When we released our first Class of 2027 watch list in May, I was already impressed with the level of talent – especially at the top – from the rising juniors in this class. But since then, it’s gotten even better.
As I put together this August update, I was blown away by the depth in this class. I wrote down more than 25 names who warranted some level of consideration to make the latest cut of the top 10 college prospects. The decisions were incredibly difficult.
It was a critical spring and summer for this class. June 15 represented the first college contact period, which gave us a good sense of the level of interest this group is getting. There were, naturally, more eyes on them throughout this grassroots season. While they are still two years away from going to college, this is a time – with two full high school seasons behind them – where there’s enough of an evaluation sample size to get a really good idea of what impact they can project to the next level. There’s obviously plenty of time to develop, but before they know it, they’ll be starting to make decisions at this time next year. The recruiting cycle works quickly.
As I have explained in previous watch lists, my decisions come from a variety of factors. A combination of consistency, winning impact, translatable skills, physical tools and intangibles are the main separators I look for. With another grassroots season behind them and bigger team roles coming with that, I’m starting to place a larger emphasis on production and specific transferrable skills that could be separators within this group, which has so much talent.
To qualify for the watch lists, these players must be natives of New England or have debuted with their new schools by the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcases in June. That gave me a handful of exciting transfers to consider. Four new names made the cut on this update, but like always, it’s extremely fluid. No one’s development track is the same, and expect more changes as we move forward.
Like the 2026 class, this group’s versatility and positional size are starting to stand out for me, and this update has a pretty even mix of guards, wings and bigs. Let’s dig into the latest 2027 watch list, which is listed in alphabetical order.
Theo Edema
Cushing/Team New England, 7-foot center
Hometown: Delta State, Nigeria
Since our last update in May, Edema’s recruitment has hit the next level, with offers from the likes of Kansas, Alabama and Tennessee coming alongside a No. 53 spot in 24/7 Sports’ national rankings. It’s just been more of the same for Edema – voted by coaches as the best big in the NEPSAC – who dominated the MADE Hoops circuit with Team New England with his two-way impact at the rim, elite motor, rebounding ability, mobility and skill at his size. He added at least five pounds of muscle this spring and is primed for a breakout junior season this winter at Cushing.
Declan Griffiths
Avon Old Farms/Middlesex Magic, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Simsbury, Conn.
Griffiths makes his watch list debut after an eye-opening spring with the Middlesex Magic in which he showed great promise as one of the best 3-point shooters in the region. He shot 43 percent from deep during Under Armour circuit play with the Magic’s 16U team before he was called up to the 17U team for the July live period; he made the most of that opportunity, which included one performance when he came off the bench and drilled five 3-pointers.
He’s nearly automatic off the catch, with a quick, confident release that he can shoot over anyone with his height and length. He’s more than just a shooter, too; he uses the threat of his outside shot to get into the lane for pull-ups or to attack the rim, and he has a fluid handle. Griffiths already holds offers from Bryant, La Salle and Temple, and his coaches believe there’s an even bigger ascent coming.
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DJ Hawkins
St. Thomas More/Expressions Elite, 6-8 wing
Hometown: Farmington, Conn.
Hawkins boasts a prospect archetype that colleges should crave as a 6-foot-8 shooter with defensive length and through-the-roof athleticism. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and more than a block per game on the 16U Nike circuit with Expressions Elite this spring and I think his skill set and tool belt will warrant more Division 1 offers – just Bryant and Sacred Heart at this stage – as he continues to develop his long frame and be even more consistent in the areas he does well. As he heads back to St. Thomas More this fall, the next steps in his development include becoming a more reliable versatile shooter – including self-created 3s and catch and shoot 3s – and using his elite athleticism to attack the rim more often and increase his block rate while being a switchable defender. Hawkins’ upside remains enormous.
Markus Kerr
Brewster Academy/Team United, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Kerr joins his first New England watch list despite only playing a handful of games for Brewster at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcases – but his performance was nothing short of impressive as he demonstrated why he’s a coveted high-major talent. He’s easily one of the most athletic wings in the national class of 2027 – if you don’t believe me, watch this clip of his poster dunk against St. Thomas More at the NEPSAC showcase in Avon – and he gets to and above the rim relentlessly as a scorer and creator with a strong handle, burst and balance. He can finish through traffic, has a strong touch, and plays with poise with a high IQ.
Kerr’s move to Brewster will go a long way in projecting his college impact as he accepts different roles and buys into different ways he can affect the game. He already has great hustle as an offensive rebounder, can defend multiple positions and while he’s certainly not a prolific 3-point shooter yet, he does have range with a strong foundational form.
Cherif Millogo
CATS/Expressions Elite, 7-4 center
Hometown: Burkina Faso, West Africa
Millogo’s New England debut was brief – he played at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase at Babson before suffering an injury the following weekend and missing the rest of the grassroots season – but what we saw was the makings of a unicorn. It almost looks like Millogo was created out of a lab. He does things no one at his size should be able to do; he has skill off the dribble, can get to the rim and can step back and hit 3-pointers like he’s a wing.
He runs the floor well, has great mobility and can cover ground with his length and strides, which makes him a natural as a rim protector. He cracked the 24/7 Sports national rankings at No. 50, and he already has offers from Alabama and Georgia. That weekend at Babson was an exciting tease, though. I’m anxious to see more when he’s healthy again, because he has incredible potential.
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Nicolas Mitrovic
CATS/Expressions Elite, 7-0 center
Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia
Mitrovic didn’t have a ton of production while playing up on Expressions’ top 17U team this spring, and he had an unfortunately-timed injury late in their Peach Jam semifinal run, but it’s impossible to ignore the potential of the 7-footer. He has raw and unique skill for his size; he can put the ball on the deck and score, finish inside and step out to the 3-point line. He’s a mobile defender who blocks shots with ease. There are nuances to the game he’s still learning, and he’s still physically maturing, but he has an exciting foundation of tools. Mitrovic, who transferred to CATS from Hoosac, has high-major schools sniffing around him but nothing has translated to an offer yet. That might just be a matter of time as he continues to develop on a national stage with CATS and Expressions over the next calendar year.
Patrick Otey
St. Thomas More/Georgia Stars, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
Since May’s watch list update, Otey announced he’s transferring back to New England for school at St. Thomas More while he put up 23.4 points per game as the second leading scorer on Nike’s 16U circuit. After coming back in January from an MCL injury, Otey could be in for a really exciting junior season at St. Thomas More, where I think he’ll thrive under the development of legendary coach Jere Quinn and assistant Milo Luciano.
After the departure of Tahlan Pettway, who committed to Western Carolina and reclassified to 2025, Otey will be a primary ball-handler in the Chancellors’ offense this season. He’s already a high-feel scorer who has advanced offensive maturity for his age and a strong mid-range touch, but STM wants to work with him on extending his range to be a more reliable 3-point threat. Just as importantly, he’ll also have increased developmental opportunities in pick-and-roll actions, reading the game and making decisions in the half-court and transition with the ball as he works on being a better lead guard for the next level.
Antonio Pemberton
Brewster Academy/Mass Rivals, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Lawrence, Mass.
There’s not a ton to add about Pemberton, who we’ve recognized as one of the summer’s biggest winners after a dominant scoring performance to cap off the grassroots season. The Mass Rivals guard was the second leading scorer at the Adidas championships – while playing up on the 17U circuit – that included several 30-point outbursts over the two July live period weekends.
As Rivals coach Vin Pastore has noted frequently, there are few better at getting to his spots and rising over defenders than Pemberton, who thrived in a lead role for the first time in his high school career. There’s little doubt he’ll be a high-level scorer in college basketball. But if I’m nitpicking, I’d like to see him add more playmaking to his game. Even after averaging 3.2 assists per game on the Adidas circuit, I think there’s room for improvement there, and it could develop into an important part of his game at the next level as bigger defenders key in on him as an undersized shooting guard.
Q&A: Antonio Pemberton on his electric July live period, meeting SGA
Clyde Walters
Brewster Academy/Alabama Fusion, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
I didn’t get a chance to see Walters during the grassroots season because he was playing on the EYCL circuit – the secondary circuit underneath EYBL – with the Alabama Fusion, where he posted 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals while leading them to a 14-3 circuit record. But his most important number might be his 43 percent from 3-point range, which coupled with his athleticism, length, and three-level scoring ability makes him a sure-fire high-major talent. He’s added Syracuse and Ole Miss to his list of offers this summer and I’m excited to see what he can do this winter at Brewster with a bigger opportunity against more consistently high-level opponents.
Kamari Whyte
Vermont Academy/New Heights, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Harlem, N.Y.
Whyte translated an All-NEPSAC season into a monster spring and summer with New Heights, averaging 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in overall Adidas circuit play. That included a breakout weekend at the Adidas championships, where he posted 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game while leading New Heights to the 16U championship game. The most impressive statistic? Whyte led the entire Adidas circuit with 177 free throw attempts this season, and no one else even came close – the next closest had 136 trips to the line. He gets to the rim at will, makes tough finishes inside and he’s a disruptive on-ball defender.
His 3-point shooting, where he took little volume this spring, is a clear area of improvement, but there’s still a lot to like. Whyte, who snagged offers from Rhode Island and East Carolina in July, will enter this winter as the lead option for Vermont Academy and in my opinion, he’s still underrated across NEPSAC.
Five more names to know: Josiah Adamson (CATS/Expressions Elite), Reece Ayala (Brewster/Expressions Elite), Ethan Njenga (St. George’s/BABC), Stetson Merritt (New Hampton/Albany City Rocks), Greyson Pierce (St. Thomas More/PSA Cardinals)
