BEST OF ’24: Our top stories of the calendar year

Cooper Flagg is the pride of Newport, Maine, and is headed to play basketball at Duke next. (Brian Spurlock/Getty Images)

When 2024 began, New England Basketball Journal didn’t exist.

But as the calendar flips to 2025, we’ve been fortunate to hit the ground running as a new member of the New England hoops scene. Since our launch in July, we’ve covered many of the players, teams and storylines that define this intricate, passionate community.

There’s so much to explore in basketball at the high school, prep school, grassroots and college levels. From powerful profiles to in-depth topical investigations, we’ve aimed to give our readers the stories they should know about in this region.

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite pieces from 2024.

Cooper Flagg lights the way in Maine

Our inaugural cover highlighted Flagg, a Newport, Maine, native and a generational athlete for the state. He’s now shining as a freshman at Duke and is the projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

But Flagg’s legacy is already sealed in his home state, where a wave of young hoopers believe their dreams are now possible, too.

“These kids, they believe in themselves,” said Shawn Pelletier, a Maine resident and father of four. “Before it was always like, no kid from Maine is ever going to play high-level basketball or make an impact or even play in the NBA. And Cooper comes along. He’s given them that hope that hey, maybe I can do this.”

Read Steve Hewitt’s Summer 2024 cover story.

AJ Dybantsa keeps family close in his star rise

Dybantsa joins Flagg as the 1-2 punch of New England basketball beacons. The Brockton, Mass., native is the top boys high school prospect in the country and the expected 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick.

Dybantsa plays far from home at Utah Prep and he recently committed to BYU. But the hype and travel haven’t shaken the tight-knit Dybantsa family. They’re led by Ace Dybantsa, a native of the Congo who also lived in France before coming to the United States, and Chelsea Dybantsa, who immigrated to the country from Jamaica as a teenager.

“Our life’s definitely gonna change,” Ace said. “I understand that. Us? Our people? No. We’re still humble. We’re a humble family.”

Read Ethan Fuller’s feature story.

Unpacking the complicated truths about verbal scholarship offers

Every aspiring college basketball player is chasing a scholarship, and the verbal offer has become a cornerstone of the frenzied world of recruiting.

But how do colleges go about giving verbal offers? Why do verbal offers get pulled? And what do they really mean for young athletes?

“I’ve seen some (colleges) very particular with their offers that they have go out, and I’ve seen some schools let them things fly,” Shooting Touch AAU coach Vinh Bui said. “Handing them out like cars on the ‘Oprah’ show.”

Read Ethan Fuller’s deep dive.

Jay Jones is stepping out from under his father’s coaching shadow

Jones, a star guard at Cushing and a Penn commit, has carved his path as one of the premier guards in New England’s 2025 class.

But being the son of a coach — in this case, Boston University men’s coach Joe Jones — can be daunting.

“Kids and some adults would be like, ‘Oh, he’s just going to go to BU. He’s set. He doesn’t really have to work as hard as everybody else,’” Jay said.

Read Steve Hewitt’s feature on their father-son bond.

Ella Peper is specially talented and obsessed with basketball

She has double-digit high-major scholarship offers and is on ESPN’s national watch list, all as a freshman. And she can dunk.

The spotlight on a young phenom like Peper (Newton, Mass.) can be daunting. But Peper’s family is making sure she’s still having fun with basketball — and she is.

“I can’t go a day and a half without touching a basketball,” Peper said. “It’s weird to say, but I crave touching a basketball. I crave playing.”

Read Ethan Fuller’s profile.

Middlesex Magic’s Hoop Group squad stole the show

The Magic’s HGSL 17U team is technically their secondary team in the AAU program. But led by coach Lambros Papalambros, they did the most winning of any top local team, capturing the Hoop Group championship this summer.

“It’s massive to me to have one of the best teams in the country on the Under Armour circuit, and then say your second team is probably the best independent team in the country,” program director Mike Crotty said.

Steve Hewitt detailed their championship run.

Ahnay Adams — and her mom, Tysha Gordon — have written their own story

Adams grew up in New Bedford, Mass., in the heart of a community that was heavily defined by violence and gang activity — a world that Gordon struggled to separate herself from.

That didn’t stop Adams from becoming a three-time New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year at Tilton and earning her current spot at Miami. And over time, Gordon took control of her own life and career, inspired by her daughter.

“She’s kind of like my inspiration, because I look at her and I’m just like: Every card that was dealt to you … she rose above,” Gordon said.

Read Ethan Fuller’s feature story.

How Ryder Frost worked his way to elite prospect status

Frost, from Beverly, Mass., has always had special talent, from his sixth grade travel team to Phillips Exeter.

But his work behind the scenes put him on the map as one of the country’s best perimeter marksmen. It led to a massive 2024 summer that resulted in Frost’s Notre Dame commitment.

“Just not wanting to ever look back and say I wish I put in more effort or I wish I worked harder at this or I wish I did this differently,” Frost said. “That’s not a feeling I want to have, looking back in the future and saying I could have done more.”

Read Steve Hewitt’s profile of Frost.

Tabor girls embark 2024-25 season on a ‘revenge tour’

Kaelyn Carroll (Dedham, Mass.), Ava Black (Auburn, N.H.) and Liv Rodrigues (Dennis Port, Mass.) are three of the top prospects in New England. Injuries had kept them from playing together for more than a calendar year.

Now, the seniors are back and healthy for one last season together. They’re hoping to lead top-ranked Tabor to its first NEPSAC championship since 2021-22, their freshman year.

““We went into it winning,” Carroll said, “so to go out of it winning would be really cool.”

Read Ethan Fuller’s fall cover story.

Inside Newman’s vision for building a prep powerhouse in Boston

In less than five years, Newman has risen from completely off the basketball map into one of New England’s premier prep boys programs. The Cardinals are currently atop our NEPSAC Boys Power Rankings.

Their sudden rise is a product of a vision led by self-proclaimed “basketball architect” John Carroll and head coach Jackson Johnson.

“The wheels are greased, the roads are paved,” Carroll said. “We’re really ready for takeoff here.”

Read Steve Hewitt’s feature story.

Why Kat Cheesebro, one of New England’s brightest stars, won’t play college hoops

Cheesebro could surpass Dartmouth’s all-time scoring record this winter. But before the season even began, she had made up her mind: she didn’t want to play basketball in college.

Why would Cheesebro make such a decision? How would Cheesebro tell her parents, who had spent tens of thousands of dollars supporting her high school and AAU careers?

“I’m not an emotional person, really, like, at all,” she said. “So telling (my dad) — I broke down crying. I was very emotional during it because I didn’t want to upset him and make him think less of me for not wanting to play.”

Read Ethan Fuller’s feature story.

How Malden Catholic star Matt Gaffney became one of the region’s greatest winners

Gaffney has passed over prep school opportunities to stay in the MIAA with the Lancers. He hopes to leave a lasting legacy at MC by capping his high school career with a fourth consecutive state championship.

The 5-foot-11 guard has needed to prove himself throughout his basketball career, and it’s made him a relentless competitor.

“Every time I step on the court, no one expects me to be good. No one thinks I’m good,” Gaffney said. “I don’t look the part necessarily, but I have to work for it.”

Read Steve Hewitt’s profile of Gaffney.