Podcast: Catching up with Ella Peper, New England’s top 2028 girls prospect

It has been a whirlwind spring and summer for Ella Peper.

In May, the Newton, Mass., native was one of 22 finalists for tryouts for the U.S. U16 national team. She debuted at No. 4 in ESPN’s first ranking for the national Class of 2028. And Peper continued to turn heads on the AAU circuit with the Bay State Jaguars, piling up scholarship offers to bring her total to 35.

Peper is managing a fast-growing spotlight and continuing to take leaps in her personal development. She’ll be back at Dexter Southfield for her sophomore year under new coach Tammy Millsaps, and opposing NEPSAC coaches already think she’s arguably the best player in prep school.

How is Peper handling it all? She joined the HoopWise podcast to talk about all of her experiences in the last year, what she’s working on in her game, how she’s starting to think about college fit and much more.

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Highlights

In the last six months, where have you gotten better?

Peper: “Definitely just expanding every part of my game. Everyone knows I can shoot, so if they play me up like that, I can just be able to do different things, so I’m not just a one-dimensional player. Trying to be as versatile as I can. Obviously keeping my handle well and just being able to adjust to any defense they’re throwing at me is definitely the biggest key, because I see so many different defenses in AAU vs. Dexter, so just being able to adjust to whichever one I get.”

What does being ranked No. 4 in the country mean to you?

Peper: “To me, it’s very important. Obviously rankings don’t matter in the long run, you just want to end up at a good college where you’re going to play and play really well, but I think for me, it just pushes me to be better every single day because obviously I have something to work for. I want to go higher than 4. But it’s also a true testament to all the work that I’ve put in. So I think that knowing that’s the outcome, I think that just makes me want to put more work in every single day. Once I get results, it just makes me want to get more and more results, so I think it just pushes me to keep working harder and harder.”

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The HoopWise podcast can be streamed here and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.