Most of the Division 1 talent in NEPSAC boys basketball resides in the higher classes, but don’t sleep on Class B.
The class is rich with high-academic prospects, but several Class B stars from last season – including Alex Wilkins and Andrew Alekseyenko – are already making sizable impacts as college freshmen on the hardwood. Beyond them, there are plenty of players from Class B who have thrived and currently succeeding at every level of college hoops.
Wilkins was our inaugural Class B Boys Player of the Year last winter after leading Brooks on a magical run to the championship. Now, as the calendar turns to the 2025-26 season, there’s turnover and change, with plenty of emerging stars ready to highlight the next wave in the new-look Class B Large.
Here are 10 early candidates who should be in the mix for our Class B Large Player of the Year this season.
NEPSAC POY WATCH LISTS: Class AAA| Class AA | Class A
Marvin Avery, Austin Prep
Class of 2027, 6-0 guard
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
Avery was an underrated Class A standout in his first NEPSAC season, averaging 18 points per game on 38 percent shooting from 3-point range. The two-way, physical guard slots in as one of the best guards in the new Class B Large.
Alex Echevarria, St. Mark’s
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Penuelas, Puerto Rico
St. Mark’s is one of the early favorites in Class B Large, and Echeverria is a huge reason why. The lead guard averaged 19 points, four assists, five rebounds and two steals per game as the Lions broke their playoff drought last season, and his leadership has taken another level heading into his final season. He should have another huge winter.
CJ Farrell, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Milford, Mass.
Farrell hit his stride with St. Mark’s last winter next to Echeverria and was a critical piece of the Lions making the playoffs. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game, and he looks primed for another leap as a two-way threat and one of Class B’s best shotmakers.
Jake Freeman, Middlesex
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
NCAA: Rollins College
Freeman produced 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 from distance last season at Middlesex, and he carried that momentum into a terrific spring and summer with BCRI and during NEPSAC live periods. An elite shot-maker, Freeman can also get downhill and use his big, athletic frame to take over games.
Ethan Griffin, Westminster
Class of 2026, 6-9 forward
Hometown: West Haven, Conn.
NCAA: Alcorn State
Griffin is coming off a monster summer with the Riverside Hawks, highlighted by an 18-point, 25-rebound performance during the July live period. A walking double-double, Griffin brings high-level and thrives with physicality around the rim, where he’s a strong rim protector and rebounds and finishes through contact with regularity. He’ll lead a Westminster squad that’s a sleeper in Class B.
Trokon Harris, Brooks
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Lowell, Mass.
After playing alongside Alex Wilkins and Emersen Davis in a talented backcourt the last few years, it’s Harris’ time to run the backcourt this season. He was a key component of Brooks’ championship last season, playing through injury as he stuffed the stat sheet and led them in rebounding. He has plenty of big-game experience and will be a leader for this group in its title defense.
Rowan Introzzi, Greenwich Country Day
Class of 2026, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Eastchester, N.Y.
The versatile Introzzi is a matchup nightmare with his physicality, finesse and playmaking ability at his size. The Class B honorable mention from a year ago only continued to get better this spring and summer with the Middlesex Magic as one of the region’s biggest stock-risers.
Dereon Medina, Concord Academy
Class of 2028, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Lawrence, Mass.
The electric guard is already off to a fast start this season after his 39-point explosion in a double overtime loss to Mount St. Charles last week. Athletic, twitchy and always dangerous with the ball, Medina is the go-to scorer for a Concord Academy squad that could catch plenty of teams by surprise this winter.
Ikenna Okafor, Rivers
Class of 2027, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
A transfer from Concord Academy, Okafor will step in to be a major contributor with the new-look Red Wings, who graduated several key members of their core. An athletic wing with playmaking ability and defensive versatility, Okafor has an emerging 3-point shot and will continue to get better under head coach Keith Zalaski.
Jackson Perri, Roxbury Latin
Class of 2028, 6-0 guard
Hometown: West Roxbury, Mass.
Perri might be the best pure point guard in Class B – and he’s just a sophomore. He averaged 17 points and 4.5 assists per game for Roxbury Latin last season, and he’ll be counted on as the focal point of the Foxes again this season. A true floor general, Perri always makes the right reads, and he can score in bunches at all three levels.
Six more names to watch: Omar Robinson, Pomfret; Luca Palermo, St. Mark's; Jared Strand, Canterbury; Pat Costello, Rivers; Baron "Sonny" Batchelor, Westminster; Julien Wiggins, Westminster
