SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — On Saturday morning, I trudged through the snow and pulled into the parking lot at the Route 66 Diner in Springfield, grabbing some breakfast before heading to American International College for the day’s games at the Hoophall Prep Showcase, and found a funny scene.
Outside the diner, a group of basketball players from the same team – all dressed in their warmup gear – were filming themselves doing TikTok dances in the snow. I could only assume this team wasn’t from New England and have rarely, if ever, seen snow. Because moments later, the team engaged in a full-fledged snowball fight. They ran wildly around the parking lot, even using my car as a shield. I sat safely in my car, watching, chuckling to myself and waiting for the snowball fight to conclude before going into the diner to get some food.
The innocent moment was a brief reminder of both how special Hoophall weekend is for so many teams across the country, and for all the pressure that weekends like this represent – with college coaches flying in and recruitment futures hanging in the balance – that these are all teenage kids who are having fun and soaking in the cool experiences they get to take part in.
I spent the weekend at the Hoophall Prep Showcase – the annual sister event to the Hoophall Classic that features the best prep and postgraduate teams from New England and beyond, held by New England Recruiting Report – and watched more than snowball fights. Across two courts inside American International College’s gym, recruits played for their teams and their futures. There was a lot to sift through, so I’m splitting my standouts between the backcourt and frontcourt. Here are 11 guards that shined in Springfield. This list includes six players uncommitted in the 2026 class.
Brandon Arnold & Zach Romich, Kimball Union
Arnold: Class of 2026, 6-3 guard/Baldwin, N.Y./Marist commit
Romich: Class of 2026, 6-4 guard/Groton, Mass.
Two days after a loss to MacDuffie, KUA got revenge in a rematch victory and its backcourt duo had its fingerprints all over the win as the Wildcats staked a 30-point lead and never looked back. Arnold provided 15 points, seven boards and four assists, and the point guard was in control against MacDuffie’s pressure. It included one play where he anticipated double team, made a move out of the pressure and found space baseline for a drive before finding a teammate underneath for a layup. He also made a pretty reverse finish that halted some brief momentum from MacDuffie in the second half.
Romich, meanwhile, scored 17 points on 3-for-4 shooting from downtown, which included one where he sank a quick-release 3-ball off an inbounds pass. I also noted defensive hustle and impact, which included a play where he raced back in transition to force a turnover. Romich, who’s shooting better than 50 percent from 3 this season, is uncommitted with interest at the Division 2 and 3 level.
Mamadou Camara & Rokas Zilys, Vermont Academy
Camara: Class of 2027, 6-1 guard/Salem, Mass.
Zilys: Class of 2026, 6-3 guard/Naperville, Ill.
With star Kamari Whyte sidelined in Vermont Academy’s win over Sunrise Christian PG, Camara and Zilys carried the weight. Camara was in control offensively with eight assists – though I thought he might have had more – while Zilys scored 27 points on seven 3-pointers, with several coming on Camara helpers. Camara led a terrific close to the first half when he found Zilys for two triples sandwiched around his own to give VA a 10-point halftime lead. One of those assists included a play where the shot clock was winding down but Camara showed great composure, patience and awareness to make the right read to Zilys. Camara was consistently making good passes out of pressure and doubles as he set up teammates for easy scores. He was also impactful defensively with four steals, including several poke-outs and one strip steal out of the post.
NEPSAC TOP 10: Newman cements status at No. 1
Dywane Chess, St. George’s
Class of 2026, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Bethlehem, Pa.
NCAA: Marist
Chess was a big factor in the Dragons’ 85-75 victory over Albany Academy. He had a 10-point stretch over a three-minute span in the first half that helped them gain separation, which included a physical three-point play and a straightaway triple. He also helped close the game when the Cadets made a late second-half run with two clutch buckets, including a long pull-up jumper that symbolized his growth and confidence in his shot. Chess finished with 18 points in the win.
Mert Gocer, Loomis Chaffee
Class of 2026, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
I had not previously seen Gocer, but he should be on everyone’s radar now after an electric 28-point, four-assist performance in a massive 72-69 win over Milton Academy. Gocer went 7-for-8 from 3-point range, including back-to-back triples that helped the Pelicans gain a double-digit lead that allowed them to hang on. Good things happened with the ball in Gocer’s hands down the stretch, which included one play where he caught a pass on the run, attracted two defenders at the rim on his drive and calmly shared it to teammate Nick Sangermano for two. He also made a sweet hesitation move for a bucket that put Loomis up seven with 3:22 to go. A member of Turkey’s 18U national team, Gocer has a mature feel for the game as a shifty, skilled lead guard with serious range from 3.
Johnny Keenan & Patrick Otey, St. Thomas More
Keenan: Class of 2026, 6-0 guard/Manhattan, N.Y.
Otey: Class of 2027, 6-5 guard/Westwood, Mass.
Keenan was the straw that stirred the drink for St. Thomas More in its impressive win over SPIRE Academy PG; the starting point guard committed just one turnover and while the box score says he finished with two assists, he definitely had more. He got downhill often and made good plays off the dribble, including an impressive lob to DJ Hawkins. He also scored 10 points, including on a pull-up mid-range jumper. Several of his assists came on buckets from Otey, who scored a game-high 31 points on efficient 12-for-15 shooting. He was clutch in the second half with several tough three-point plays, a smooth one-dribble pull-up, a long turnaround jumper and several no-look passes for scores in transition. He’s so gifted with the ball that it’s easy to take it for granted.
Jack Louridas, Albany Academy
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Delmar, N.Y.
NCAA: Yale
Louridas has been one of NEPSAC’s best shotmakers all winter, and he didn’t slow down in a 34-point performance to beat Lawrence Academy in Friday’s nightcap at AIC. He came up big in the second half, which included a stretch where he hit a pull-up, stepped into a wing 3 and made a difficult turnaround baseline jumper to go up eight. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, which included one offensive putback three-point play and a defensive board where he pushed the ball hard into transition and found a teammate with a perfectly-timed bounce pass for a bucket. Louridas went 11-for-12 from the foul line and was the difference-maker in a duel against Lawrence Academy star Alex Egbuonu.
PREP STARS: 10 standouts from the week of Jan. 12-19
Darren Moore, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Moore was the engine of a great NMH comeback on Saturday after the Hoggers fell behind early, 20-3, to Andrews Osborne with his combination of scoring ability, playmaking and hustle. He had a dominant stretch early in the second half, when he made a cut for a difficult reverse layup three-point play finish, then missed the free throw but tracked down the long rebound on the sideline and drew a foul. On the next play, he found Will Higgs for two before grabbing a steal and transition bucket to take a 32-29 lead. Moore finished with 14 points and seven boards in an eventual two-point loss, a day after he went a perfect 10-for-10 from the field against Hargrave Military Academy.
Kamai Samuels, Putnam Science
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Putnam actually fell behind, 14-0, to Mount Zion Prep in the game’s first five minutes on Sunday but Samuels was the spark as the Mustangs responded with a 15-0 run. He was getting to the rim at will, which included a crafty lefty finish, and he got to the free-throw line 10 times, making eight. Samuels hit an off-balanced half-court heave off the glass at the first-half buzzer that gave Putnam a 36-34 lead, and the Mustangs proceeded to roll to a 78-65 win. Samuels finished with 25 points, six rebounds and six steals.
Quick shouts
Here were some other noteworthy backcourt performances, based on extra observations and box score numbers.
Brimmer & May’s Windston Legentus (Raynham, Mass.) was really good over two wins for the Gators, including a 25-point performance (7-for-8 from 3) in a 66-60 victory over St. Andrew’s. … Hotchkiss guard Luke Schorr, a commit to Emory, scored 21 points on four 3-pointers in a dominant 62-32 win over Taft. … Uncommitted Mount St. Charles guard Ethan Ostane had 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting in a close loss to Wilbraham & Monson. …
In Frederick Gunn’s 69-58 win over Concord Academy, promising 2028 prospect Jah Reaves played all 32 minutes and contributed nine points and 14 rebounds, while uncommitted 2026 guard Zeb Runion (Canton, Conn.) had 16 points and four assists. … Colton Crowdis, an uncommitted 6-foot-4 guard from Bridgton, had 21 points and four 3-pointers in a one-point loss to OSL Prep. …
Springfield Commonwealth grabbed two double-digit victories over Andrews Osborne and Lee Academy behind its backcourt duo of Derrick Sheets (Manchester, Conn.) and RJ Walker. Sheets had 28 points on six 3-pointers and Walker scored 29 on four triples in the win over Andrews Osborne, and they combined for 35 points and eight assists against Lee. … EJ Ashby, a 6-foot guard in the 2027 class, scored 22 points on 10-for-15 shooting in Canterbury’s win over Brewster Academy Prep.
