in the hunt to win conference championships and reach the NCAA Tournament. We're helping you prepare for the season by highlighting the region's stars at each of the three umbrella position groups: guards, wings/forwards and post players.
Like at all levels of basketball, the modern forward has become an amoebic position that requires different skills for different teams and styles. We've selected 10 of the best in this position group, but the label itself is open to interpretation. If an obvious player is missing, there's a chance you'll find them on our guards watch list or our post players watch list dropping next week.
Now let's get to the names.
Morgan Cheli, UConn
6-2, freshman
Hometown: Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
Cheli is one of three highly-touted freshmen joining the Huskies (more on their top recruit next week). The 11th-ranked player nationally by ESPN, Cheli posted 15 points, 7.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 steals in her senior season as a do-it-all wing. UConn is starting the season with several players still recovering from injuries, including starting forward Aubrey Griffin, so we could see Cheli take on a significant role early.
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield
6-1, sophomore
Hometown: Wantagh, N.Y.
Andersen exemplifies the "Road Runner" label Fairfield has given to its versatile forwards. She jumped in as one of the most productive freshmen in the country last season, averaging 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals with 51.2/35.9/83.7 shooting splits. Andersen led the Stags in scoring, won MAAC Rookie of the Year and helped Fairfield on its magical run to March Madness. That was just her first season; Andersen could light up the court as a sophomore.
TRANSFER WATCH: 5 standout players from New England who changed schools
Caroline Bornemann, Maine
5-10, graduate student
Hometown: Hørsholm, Denmark
The Black Bears, fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance, need the supporting cast to step up after star forward Adrianna Smith suffered a season-ending ACL injury in preseason. Bornemann is a candidate, having started 94 of 96 games across the last three years. She averaged 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2023-24 but had some explosive games, including a 27-point, 12-rebound performance Jan. 20 against NJIT.
Andrea Daley and Dontavia Waggoner, Boston College
The Eagles boast two 6-foot wings who impact the game in different ways. Daley, a senior from Miami, broke out as a junior with a career-high 13.2 points per game, plus 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals. She shot 54 percent inside the arc and had a streak of 13 straight double-digit scoring efforts from Nov. 12 to Jan. 4.
Waggoner, a grad student from Nashville, is prolific on the other side of the ball. She finished 11th in the nation at exactly 3.0 steals per game to go with her 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Waggoner's nose for the basketball helped her land on the ACC All-Defensive team; she also finished second in the conference with 111 offensive rebounds. With these two forwards back, BC has a solid foundation to make some progress in their loaded league.
READ MORE: 12 guards to watch in Div. 1 women's basketball
Brynn Farrell, Providence
6-0, graduate student
Hometown: Ortley Beach, N.J.
The Friars have a few of these veteran wings with guard-like skills, but we'll choose Farrell after she drilled an impressive 38.9 percent of her 113 3-point attempts last season. That helped her to a career-high 10.2 points per game along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Farrell should be an impact player again on an experienced Friars team that fields a whopping seven seniors and three grad students. Health permitting, they look primed for a step forward in the Big East hierarchy.
Simone Foreman, Holy Cross
5-9, junior
Hometown: Odenton, Md.
Foreman plays much bigger than her listed 5-foot-9 height. She only averaged 6.0 points, but corralled 8.5 rebounds per game and reached 14 boards twice. Foreman started 24 of 34 games last season and was an important defensive piece to the Crusaders' second consecutive Patriot League championship and March Madness appearance. I'd expect to see her back in the starting lineup this season.
Katie Krupa, Harvard
6-1, junior
Hometown: Morton, Ill.
Krupa exploded as a sophomore. After playing 14.4 minutes per game as a freshman, Krupa started every contest, doubled her minutes and proceeded to average 11.3 points per game. She didn't shoot quite enough 3s to make the NCAA's official leaderboard, but Krupa's 43.1 percent clip on 102 attempts would have ranked near the top of the nation. She caught fire in a month-long stretch between Jan. 20 and Feb. 18 with four games of 23-plus points. Krupa is a super efficient overall scorer who fits well with Harvard's more ball-dominant players.
READ MORE: 10 freshmen from New England who could make an early college impact
Stefanie Kulesza, UMass
6-0, senior
Hometown: Wilmington, Del.
Last winter was a rough rebuilding year for UMass, which had previously been among the Atlantic 10's best squads. Kulesza was one of the bright spots and should help the Minutewomen improve this season. She went from a bench reserve to the team's focal point, averaging 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Kulesza also showed some promise behind the arc, hitting 33.7 percent of her 83 3-point attempts.
Amelia Wood, Sacred Heart
6-0, junior
Hometown: Wynantskill, N.Y.
Wood was a third-team All-Northeast Conference member despite coming off the bench for most of the season. She still played a high-usage role, averaging 26.8 minutes, and logged 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Wood was prone to hot and cold streaks, but her best games were heat waves, such as her 25 points in 24 minutes against Wagner on Jan. 21. She'll be key to a Pioneers team that's now competing in the MAAC.
