College basketball season is almost upon us.
After last year's record-setting national buzz, the sport is in a great place. That includes New England, where several schools are routinely in the March Madness hunt.
Sure, UConn is the resident powerhouse and a national championship frontrunner. But Fairfield, Sacred Heat, Maine and Holy Cross all punched tickets to the NCAA Tournament last season, and even more schools contended for conference championships.
To get you ready for the 2024-25 season, we're highlighting the region's stars at each of the three umbrella position groups: guards, wings/forwards, and post players. Put them on your radar now for when they flex their talent during the winter.
Paige Bueckers, Kaitlyn Chen and Caroline Ducharme, UConn
The Huskies' roster is in its own stratosphere relative to the rest of New England. Every guard deserves to be highlighted — shoutout KK Arnold and Azzi Fudd, who are stars in their own right— but in the interest of spreading the love to other schools, we'll focus on these three.
Bueckers needs no introduction. The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft is one of the most recognizable names in basketball, period. The 6-foot point guard averaged 21.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.2 steals in her return from a torn ACL last season. One underrated note: Bueckers actually finished fourth in the Big East with 1.4 blocks per game.
Chen, a 5-foot-9 grad transfer, was one of the biggest names to hit the portal last spring. She had a stellar run at Princeton, winning Ivy League Player of the Year in 2022-23 and landing on the all-conference first team last season. Chen led Princeton to three consecutive March Madness appearances and ranks third in program history for career assists.
New England has followed Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) throughout her stellar prep school career at Nobles and her breakout freshman season with the Huskies in 2021-22. Unfortunately, Ducharme's collegiate career hit a roadblock as a sophomore when she sustained a concussion and has since been battling repeated head and neck injuries. The 6-foot-2 guard was forced to medically redshirt after four games last season. Though she won't be ready for UConn's season opener, Ducharme has been ramping back up and should be an impact player, health permitting.
Grace Arnolie, Brown
5-8, junior
Hometown: Vienna, Va.
Arnolie torched the Ivy League late last season. She pieced together two 24-point outings in February against Columbia and Harvard, two of the conference's top teams, and then ended with 25 points against Cornell and 20 more against Yale. Arnolie averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists on the season, helping Brown go 16-11 and just miss the Ivy playoffs. The Bears are a sleeper team to watch in a competitive league.
Janelle 'Nellie' Brown, Fairfield
5-6, graduate student
Hometown: Middle Island, N.Y.
Fairfield's rise to national relevance has corresponded with Brown's star leap. She won MAAC Player of the Year, averaging 13.8 points in just 24.8 minutes per game on 57.2/45.1/82.0 percent shooting splits. Along the way, Brown helped Fairfield to a historic 31-2 season, an undefeated run in conference play and the program's first AP ranking. She's electric with the ball in her hands and her vocal energy is contagious. Brown and the Stags should be even better this season.
Grace Efosa, Providence
5-11, graduate student
Hometown: Lawrence, Mass.
Efosa, a former star at Whittier Tech, saw her role and production take a sizeable leap forward last season. She logged a career-high 33.3 minutes per game and averaged 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. Efosa had taken just seven career 3-pointers before senior year; she made 15 of 41 attempts (36.6 percent) last season. Providence went 13-21 in its first year under coach Erin Batth and should take a step forward this season.
Alex Giannaros, Boston University
5-5, senior
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
One of the nation's best 3-point shooters grew up in New England. Giannaros led the country with an absurd 51.5 percent clip from behind the arc in 2022-23, then followed it up by shooting 42.4 percent last season. But the former Tabor standout is more than a sharpshooter; Giannaros landed on the All-Patriot League first team and led BU to its second conference championship appearance. BU has to re-tool this year, but Giannaros is a contender for conference Player of the Year.
Keira Hanson, Vermont
5-8, junior
Hometown: Issaquah, Wash.
Here's a breakout watch candidate. Hanson played just nine minutes as a freshman but cracked the rotation last year and started Vermont's final eight games. She averaged 8.1 points on the season but 11.3 in those eight starts, and she made 35.7 percent of her 3s in 2023-24. In Vermont's Great Eight win against Purdue during the WNIT, Hanson tallied 17 points and 5 rebounds, also making three of four 3-point attempts. She's on a great trajectory as the Catamounts seek an NCAA Tournament return.
Sophie Phillips, Rhode Island
6-0, senior
Hometown: Greenwich, N.Y.
We've got some shooters in this region. Phillips set Rhode Island's single-season 3s record with 89 makes last season; that also put her 15th in all of Division 1. Phillips had six games with at least five made 3-pointers and averaged 10.7 points per game. The Rams lost some significant pieces from last year's team, including their top three scorers, and Phillips is one of only two seniors on the roster.
Ny'Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart
5-3, junior
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Everyone loves a small guard who can dominate. Pryor reached 1,000 career points in just 57 games, the fastest to do so in team history and third-fastest in Northeast Conference history. She's 2-for-2 in winning NEC Player of the Year and helping Sacred Heart make two NCAA Tournaments. Pryor's 2023-24 line: 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds (you read that right!), 4.5 assists and 3.4 steals. Her compete level is off the charts.
T'yana Todd, Boston College
6-0, junior
Hometown: Vaughn, Ontario, Can.
The Eagles have struggled in the ACC recently, but they retained most of their talent from last year. Todd is among the building blocks after quietly making significant strides as a sophomore. She started 30 of 33 contests and averaged 11.8 points per game, making 48 threes at a 35.8 percent clip. Todd closed the season strong with a career-high 24 points in BC's ACC Tournament first-round win against Clemson. If she can keep ironing out some consistency, Todd can be a go-to scorer on a squad that needs her shooting prowess.
Harmoni Turner, Harvard
5-10, senior
Hometown: Mansfield, Tx.
Turner is a walking highlight reel and a frontrunner for Ivy League Player of the Year honors. Last year's per-game line: 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.2 steals, even while missing more than a month with a midseason knee injury. Turner's ability to change gears and get to any place she wants on the court is remarkable, and she's practically unguardable when her jumper is falling. Harvard should be in the running for an Ivy championship with Turner leading the way.
