ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — For our New England coverage purposes, the Atlantic City Showcase is probably the most important event on the grassroots girls basketball calendar.
This is the only live period showcase that routinely draws almost every major program from the region. And more than ever, May is feeling like the first true high-stakes live period of the season. From Power Four stalwarts to local Division 3 destinations, college coaching staffs pinballed around dozens of courts all weekend.
So did I. By my count, I watched 28 New England club teams between arriving on Friday and departing late Sunday morning. It was a fantastic way to learn about the current and future waves of prospect talent.
However, it meant I had to make some concessions. Though I try to watch full games whenever I can, to fit in so many teams, I needed to limit myself to halves in several instances. It also meant that I saw, at most, 1-to-1.5 games of any one team — and everyone played at least four games. I surely missed some big performances, so after my standouts below, I’ll also note some players who caught the eyes of others at the showcase.
You'll see players ranging from future high-major stars to quality Division 3 prospects listed. It doesn't matter the future level; if a player was exceptional and I saw it, I wrote them down. Let’s get this week of recaps started with the 2027 class, who enters its final season on the grassroots circuit.
Sam Barton, MCW Starz P24
5-10 wing
Dexter Southfield/Reading, Mass.
It is very easy to project to a college role at some level if you can hits 3s, attack open space and defend with discipline. Barton showed all three traits and punctuated MCW’s weekend with a game-winning long runner Sunday morning in a 55-53 triumph against United NJ.
She’s a reliable shooter and was particularly dangerous from the corners. Barton can drive the baseline with success and she cuts well around MCW’s lead ball-handlers. I also caught some nice defensive contests at the rim without fouling. Barton has missed a lot of time over the last two seasons while recovering from an ACL injury, but that makes her an underrated prospect who has really impressed me this spring.
Jordyn Crump, Maine Firecrackers S40
5-8 guard
Biddeford/Biddeford, Maine
NCAA: Colgate
Maine took care of business Saturday against the Bay State Jaguars' UA Rise Gold team, and Crump showed off the guard versatility that has her bound for Division 1. She's quick and strong at her size, and she'll battle on the glass. I saw Crump swoop in for one offensive rebound and make a quick dump-off pass to Annie Whitmore (who I also think is very good) for an easy layup. Crump also found a backdoor cutter later on for an assist.
Maeve Early, iBelieve S40
5-10 wing
Marianapolis/North Brookfield, Mass.
iBelieve’s second 17U team has been on a tear this spring, so I wanted to check them out for a game. Early can do a little bit of everything. She’s probably best as a 3 or 4, but she can handle the ball, drive and knock down perimeter shots off the catch. She sees the floor well and is someone her team can trust to facilitate. Early’s hustle on the glass stood out most to me Friday with a few putback scores.
Riley Hamilton, Bay State Jaguars UA Rise Black
5-11 wing
Dexter Southfield/Lexington, Mass.
I thought Hamilton sealed Saturday’s evening blowout win for her squad. She racked up a handful of fast break scores and connected behind the arc. I also thought Hamilton seemed stronger, and she played quality defense both on the ball and in ball screen action — particularly forcing a turnover with Sara Santimaw while defending one possession. I’ve long appreciated Hamilton’s versatility and consistent effort.
Paola Kanoute, iBelieve Elite P24
6-3 wing
Putnam Science/Brignolles, France
I can’t wait to see what the recruiting fallout is for Kanoute, who had a lone offer from Boston University entering the weekend. Her iBelieve team went 3-1 and she again showed off remarkable speed and agility at her size.
Kanoute consistently beat opposing forwards off the dribble and outran pretty much everyone on fast breaks. She keeps her head up on drives too and had a few high-level assists. Kanoute’s left 3-point shot is streaky, but she has natural touch and I would bet on the growth. She has active hands on defense and can keep quicker players in front of her. Those are all the bullet points to support that she’s an incredibly interesting prospect.
Avery Littlefield, New England Storm S40
5-6 guard
Dover/Dover, N.H.
Littlefield is one of the best catch-and-shoot 3-point snipers in New England, period. Every time I watch her, it’s mind-boggling how someone so quiet and so far under the radar can torch teams behind the arc. I think Littlefield had roughly five or six made 3s when I watched on Saturday, then she made seven more threes and scored 27 points in Storm’s Sunday game. Littlefield almost looks bored shooting 3s because it’s so easy. She makes some smart passing reads too when defenders can deter a shot.
Corinne Lomax, Mass Rivals 3SSB
6-0 forward
Tabor/Watertown, Conn.
I counted three monster closeout blocks by Lomax in Rivals’ win against Team Northeast on Saturday. We already knew this, but Lomax is just an otherworldly athlete and can cover remarkable ground as a helper on defender or a transition scorer. She flew down the open floor for layups and also showed some nice touch on short floaters, including one after a great assist from Lily Davis.
This game showed off most of Lomax’s primary strengths and underscored why she’s our second-ranked prospect in the class.
Celia Neilson, MCW Starz P24
6-0 guard
Tilton/Georgetown, Mass.
Neilson put the team on her back when MCW Starz recovered to beat Western PA Bruins, 55-50, on Friday. We got to see her signature strength: a relentless motor that manifested via rebounds on both ends and tough driving scores. Neilson attacks open lanes, loves getting to her Eurostep and is unbothered by traffic in the paint. She made a solid pivot and pass to a cutting Barton as well.
Neilson plans to join Tilton for a postgrad year after capturing the MIAA Div. 3 title at Bishop Fenwick this winter. She had some Div. 1 offers at points last summer and I expect she’ll rekindle more interest.
Lucianna Parrotta, Mass Rivals 3SSB
6-0 forward
Sacred Heart/Armonk, N.Y.
Parrotta has gotten so much physically stronger in the last year-plus. It's helped her as a defender, where she can wall up driving opponents in the paint and block or alter most shots she guards. Parrotta also attacked drives hard when I watched Saturday, getting to a floater via a spin move and pivoting into a short jumper. I've known Parrotta for her mobility + long-arm combination on defense, plus being a solid secondary scorer, but a boost in strength and power elevates her as a Division 1 talent.
Maliah Pierre, Bay State Jaguars UA Rise Black
5-10 wing
Whitman-Hanson/Hanson, Mass.
Pierre helped the Jaguars break Saturday’s 66-42 victory over Team Northeast S40 wide open with a 10-0 early run. Her natural burst popped right away during some transition sequences and quick drives. Pierre also worked for rebounds and showed good touch on off-balance and reverse layups. She’s coming off a great junior year at Whitman-Hanson and I think the grassroots setting helps show off her speed and attacking mindset even further.
Kelsie Rivard, Lone Wolf Athletics
5-10 (estimate) forward
Hazen/Hardwick, Vt.
Lone Wolf was actually my first viewing of the weekend and Rivard started it off right on Friday. She opened with two comfortable mid-range jumpers and later had some strong drives to the basket, including an and-1 bucket. Rivard moves well without the ball, highlighted by a give-and-go sequence with a face cut for a layup. She took contact well and made some smart transition passes.
Skyelyn Schoen-Rene, CBC New Haven
5-11 wing
Choate/Colchester, Conn.
I feel bad watching teams’ 8 a.m. games, and CBC spent the first half of Saturday morning still waking up and trying to crack a difficult opposing zone. But Schoen-Rene was locked in from the jump, helping spearhead a comeback, 49-48 win against Northeast Revolt United and hitting the winning layup in the final seconds.
Her two-way effort level was phenomenal. Schoen-Rene is quick laterally when defending on the ball. She also read a pick-and-roll to recover back for a steal and fought against taller foes in the post. Offensively, she was a huge help as a middle passer and baseline cutter in zone offense. Schoen-Rene showed some craft finishing around the basket as well and hit a 3 off the catch. This was an eye-opening performance for me, and I think Schoen-Rene is one of the more underrated wings in this class.
Best I didn't see:Â I'm extremely bummed I missed iBelieve P24's 61-59 thriller against SLAAM. Kendra Foy (Bethel, Conn.) gave her team the winning bucket on a sweet pull-up mid-range jumper, then sealed it by forcing a turnover defending on-ball. She drew praise from other folks in attendance this weekend. ... Kam Derba (MCW Starz P24/South Easton, Mass.) also caught fire behind the arc and earned love with some big games.
Quick shouts: Among our region's top 2027 prospects: Bella Owumi (MCW Starz P24/Lynn, Mass.) and Alannah Baehr (CBC New Haven/Colchester, Conn.) were solid by their high standards when I watched. ... Anna Moser (Team Northeast/Rutland, Vt.) unfortunately got hurt Saturday, but in the two-ish minutes I caught on Friday, she was flying around the court and making big-time shots.
... I continue to appreciate Delaney Bonneau (BCRI/Narragansett, R.I.) for her blend of perimeter shooting and high-I.Q. passing as a shooting guard. ... Charlotte Theriault (CBC Fairfield/Palmer, Mass.) showed a willingness to attack the basket hard and embrace contact as a strong wing, and she also hit some deep pull-up 3s. ... Kaylee Maier (NE Storm/Dracut, Mass.) is a great on-ball guard, but she consistently got open by moving intentionally without the ball this weekend too. ... Zariah Ottley (Rockland, Mass.) and Gabby Middleton (Stoughton, Mass.) both had big moments late Sunday to help the Bay State Jaguars fend off iBelieve. Ottley was huge on the offensive boards, and Middleton created space with her handle and drives. ... Lastly, Diziha James (Bronx, N.Y.) has no ties to New England, but I was watching Pivot Elite for another local player and came away super impressed by her. She was one of the best driving and finishing guards I saw over the weekend.
