ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Atlantic City Showcase brought much of New England's high school basketball present under one roof and under the microscope of college coaches. It also gave me the chance to check out some of the next wave.
As I bounced around the 30-plus courts in the Atlantic City Convention Center, I carved out time in my schedule to check out some of the top 2028 prospects in attendance. Some were playing up on 2027 rosters, while other led their 2028 age groups.
Though the 2028 class has so much time left to grow, live period weekends like these are a quality test with the stakes bumped up a bit. And quite a few 2029 youngsters impressed playing up on 2028 (and even older) teams. As with my other standouts lists, I'll add the caveat that I only write about what I see, which means I'm bound to have missed some strong performances. But these classes still gave me plenty to think about.
Here are 10 players who made their early marks, listed alphabetically by team, with their high school graduating classes noted.
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Ella Peper, Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard/forward
Dexter Southfield/Newton, Mass.
Fresh off being named to the 52-player U.S. U16 national team tryouts list, Peper showed out as one of the most highly-touted prospects in Atlantic City. All of her signature strengths — the perimeter shooting, length on defense and combination of handle and athleticism — were present and generated buzz, ultimately leading to Baylor and Indiana offers announced on Tuesday.
But I specifically wanted to see Peper improve in new areas, and she answered the call in two ways. Peper backed down a mismatch and got to a smooth fadeaway jumper, a good sign that she's getting more comfortable using size and growing strength to her advantage. Then secondly, her passing out of drives was sharp, specifically in Sunday's dominant win over the Albany Lady Stars. Peper made multiple correct kick-outs to the corner where in the past she might have just plowed through into a bad miss. Her general decision-making with the ball continues to grow.
Brynn Noel, Bay State Jaguars 2028 UAA
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard/forward
Dexter Southfield/Waltham, Mass.
Friday's MCW Starz vs. Bay State Jaguars 2028 matchup, a 40-35 MCW victory, was a must-see chance for me to start painting a better picture of the younger high school classes. Noel was fun to watch because of her versatility and team defense. She made some really smart rotations and guarded well on the ball. I caught a great high-low pass inside from Noel to Caroline Connors, and Noel also looked strong on drives, converting one nice take via a floater. She's got an impressive feel for the game at her age.
Addison Brennan, iBelieve Elite 2027 Select 40
Class of 2028, 6-3 center
Wilbraham & Monson/Monroe, Conn.
Brennan has already collected Stony Brook and Rhode Island offers following her standout weekend. For her age and position, Brennan is a prolific shooter, and she made three confident 3s off the catch when I watched her on Saturday against New England Storm. The form looks consistent and repeatable and Brennan doesn't hesitate even if a defender closes out. She flashed some passing chops, including one smart dish from the wing to the opposite corner, and put in effort to contest shots inside on defense. There's a lot to like with Brennan's skill-set already, especially at her size.
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Joy Robinson, MCW Starz 2027 P24
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard
Rivers/Norwood, Mass.
Robinson is a brand-new MCW member but found her niche quickly in the games I watched. She's a strong, long defender fully capable of taking the opponent's top guard in any given game. I also witnessed some tough driving layups through contact, something I didn't see a whole lot during the school season. And though Robinson didn't shoot it super well, she still has her hot spots from the corners. She's one of the more versatile members of her new team.
Shannon O'Leary, MCW Starz 2027 P24
Class of 2028, 6-2 center
New Hampton/Marshfield, Mass.
O'Leary is a recent 2028 reclass, and across the two games I saw, she flashed a few interesting skills at her position. She's a confident lefty shooter, and though streaky, her form looks fairly consistent. I saw her hit a 3 at the top of the arc and a couple of baseline 2s. O'Leary also found success as a cutter and roller, showing a connection with guard Lily Norton, and won consistently on the boards. She's a player who can be moved around on offense to space the floor or add some size inside.
SySy Mcausland Emmanuel, MCW Starz 2028 P24
Class of 2029, 5-9 guard
St. Mary's/Lynn, Mass.
I watched Emmanuel experience the roller coaster of development as an eighth-grader playing in the rotation on a St. Mary's squad that won the MIAA Division 3 championship. Friday's MCW victory gave me better context for how she stands out among her age group. Emmanuel is such a shifty ball-handler with some real burst off the dribble. I particularly appreciated her passing out of drives in this game, making two smart dump-offs to teammates Charleigh Green and Rebecca Fusco for layups. She is capable of hitting 3s, though also very streaky right now, and knocked down one off the catch in transition. Emmanuel also took a tough shot to the face and had to leave the game, but later returned and maintained her effort and focus.
Aliyah Allston-Pujols, Shooting Touch
Class of 2028, 5-10 guard/forward
Nobles/Randolph, Mass.
I imagine playing with and against older talent has hardened Allston-Pujols, and it's at least partially why her physical toughness really stands out at the 15U level in grassroots play. She's super hard to stop with her power drives and drew a bunch of fouls getting to the rim Saturday morning in a big win over United NJ. Allston-Pujols also finishes at a high level with both hands, playing off one or two feet when necessary. She had vocal command of Shooting Touch's offense and was directing cutters and spacers within a lineup that boasts tons of shooting around her. Allston-Pujols' I.Q. and experience level to date make her a natural leader for this roster.
Jennifer Xue, Shooting Touch
Class of 2029, 5-6 guard
Milton Academy/Quincy, Mass.
Speaking of the shooting around Allston-Pujols — that's led by Xue, who posted some microwave scoring games off the bench at North Quincy last winter before transferring and reclassifying. She is a young flamethrower with endless confidence; I didn't watch her Friday game but was told she started 0-of-5 behind the arc and wound up with seven made 3s by the end. Xue was on a heater when I saw her Saturday. Her form is consistent and quick, she's active off the ball and gets to her correct spacing in transition to launch. I'd like to see more of what Xue can do attacking closeouts, but she has a solid handle and showed some flashes.
Jaliah Duplessy, Team Sims Select
Class of 2029, 5-7 guard
Brimmer & May/Boston, Mass.
Duplessy is one of the headliners in this super young core at Team Sims that went 4-0 in its 2027 pool. She's a standout driving scorer who does a nice job changing speeds. I watched Duplessy finish strong through contact on Saturday — a 75-51 win in the morning against Sonics that was already Team Sims' second game of the day — and she stuck out when she split the opposing ball screen defense and burst to the second level for a floater. Duplessy also puts in noticeable effort on the glass for her position and hustled after loose balls. I am nowhere close to putting together a 2029 watch list, but she'll be up in the hierarchy when it happens.
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Avery Wozniak, Team Sims Select
Class of 2028, 5-8 guard
Brimmer & May/Lexington, Mass.
One more red-hot shooting game from the weekend — I tallied five made 3-pointers from Woziak in Saturday's win, all off the catch. The lefty is already great at setting her feet on the move and getting balanced. Wozniak also rifled an awesome transition pass to Taylor Wozniak for an assist. Avery was a standout on a young Brimmer & May team that won the NEPSAC Class D championship last winter, and I'm excited to see more.
Quick shouts: Eva Zink (MCW Starz/Bedford, N.H.) and Lily Davis (iBelieve Elite/Tabor) are on my 2028 watch list, and I thought they both popped with their defense this weekend. Zink racked up deflections and blocks in rotation with her length as a 6-foot wing, and Davis was a pest at the point of attack, an underrated strength of hers. ... Avery Bollin (Bay State Jaguars/Dexter Southfield), who had a couple of nice post-move scores and played solid defense, looked like she belonged at the 2026 level that her 2027 UAA team played at this weekend — and she's in the 2029 class. ... Ella Reyes (Bay State Jaguars/Westerly) made a strong first impression on me as a 2028 wing who can knock down 3s, and I'd throw 2029 wing Lila McCarty (Shooting Touch/Sharon) in a similar conversation. ... Three more 2028 guards who caught my eye: Genesis Castro (Bay State Jaguars/St.Mary-Bay View), Carolyn Joo (CBC Fairfield/King) and Kiera Paradis (MCW Starz/Lawrence Academy).
