The clock keeps counting down towards the start of college basketball action, and New England has no shortage of talent and storylines among its Division 1 teams.
UConn obviously commands attention after yet another national championship last season. But the region has several legitimate stars beyond the Huskies, including some players you might remember from NCAA Tournament teams in recent years.
In our preview of the college season so far, we've highlighted freshmen from New England's 2025 high school class who could make an impact. We've listed the must-follow stars around the country with ties to this region. Now it's time to look at the local schools. Which players will lead their teams through successful seasons?
Here are 12 you should know as you plan out your college basketball viewer experience.
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Graduate student, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Arlington, Va.
Fudd returned from a junior year ACL tear and proved pivotal to UConn's dream season, scoring 24 points in the national championship victory over South Carolina. She's one of the nation's best perimeter scorers and averaged 13.8 points on a pristine 44.6 percent 3-point clip last season. Fudd has even more runway to shine as a lead guard this season with Paige Bueckers now in the WNBA.
One of the true superstars of college basketball, Fudd has more than 680,000 Instagram followers and a slew of high-profile endorsement deals. She's a projected top-five pick in next year's WNBA Draft.
Sarah Strong, UConn
Sophomore, 6-foot-2 forward
Hometown: Durham, N.C.
Consider where Strong ranks in UConn freshman program records: second in points (657), first in rebounds (356), second in assists (142) and second in steals (92). Strong is off to arguably the best start of any Husky ever; she set the national record for points in an NCAA Tournament by a freshman with 114.
Her season per-game averages came out to 16.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks (in less than 30 minutes per game) while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent behind the arc. She's the Big East preseason player of the year and has the overall skill set to take over any game. And if you didn't already know this fun fact, Strong is the daughter of Harvard women's basketball legend Allison Feaster.
We're limiting this list to two UConn players, but obviously there are several elite talents in Storrs. Two of my favorite players I've watched in high school at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield are suiting up for the Huskies: freshman Kelis Fisher and sophomore transfer Kayleigh Heckel.
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield
Junior, 6-foot-1 forward
Hometown: Wantagh, N.Y.
Andersen epitomizes what Fairfield has become as a premier mid-major power. She's a "Road Runner" — the Stags' term for their forward-post player types who are athletic and versatile — and she led the team in scoring (14.8 points) en route to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. And just as notable, Andersen has stayed at Fairfield instead of transferring to a high-major program. Fairfield, remarkably, didn't lose a single player to the portal this offseason.
The MAAC Preseason Player of the Year should have the Stags in national Top 25 contention as the heavy favorites to three-peat in the conference.
Teneisia Brown, Providence
Graduate student, 6-foot-2 forward
Hometown: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Providence lost the bulk of its scoring and experience from last year. But the Friars went searching in the transfer portal and found some splash additions highlighted by Brown. She led Fairleigh Dickinson to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, averaging 15.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Brown captured NEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-NEC First Team honors as a senior.
Brown actually has some more local ties. She was a NEPSAC Class AA All-Star at St. Andrew's in 2020 and also played her first two collegiate seasons at Merrimack.
Eva DeChent, New Hampshire
Junior, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Westchester, N.Y.
DeChent found new life after transferring to UNH from Rhode Island. She led America East in scoring at 17.8 points per game, including two 34-point eruptions against BU and Dartmouth during nonconference play. DeChent also averaged 1.8 steals and 4.2 rebounds. UNH went 10-20 last season, but it was actually the first double-digit win total for the program since 2019-20, and it seems like the Wildcats are headed in a positive direction under second-year coach Megan Shoniker.
Kaitlyn Flanagan, Holy Cross
Senior, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Flanagan has been a core member of the Crusaders throughout her college career, starting every single game and averaging at least 30 minutes across all three seasons. She averaged a career-high 9.7 points and 5.2 assists per game as a junior to make the All-Patriot League Second Team. Flanagan also was part of Holy Cross' two NCAA Tournament runs as a freshman and sophomore. She landed on this winter's preseason all-conference team, and the Crusaders are ranked third in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Catherine Gilwee, Vermont
Graduate student, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Shelburne, Vt.
Gilwee barely missed on our list of New England-native stars to watch, but she deserves recognition both for her local ties and her place at UVM. Though she took a step back in efficiency, Gilwee still averaged 8.1 points and a career-high 3.8 assists per game as a starter, making the All-America East Second Team. She's a preseason all-conference member who enters the season 10th in program history at 319 assists.
Saniyah Glenn-Bello, Harvard
Senior, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
It'll be a tall task for Harvard to follow up last year's Ivy League title-winning season without superstar guard Harmoni Turner and versatile forward Elena Rodriguez. But the Crimson have much of the supporting cast back, including versatile wings and forwards like Glenn-Bello, Gabby Anderson and Newton, Mass., native Abigail Wright. I think Glenn-Bello is in line for a boost as a scorer and playmaker. She averaged 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds last year, but Glenn-Bello can be dangerous attacking on drives and can get hot behind the arc on the right night.
Also keep an eye out for freshman Aubrey Shaw, a top-75 recruit nationally and a big get for Harvard coach Carrie Moore.
Jackie Grisdale, Quinnipiac
Graduate student, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Poland, Ohio
We already highlighted Andover, Mass., native Anna Foley, but she and Grisdale form the 1-2 punch that has Quinnipiac ranked second in the MAAC preseason poll. Grisdale landed on the All-MAAC Third Team last season, averaging 10.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She's another elite perimeter shooter and canned 40.1 percent of her 187 attempts last year.
Teonni McDaniel, Boston College
Graduate student, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
BC's roster is a complete wild card; after losing a whopping 10 players to the portal, the Eagles have just two returners. McDaniel looks like she'll be an important piece and has a fascinating college basketball journey. She played sparingly at Hawaii and Northern Arizona, then transferred to NAIA school Georgetown College in Kentucky. There, she found her footing, averaging 14 points across two seasons, and now makes the big leap back up to the ACC.
"(Georgetown College) helped me a whole lot, even as far as just getting burn. My freshman year, I redshirted, and then sophomore year I got a little burn — not too much," McDaniel said at BC's media day Thursday. "But the last two years at Georgetown College were really good for me just being able to play, see where I was at as a basketball player, and I'm very thankful for being able to play there and figure it out."
New England doesn't have many NAIA programs and going from that level to Power Four basketball is rare. But McDaniel scored 23 points in a recent exhibition loss against UConn. If she does break out, she'll be one of the cooler storylines in the region.
Yahmani Mckayle, UMass
Sophomore, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Queens, N.Y.
Mckayle was a fun breakout sensation amid a resurgent season for the Minutewomen. She opened the year as a starter, lost that role, returned to the starting lineup on Jan. 29 and never looked back, posting double-digit scoring efforts in 11 of her last 12 games. In UMass' WNIT game against Stonehill, Mckayle became the third player in team history to post a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. She averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
Adrianna Smith, Maine
Graduate student, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Reston, Va.
Perhaps the most significant comeback story in New England Division 1 women's basketball is Smith, who returns to the court after missing all of last season with an ACL injury. Clearly, America East didn't forget her, as Smith is already back on the preseason all-conference team. Two years ago she averaged 16.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists with a conference-record 22 double-doubles, and that was after being named America East Player of the Year as a sophomore. It could take Smith time to ramp back up to game comfort, but she's one of the biggest stars in the region and a must-follow story.
