FOXBORO, Mass. — The next wave of elite girls talent in New England is coming, and we got a great look during last Friday's NERR Frosh/Soph Showcase.
Close to 100 players descended on Mass Premier to compete in the first such event on the girls side for NERR. For a first-time showcase, this was a great group of participants, including some names circling my 2028 watch list and 2029s on my radar. Several prep school coaches made the trip to watch some of their players and get a head start on recruiting the future. But I attended because I wanted to dive deeper into these younger classes, and they delivered. Some of the true standout performers were names I had never heard before.
How do I evaluate younger talent? At an event like this, which featured two scrimmages per team and 12 total teams, I'm looking for flashes of standout athletic tools and outlier traits. I was truly impressed by the overall skill level — and particularly shooting ability — from most of the young stars. There is so much time for these players to develop that it's more about visualization. What do I think they could be capable of down the road?
Here are 10 early high-schoolers and some middle school standouts who popped when I watched. With three games happening at once, it was hard to see everything. One other thing to note: I've included heights where listed online, but I honestly believe most of these players are taller than last measured and definitely growing fast.
Jolie Abelard, Milton Academy
Class of 2028, 5-7 guard
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Abelard was swarming as a perimeter defender. She slides her feel incredibly well and takes clear pride in stopping the ball, which led to a bunch of deflections and forced turnovers. Offensively, Abelard seeks out driving lanes and shots around the basket, where she's got good touch near the rim and on short runners. Her aggressive natural motor on both ends will help especially as she gets physically stronger.
Faith Boothe, Kolbe Cathedral
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Bridgeport, Conn.
Boothe was one of my biggest surprise breakout players. A tall, lanky lead guard, she diced up opponents with her handle, cashed in on step-back 3s and even acted as a roller on ball screens, where she got touches and finished inside scoring moves. She covers a ton of ground defensively and had a couple of monster blocks when she rotated onto driving guards. Boothe was in the oldest age group here, and I wanted to see those players dominate their minutes. She did.
Grace Bourn, Rivendell Academy
Class of 2030, 5-4 guard
Hometown: Fairlee, Vt.
Bourn generated a lot of buzz around the facility and is one of two middle school standouts to crack my list. She's super quick driving the ball and had moments where she caught fire behind the arc. With the younger players, confidence and a willingness to play physically really pop to me. Bourn showed those traits in the way she pushed the pace and competed on defense.
Taylor Bullock, Weston Middle
Class of 2031, 5-7 guard
Hometown: Weston, Mass.
Ahhh! A 2031 standout? You might as well call me chopped and unc.
Bullock was legitimately one of the best players at this showcase. She looked explosive and was able to create space with her handle and quick first step, even against older competition. Most impressive was Bullock's perimeter arsenal. She hit routine shots off the catch, looked comfortable shooting on the move and had a stretch in her second game where she showed off easy sidestep and step-back 3-pointers. She's fast and long, and though it's insanely early to try and project anything, Bullock is a definite name to remember.
Allie McBride, Holderness
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Etna, N.H.
McBride was the best pure shooter on Friday, and with all due respect to the field, it might not have been close. She was ridiculous behind the arc, not just with the volume of makes, but the repeatable, effortless nature of her shots, from form to swish through the net. The heater spanned both of McBride's games and she also played very solid team defense, making good rotations and shot contests.
Lila McCarty, Sharon
Class of 2029, 5-8 guard/forward
Hometown: Sharon, Mass.
McCarty has started to generate hype as one of the better incoming freshman in this region. When I watched, I saw a strong wing who is comfortable being the centerpiece of an offense and spreading the ball around. McCarty is a great shooter already and we saw confidence launching off the catch and off step-backs. But she made solid passes when she kept her head up and played stout on-ball defense. If she continues to grow her court vision and make quicker decisions, McCarty can take her game to an elite level relative to her local peers.
Ella Reyes, Westerly
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard/forward
Hometown: Westerly, R.I.
Reyes' stock is seriously climbing in my eyes. She is yet another stellar shooter, and even among these standouts I would put her only behind McBride in terms of the perimeter prowess I saw. Reyes knows how to space the floor in transition and moves without the ball in the half-court. I also saw more skill off the dribble than I expected, including a confident step-through layup in one game. Reyes landed on our 2028 watch list because of her shooting that shined during AAU season, and she backed up the acclaim here.
Avery Terry, Acton-Boxboro
Class of 2029, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Acton, Mass.
Terry was one of few young wings at this showcase who already seems to have added strength to her frame. She's got long strides and early physical advantages right now. That primarily showed up on defense, where she bottled up smaller opponents, and in transition, where she jumped passing lanes for steals and took them easily to the rim. Terry is the younger sister of CATS boys star Jaxson Terry, but she was a breakout name in her own right at this showcase and is worth tracking.
Lily White, Dracut
Class of 2029, 5-9 guard/forward (estimate)
Hometown: Dracut, Mass.
For a wing who isn't really a lead ball-handler, White has a very good feel for the game at this age. She spaces the floor well, she makes smart extra passes and she's decisive when shots do come her way — like a great driving spin move into a floater during her second game. White's fairly strong already for her age and was one of the better rebounders at this showcase. I'm extremely intrigued by what she and 2027 guard Kaylee Maier could do at Dracut this winter.
Zahara Wilson, Minnechaug
Class of 2029, 5-8 guard (estimate)
Hometown: Springfield, Mass.
I missed the best part of Wilson's night but was told she put together a 10-0 run by herself to will her team back from an early deficit in one contest. When I did watch, I saw a fast, tough guard with a smooth shooting form who can also play through contact. Springfield International (where Wilson had previously played) has had some big-time talent come through in recent years, like Alicia Mitchell (now a Columbia freshman). Wilson's worth following as a possible next-up star; she averaged 14.6 points per game as an eighth-grader.
Quick shouts: Lily Davis (Tabor/Waterford, Conn.) and Saige DeJesus (Winchendon/Haverhill, Mass.) didn't need to prove much here as two of the best guards in the 2028 class. They still stood out with their perimeter defense and ability to pressure the paint on drives. ... 2028 guard Lily Downing (Worcester Academy/Natick, Mass.) made quick, smart passes, cut hard and also knocked down a 3 off a drive-and-kick from DeJesus. She'll be a notable rotation player for the Hilltoppers. ... Also in the 2028 guard group, Ahlona Brown (Notre Dame Fairfield/Fairfield, Conn.) showed burst off the dribble and embraced contact finishing around the basket. ... 2029 guard Jen Xue (Milton Academy/Quincy, Mass.) remains one of the more confident young sharpshooters I've seen in a while, and had a few microwave moments.
... Two wings who really intrigued me with their versatility and shooting/driving combo: 2028 Jasmine Nagle (Winchendon/Jaffrey, N.H.) and Jaelyn Lydick, a 2030 Maine native who has actually been home-schooled so far. ... 2028 guard Aaliyah Maddox (Notre Dame West Haven/Meriden, Conn.) blew up several possessions with her defense and has great length and burst, if she can become a more consistent jump shooter. ... Few post players attended this showcase, but I was most impressed by the passing and finishing from 2028 Ella Higgins (Milton Academy/Norwell, Mass.) and the mobility from 2028 Sophie Tumulis (Ethel Walker/Stafford Springs, Conn.). ... Top players who I heard great things about but missed most of their best action: 2029 Nicolette Hayes (Bellingham/Bellingham, Mass.) and 2030 Ally Ulysse (Chapel Hill-Chauncey Hall). ... I keep hearing buzz around Tilton's 2029 star Giuliana Shepard, and she looked great in early drills, but she got hurt in scrimmages so I missed her play. She's another name worth following.
One more thought: I didn't know what to expect entering this showcase and seeing a ton of younger players who might not know each other play together. I was pleasantly surprised by the general high spirits from all the girls. They seemed to love the scrimmages and I heard quite a few being friendly with each other, chatting about AAU and basketball. Good-natured competition rocks.
