SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Another Hoophall Classic weekend has passed, and once again, the future stars of college and pro hoops gave us a treat.
New England Basketball Journal was in attendance from Saturday morning through Monday afternoon. This tournament is such a unique assembling of basketball's next wave — almost every standout is the pride of their home region, just like those we cover locally. Beyond the players, the Hoophall Classic sold more than 10,500 tickets for the games at Springfield College's Blake Arena. That doesn't even include the dozens of men and women's college coaches (and NBA scouts) who perched in special reserved seating.
I had so many elite talents to choose from for this standouts list. Consider it a combination of the best performances of the weekend and the most notable names to remember as they continue their star ascensions. With the exception of one girl (who I missed play Friday but simply had to include here), all of these top players include some of my in-person observations. I also had the chance to talk with some of the players about their games afterwards.
Let's get to the list.
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian (Calif.)
Class of 2027, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Perris, Calif.
I'm extremely bummed I missed Smith play on Friday, and I hope she and Ontario Christian return (with a better timeslot) next year. She's one of those "Remember when she played here?" caliber of stars — maybe even near the level of JuJu Watkins, who I saw play in Springfield two years ago.
Smith racked up 26 points on just 13 shots, plus 12 assists and five steals — in front of UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who attended the game. She is so confident scoring at all three levels and getting into bag of dribble moves to create space. Sure, Smith is undersized, but her burst and developed shotmaking package are already on an elite level. There's a reason she's the first high school girls basketball player to ever sign an NIL deal with Adidas.
Two of the top freshmen in the country also play for Ontario Christian and deserve mention: Tatianna Griffin (26 points, eight assists, six steals, five rebounds) and Sydney Douglas (seven points, six rebounds, two blocks).
Mia and Mya Pauldo, Morris Catholic (N.J.)
Class of 2025, 5-5 guards
Hometown: Paterson, N.J.
NCAA: Tennessee
I've watched the Pauldo twins at Hoophall multiple times now. The popular duo (more than 37,000 followers on their shared Instagram) of top-50 prospects shined again, helping Morris Catholic overcome Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) in a physical, close game Saturday. Mia (17 points, seven assists) and Mya (16 points, three steals) showed their twin synergy and individual strengths. Mia is the more polished scorer and made some impressive skip passes and kick-outs. Mya was a fierce perimeter defender who consistently mucked up the opposing offense, even if it didn't always lead to steals. I asked Mya afterwards about how she approaches defense as a smaller guard.
"Try not to hack and reach, but, it's easy to read the defender — if a person is just all right (hand dominant), just force them to their weak hand and you know they're gonna come back to the other hand," she said. "So it's easy to just read that, and then you'll get the steal, or just get a deflection. That's how I read it."
Also, a brief shoutout to Archbishop Mitty's Abi James (18 points, 14 rebounds), who kept her team in the game with eight offensive rebounds. Remember Maliya Hunter (16 points, 6 rebounds) too — a freshman with offers from Cal and Santa Clara already.
Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Christopher Columbus (Fla.)
Class of 2025, 6-10 forward (Cameron) and 6-3 guard (Cayden)
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
NCAA: Duke (both)
The superstar sons (technically not twins) of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer gave two more sensational games in their third and final Hoophall appearances.
Cam, the third-ranked prospect in the country by ESPN and a legitimate No. 1 contender, averaged 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in Columbus' wins against Notre Dame (Calif.) and Perry (Ariz.). Against two other top forward prospects in Tyran Stokes (Notre Dame) and Koa Peat (Perry), Boozer looked in his own stratosphere. He's a fantastic cutter and inside scorer with his strong frame, he makes high-level passing reads out of the post, and he can pretty comfortably step out and hit 3s off of movement. Some believe Cam is the most polished prospect in his class, and he'll be a productive player in college and as a pro.
Cayden, ranked 17th by ESPN, sometimes flies under the radar for a 5-star recruit. But he's such a smart point guard who makes great decisions and stays active with and without the basketball. Cayden averaged 15 points and 7.5 assists with just three total turnovers this weekend, shooting 68.4 percent from the field.
Kelis Fisher, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Class of 2025, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
NCAA: UConn
UConn fans should be excited that the Huskies' long chain of dynamic guards adds a new link next season. Fisher, ranked 27th by ESPN, racked up an efficient 28 points, four rebounds and four assists in IMG's convincing win against Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) on Sunday. She shot 8-of-14 from the field and 11-of-12 at the free throw line, often blazing past the defense in the open floor for layups. Fisher's innate speed and ability to get points without dominating the ball should help her fit right in on a national championship contender.
"Obviously I play point guard, but other people could play point guard too," she said. "So just being able to play every spot on the floor. IMG has a lot of great players and a lot of great commitments of course. Everybody going to different colleges I feel like has helped prepare me, because when I get to college, who knows what position I'm gonna be? Who knows what position Coach Geno (Auriemma) will have me playing? I'm gonna have to be able to play with all the great players that are on the floor, and that's just not even UConn — that's just playing up, period."
IMG's roster is loaded, so it's worth mentioning some other standouts: 14th-ranked senior Deniya Prawl (13 points), 16th-ranked senior Lara Somfai (11 points, 5 rebounds) and 19th-ranked junior Kelsi Andrews (7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists). Long Island Lutheran received a great effort from 2026 guard Emily McDonald, who made six 3s as part of her 20 points.
AJ Dybantsa, Utah Prep
Class of 2025, 6-9 guard/forward
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
NCAA: BYU
I've written more extensively about Dybantsa's performance already, but the summary: he scored 25 points, though it wasn't his best game, and helped Utah Prep turn a terrible first half in to a competitive, 74-60 loss against Montverde Academy (Fla.). Even amidst all the other talent, Dybantsa's explosive athleticism and ability to shoot over practically anyone was simply unmatched. He also showed areas for improvement: shooting consistency, ball security on drives and defensive activity off the ball. But he's the top high school prospect in the country for a reason and on a special trajectory.
Darryn Peterson, Prolific Prep (Calif.)
Class of 2025, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Canto, Ohio
NCAA: Kansas
Speaking of unique athletes — Peterson practically floated up to the rim for some of his big dunks, part of a 61-57 loss to Highland (Va.) that was arguably the best game of the weekend. Peterson racked up 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He's great at mixing up his tempo with the ball and can either fly through the defense or slow things down. Peterson makes a lot of difficult scoring moves look too easy, which is a great sign for his future as a lead guard.
Nate Ament, Highland (Va.)
Class of 2025, 6-9 guard/forward
Hometown: Manassas, Va.
Highland knocked off a perennial national power with its win over Prolific Prep. Ament finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals, hitting both of his 3-point attempts. Anyone who watched Dybantsa play at Emmanuel in November might remember Ament, who was fantastic in that game. He doesn't dominate possessions, but his length, shooting touch and innate feel for the game help him contribute to winning in several different ways as a scorer, passer and defender. He's the top uncommitted senior in the nation.
Aliyahna "Puff" Morris, Etiwanda (Calif.)
Class of 2025, 5-5 guard
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
NCAA: Cal
Etiwanda scored one of the weekend's statement wins by taking down Incarante Word — owners of the longest win streak ever in girls basketball (141 games) — in a 74-65 battle Monday morning. Morris left everything she had on the court, often diving for loose balls and once flying deep into the baseline row of seats reserved for scouts. She was limping into the media room postgame, saying her foot was "on fire," but she still dropped 26 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Morris opened the game on fire and made four 3-pointers, but she also put serious effort into defending the ball. Like Mya Pauldo, Morris takes pride in playing defense as a smaller guard. Here are some her tips:
"(Larger guards) , they're probably not that fast, and if they're longer, I know their dribbles are a lot longer," Morris said. "I know their cross dribbles are way longer than mine. So I guess I just try to get as close as I can, as close as possible, to them, and then taking the opportunity while it's out here (up high). If I'm running from behind (and stealing), that's another thing I like to do."
Also notable for Etiwanda was Grace Knox. The sixth-ranked senior in the country and future LSU Tiger was a force inside, collecting 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Aliyah Phillips (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks) deserves a shoutout too.
Nevaeh Caffey, Incarnate Word (Mo.)
Class of 2025, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Warrenton, Mo.
NCAA: Indiana
Even in the loss, Caffey dazzled for Incarnate Word with a Hoophall Classic-high 32 points, plus seven rebounds. She didn't attempt a single 3-pointer, instead relentlessly attacking the basket for layups and fouls (12-for-12 on free throws). Caffey is great at getting to her crossover and then exploding by defenders, and she made a ton of smart, hard cuts that got rewarded. She's ranked No. 65 in the current senior class list, but I wouldn't overlook her when she gets to Indiana.
Kiyan Anthony, Long Island Lutheran
Class of 2025, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Middle Village, N.Y.
NCAA: Syracuse
Anthony, the son of Carmelo Anthony, was the leader of several NBA sons who shined at the Hoophall Classic. He played twice this weekend and looked much better than in his appearance a year ago. Anthony averaged 16.5 points in two Long Island Lutheran victories, with his dad in attendance on Sunday. He's a solid off-ball guard who keeps the possession moving with good passes and smart shots. I'm not projecting Anthony as some future star, but he was fun to watch.
Among the other such sons who played well were AZ Compass Prep starters Kaden and Kalek House (twin sons of Eddie House) as well as Adonis and Darius Ratliff (twin sons of Theo Ratliff, who came to watch them and Archbishop Stepinac). Jaxon Richardson logged 16 points and 10 rebounds for Christopher Columbus in front of his father, Jason Richardson, on Monday.
Bryce James was the second son of LeBron James to play in Springfield, and just like with Bronny, the crowd cheered every time Bryce James had the basketball. But he did a nice job of tuning out the noise on Saturday, tallying 16 points (four 3s), five rebounds and four steals in a Sierra Canyon (Calif.) win.
