GREENWICH, Conn. — This weekend's NEPSAC Girls Scholastic Showcase gave us a teaser at the talent that'll take the floor this winter.
The scholastic showcase is a unique event that I've come to really enjoy covering. Prep school coaches can lead their teams in the offseason. Most of the matchups scheduled made sense and resulted in competitive hoops. Parents are not allowed to watch, so the courts are lined solely with NEPSAC teams and college coaches – and this live recruiting event was well-attended from the Power Four to Division 3 levels.
I bopped around Greenwich Country Day's three courts for all of Thursday and most of Friday's action. I was not in attendance Saturday and fit in most, but not all, of the schools competing Thursday and Friday. Dexter Southfield, Northfield Mount Hermon, Kimball Union/Proctor and Milton Academy were among my toughest missed viewings.
That being said — I watched a ton of schools and athletes thrive in this environment. Here are the Class of 2026 stars who shined in front of me, listed alphabetically.
Fope Ayo, Austin Prep
6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
I — and some college coaches I chatted with — marveled at how much Ayo, the No. 34 recruit in ESPN's 2026 class, has improved just in the last calendar year. She's quicker and near-automatic turning and finishing from the left low block. Ayo consistently sealed defenders and earned a bunch of easy high-low passes that led to layups. She runs the floor hard and we already know how imposing she is as a rim-protector.
My biggest Ayo takeaway: she hangs tougher guarding the perimeter than I knew. Ayo had to defend a few smaller, faster forwards who could handle the ball and shoot, and I was quite impressed by how she stuck with them and picked up a couple of 3-point blocks. Her continuing fulfillment of her athletic potential is why high-majors continue to buy in.
Brynn Bryant, Nobles
5-6 guard
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
Bryant established herself as one of NEPSAC's elite perimeter defenders last year and backed it up last week. But she really floored me Thursday with her confidence as a lead playmaker. Bryant caught fire behind the arc and rained quick catch-and-shoot 3s against both New Hampton and Hoosac. I also loved her reads out of drives; Bryant had one strong moment where she attacked a closeout from the arc, read the help and dumped off an easy bounce pass to Aliyah Allston-Pujols for a layup. She's further along as a shooter and passer than I realized, which should really help Nobles as it looks for scoring following the graduation of last year's senior stars.
Chloe Dix, New Hampton
5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Dix, a new transfer with plenty of high-level basketball experience in Australia, looks like she could make an immediate impact. She's a strong wing who confidently attacks smaller defenders on drives to the basket. Dix moves well without the ball, highlighted by a cutting score from a Serenity Lancaster assist on Thursday, and she knocked down a wing 3-pointer Friday. She also applied quality physical ball pressure defending 1-on-1. New Hampton seems to have noticeably upped its depth on the wing ahead of next season.
Isys Dunphy, Cushing
5-10 guard/forward
Hometown: Barrington, R.I.
Dunphy played on a Cushing and Lawrence Academy pairing and I liked her energy when I watched, especially for it being an 8 a.m. matchup with Thayer/St. Mark's. Her active ball pressure frustrated the opposing guards, but she also denied a post entry pass that led to a steal and made a bunch of plays in transition. I didn't see a ton of her shooting (more just due to game flow), but Dunphy did knock down a left baseline jumper. Her defensive versatility and overall motor made a difference.
Serenity Lancaster, New Hampton
6-2 forward
Hometown: New London, Conn.
In two New Hampton games I watched, Lancaster demonstrated the versatility that places her among the region's top prospects. She swatted a shot defending a 1-on-1 drive from elite Nobles guard Alannah Morantus. She protected the rim in an awesome matchup against Brooke Golden and Tilton. Lancaster showed off some power post scoring moves in both contests and teased her perimeter game with a one-dribble pull-up 3 on Thursday. If you want to call her the most skilled two-way post player in the region, I wouldn't argue.
Maddie McCaffery, Tilton
5-8 guard
Hometown: Merrimack, N.H.
McCaffery's two-way assertiveness has come such a long way to me in the last year. She was arguably Tilton's most impactful player Friday against New Hampton, hitting some much-needed 3s off the catch and driving past a mismatch against a post player for a layup. McCaffery also admirably defended Elyse Ngenda, making several of her drives and pull-up shot attempts difficult. She even drew a charge on one possession where Ngenda tried to back her down in the post. McCaffery moved into the starting lineup after an injury late last winter at Tilton, and she's definitely ready for additional responsibility as a go-to player now.
Daniella McLean, Darrow
6-3 center
Hometown: Syracuse, N.Y.
McLean lived up to my pre-showcase hype in Friday's win against Wilbraham & Monson. She was a monster on the offensive glass early, which helped Darrow build a huge lead. Her defense included some wins denying the post and a huge rotation block late. She catches the ball high and is a more threatening scorer on the low block than in my past viewings. McLean also has flashes of more skills than I expected; she took a steal coast-to-coast in transition for a layup and hit a 3-pointer off the catch. She's already on the radar of several Division 1 schools, but I'd put her firmly on early breakout star watch for the upcoming NEPSAC season.
Elyse Ngenda, New Hampton
5-10 guard
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Ngenda had two of the toughest individual matchups of any player at the NEPSAC showcase, guarding the aforementioned Morantus on Nobles and highly-touted 2027 wing Bella Owumi on Tilton. Her individual defense was largely fantastic in both and helped New Hampton grind out two statement wins. Ngenda took over the second half of Friday's matchup vs. Tilton, which I think was my most highly anticipated meeting at the entire showcase. She dished out an assist to a cutting Chloe Dix, made great passing reads out of multiple baseline drives, and backed down a smaller guard in the post for a bucket. Ngenda is now ranked No. 100 in the nation by ESPN, with good reason.
Gianna Nichols, St. George’s
5-7 guard
Hometown: Fiskdale, Mass.
NCAA: Le Moyne
Nichols was plainly one of the best 1-on-1 scorers I saw at this showcase. She was relentless Thursday against Austin Prep, even beating Wilkerson's aforementioned great defense a couple of times for scores. Her crossover moves are devastating, her first step off the dribble is quick and she finishes strong through contact. Nichols can heat up behind the arc too; she drilled a deep spot-up 3 in this game and knocked down another one from the corner. Finally, I thought one of her best plays was when she probed the baseline on a drive, stayed patient and found a cutting Sophia Connaughton for a layup. Nichols' total command of the floor was awesome.
Caterina Ravosa, Wilbraham & Monson
6-2 forward
Hometown: East Longmeadow, Mass.
In that Darrow matchup, Ravosa and the Titans battled back from a bad first half and a 40-17 deficit to make it a 64-59 game before an ultimate defeat. She caught fire from distance in the second half and made some eyebrow-raising 3s to fuel the comeback. Ravosa has always put in effort on offensive rebounds and grabbed a huge one for an and-1 finish to beat the third-quarter buzzer. Her perimeter defense was also better than expected in this game.
Skyler Walker, Williston Northampton
5-11 forward
Hometown: Barrington, R.I.
I think I'll lock in Walker as the breakout 2026 prospect from this showcase. She stole the show as one of two Williston players paired with Worcester Academy for the event. Walker lit up opponents from the arc with a comfortable-looking shot off the catch. Her handle surprised me too. She drove the ball against closeouts, and on one steal, used a sweet head-fake to shake a defender for a transition layup. Walker essentially played as a small-ball stretch 5 and was effective as a roller on ball screens. Her collective performances resulted in a quick offer from Stonehill over the weekend. I admittedly knew little of Walker before the showcase, but she might be one of the hidden gems in this class.
Eva Wilkerson, Sacred Heart
5-9 guard
Hometown: Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Wilkerson's play resulted in her first Division 1 offer from St. Bonaventure. Kind of like with Brynn Bryant, Wilkerson's initial standout area is her defense (she won our Class A Defensive Player of the Year award for a reason), and she disrupted her opponents with her length and active hands throughout every game I watched.
But I took note of Wilkerson's offensive impact as well, which mostly came via transition playmaking and half-court driving scores. She has great court vision in the open floor and is stronger than her long frame might appear. Wilkerson finished some tough layups through contact in Austin Prep/Sacred Heart's first contest against St. George's/Portsmouth Abbey. She also made a phenomenal passing read in that game, driving and firing an assist to Ruby Thompson in the opposite corner.
Quick shouts:Â Darrow has a pair of super fun returning guards in Jayla Hughley and Jill Dingler, who both made big shots down the stretch against Wilbraham & Monson. ... Brooks wing Jules Giordano is a great shooter, but I really liked her takes off the dribble on Thursday. ... If you're looking for underrated 3-point sharpshooters from the showcase, I'd mention Grace Kearney (St. Luke's), Izzy Cruz (Loomis Chaffee) and Kailey Sullivan (New Hampton). ... St. Mark's 2026 leaders are an interesting pair, with Blue Kerr an athletic scorer and Cortney Howell a raw but skilled forward. ... Tilton star Brooke Golden did hold her own against Lancaster, denying easy post passes and defending with effort in an awesome individual matchup.
