The holidays represent a brief pause in the college basketball calendar as the nation resets for conference play. In less than two months, we've already seen the best of New England's basketball talent shine on regional and national stages.
Two AP Top 25 teams feature leaders from New England. Several more locals have orchestrated surprising program turnarounds, logged historic individual outings or turned heads with breakout seasons.
Among these 16 stars listed are five seniors or grad students, six juniors, four sophomores and even one freshman. It shows the consistency of this region in churning out Division 1 impact players. Three are also recent transfers who have found success at their new homes.
This week is the approximate start of conference play (some schools have begun, while others still have a nonconference game or two left). Here's a look at the best players from New England so far, entering Monday.
Carys Baker, Virginia Tech
Junior, 6-2 forward
Loomis Chaffee/West Hartford, Conn.
Baker has led the Hokies to an 11-3 record and 1-1 start in ACC play. She's posting 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and a block per game, maintaining a strong 38.1 percent 3-point clip. She ended the 2025 calendar year on a high note with three straight 20-plus-point efforts, including 21 points and nine rebounds in a big win over Florida State on Dec. 18. Baker is joined in the starting lineup by a fellow Connecticut native in sophomore Mackenzie Nelson (St. Luke's/Greenwich, Conn.), who's averaging 8.3 points and 6.5 assists.
Camryn Collins, Northeastern
Sophomore, 5-9 guard
Foxboro/Foxboro, Mass.
Collins has been a breath of fresh air for a Northeastern program that, at 4-6, has already eclipsed last year's three-win season. The transfer from Rider is leading the Huskies in scoring (12.4 points) while chipping in 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Collins' 11 points, five rebounds and four steals led Northeastern in a significant win over Boston College on Dec. 19. She's formed a dynamic duo with a fellow former MIAA state champion in Yirsy Queliz (St. Mary's/La Vega, Dominican Republic), who is second on the Huskies with 11.8 points per game.
Mia Fiore, Merrimack
Sophomore, 5-10 guard
St. George's/Narragansett, R.I.
Fiore has significantly leveled up in her second collegiate season, more than doubling her scoring average from 6.5 as a freshman to 13.8 this season. That's highlighted by a 24-point outburst in an ultimate 80-73 loss to Bryant on Nov. 19. Fiore and Merrimack (3-7) are now in the tougher MAAC and started conference play with a blowout loss to Fairfield. But there are signs of a positive trajectory with her and the program — and once again, she's not the only local standout on the team. Oralye Kiefer (Beaver/Wayland, Mass.) is averaging 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and a whopping 2.1 blocks as a grad transfer from Northeastern.
Caroline Lau, Northwestern
Senior, 5-9 guard
St. Luke's/Westport, Conn.
The nation's leading assister hails from New England. Lau is dishing out a whopping 9.2 dimes per game, helping the Wildcats to a 6-6 record. That included a season-high 14 assists in a loss to 23rd-ranked Ohio State on Dec. 7. Lau is also averaging 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Her 516 career assists now place her seventh in program history with a good chance to climb further.
Cate MacDonald, Dartmouth
Junior, 6-1 forward
New Hampton/Lynnfield, Mass.
Dartmouth's 8-4 start includes as many wins to date as the Big Green had all last season — and more than any other year since the pandemic. It's been a pleasantly surprising turnaround led by MacDonald, who paces the team with 10.5 points per game. MacDonald opened the season with 14 points and eight rebounds against Boston University, and later added a double-double against Siena, plus 14 points and nine rebounds against Central Connecticut — all wins. As Dartmouth gets into some tough Ivy League games, we'll see if MacDonald can keep it up.
Kailee McDonald, Fairleigh-Dickinson
Sophomore, 5-9 guard
Worcester Academy/Lowell, Mass.
The Knights (8-3) are the heavy favorites in the NEC and McDonald has given them even more of a boost with her sophomore breakout. She has started every game so far and is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, canning 37.6 percent of her 7.7 3-point attempts per game. McDonald just tallied 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals against Div. 3 Ursinus on Dec. 20. She drained seven 3s as part of a 23-point effort in a 69-61 win over Lafayette on Dec. 4.
Taina Mair, Duke
Senior, 5-9 guard
Brooks/Dorchester, Mass.
It was a rocky start for the Blue Devils (7-6) as they lost four straight games against some of the nation's top teams, but they've rebounded since and ride a four-game win streak. Mair is laying down her most productive season yet with career highs in points (11.8), rebounds (5.1) and steals (2.4), plus a healthy 5.2 assists per game. She's one of only five Duke players ever to surpass 1,000 career points and 500 assists.
Mia Mancini, Bryant
Junior, 5-6 guard
New Hampton/Mansfield, Mass.
Mancini's flamethrower status has helped Bryant surge to a 10-3 start and put them as legitimate members of the America East championship conversation. She's hit 32 of 84 3-point attempts (38.1 percent) and paces the Bulldogs in scoring (14.8 points) and assists (4.7). Mancini erupted for 28 points in Bryant's big 80-71 win over Boston College on Dec. 9.
She's one of three New England natives making a big impact. Maranda Nyborg (Bethel/Bethel, Conn.) averages 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in the starting lineup. Freshman Izzy Adams (Dexter Southfield/Walpole, Mass.), a late reclass, has hit 50 percent of her 3s and is averaging 6.8 points off the bench.
Jordan Obi, Kentucky
Graduate student, 6-1 guard/forward
Choate/Hartford, Conn.
It's been a long wait to see Obi in the SEC after she transferred from Penn, then missed all of last season with an ACL injury. But she's been among the most impactful members of the No. 11 team in the nation, averaging 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds while starting every contest. Obi logged a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double against Belmont and tallied 17 points and eight rebounds against Purdue. Kentucky (12-1) is seventh in the NET rankings with a key win over Louisville and should be a fixture in the March Madness conversation. Elite freshman prospect Kaelyn Carroll (Tabor/Dedham, Mass.) is averaging 6.1 points off the bench.
Oluchi Okananwa, Maryland
Junior, 5-10 guard
Worcester Academy/Peabody, Mass.
By my estimation, Okananwa is the leading per-game scorer among New England natives at 15.5 points per game. She's taken over as the engine of the undefeated, seventh-ranked Terrapins (13-0), also adding 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Okananwa's 25 points helped Maryland survive a double-overtime thriller against Minnesota on Dec. 7, and she's coming off 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a Dec. 19 blowout of Central Connecticut. Her on-court tenacity and her "Gucci Luchi" moniker have made her one of the stars of college hoops.
Megan Olbrys, UMass
Senior, 6-1 forward
Norwood/Norwood, Mass.
The Minutewomen have been arguably the mguccost noteworthy breakout program in New England this winter, racing to an 8-2 start. Olbrys leads the squad in rebounds (7.8) and sits second in points (15.3) as an assertive post player. Her 24-point, 12-rebound double-double spearheaded a 61-52 takedown of Boston College on Nov. 22. She's one of three starters who hail from New England, along with Ayanna Franks (Windsor/Windsor, Conn.) and Chineye Odenigbo (Nobles/Walpole, Mass.)
Grace Oliver, Wake Forest
Sophomore, 6-1 forward
Nobles/Norwell, Mass.Â
Oliver just gave us a masterclass: 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists on perfect, 14-for-14 shooting from the field in a 78-66 win against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 22. She's the first ACC player to shoot 14-of-14 or better and it's only the ninth known occurrence in Div. 1 women's history. The Demon Deacons (11-3) have won more games than in either of their previous two season, and Oliver's transfer from Colorado has helped swing the tide. She's averaging a team-high 14.1 points to go with 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
Brooke Paquette, Stonehill
Junior, 5-8 guard
Bishop Guertin/Hudson, N.H.
Paquette just captured NEC Player of the Week honors, averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds in the Skyhawks' two most recent games. On the season, she's putting up 13.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game as Stonehill (4-7) approaches conference play. Paquette is the star on a local-heavy Skyhawks roster. Freshman Ella Pelletier (Oxford Hills/South Paris, Maine) has earned three stars and is averaging 9.2 points per game. Sophomore Julia Webster (Bishop Feehan/Cumberland, R.I.) has her own breakout season going as a starter with 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Christina Pham, Fairfield
Freshman, 5-7 guard
Nobles/South Boston, Mass.
Has Pham been the most impactful freshman from New England so far? She's averaging 8.8 points, third-most on the team, in just 18.8 minutes off the bench. She's shooting a pristine 47.3 percent from behind the arc, tied for 17th-best in the country. She's also erupted for 18 points (six 3s) against Richmond and 17 points (five 3s) against South Florida. Fairfield is 8-3 and 40th in the NET rankings as one of the nation's top mid-major programs.
Rachel Ullstrom, Richmond
Senior, 6-1 guard
Marianapolis/Auburn, Mass.
Speaking of sharpshooters — Ullstrom sits 32nd in the nation with 2.9 3-pointers per game, hitting at a 37.4 percent clip. She's guiding a Spiders team to an 11-3 record and a current No. 45 NET ranking entering Monday. Ullstrom is putting up 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on the year. With 1,332 career points, she's now 14th in program history and has a chance at cracking the top 10.
Abigail Wright, Harvard
Junior, 6-1 forward
Newton North/Newton, Mass.
The Crimson needed players to step up after graduating stars Harmoni Turner and Elena Rodriguez from last season's NCAA Tournament team. Enter Wright, who leads the squad in points (15.2) and rebounds (7.1) after coming off the bench last year. Wright has scored 20 or more points on four occasions, including a monster 23-point, 13-rebound double-double in a Nov. 19 overtime win against Boston College. She's helped keep Harvard in the Ivy League championship conversation as conference play begins.
10 more impact players: Ahnay Adams (Miami/New Bedford, Mass.), Charlotte Adams-Lopez (Brown/North Attleboro, Mass.), Shay Bollin (Wisconsin/Raynham, Mass.), Kendall Eddy (Holy Cross/Haverhill, Mass.), Anna Foley (Quinnipiac/Andover, Mass.), Orlagh Gormley (Providence/Quincy, Mass.), Lana McCarthy (Purdue/Bedford, N.H.), Colleen Phiri (George Washington/Haverhill, Mass.), Thalia Shepard (Towson/Boston, Mass.), Sophia Vital (Rhode Island/Cambridge, Mass.)
