When zooming out on the Class B Large boys basketball season, I was struck by the depth of its young talent. Of the 35 players who were officially recognized by the league as All-NEPSAC selections or honorable mentions, 21 of them came from the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes.
It’s hard to assume all of them will stay at their current schools in a rapidly changing landscape, but the performances of these rising stars this winter speaks to how bright the future of this class is. That’s reflected in our award honorees, which of course, also feature several star seniors.
Our Class B Large awards include two All-Class B Large teams of five players each in addition to our Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Marksman of the Year, which recognizes the best 3-point shooter in the class.
Let’s hand out our 2026 awards for Class B Large.
Player of the Year: Luca Palermo, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-7 forward
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
A year after Palermo suffered an Achilles injury that wiped out most of his sophomore season, St. Mark’s coach Justin Perron said his junior forward was on breakout watch. Palermo delivered, averaging 18 points, 9.5 rebounds and three assists per game as St. Mark’s captured the Class B Large championship.
STANDARD MET: How St. Mark's returned to NEPSAC glory
Defensive Player of the Year: CJ Farrell, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-0 guard
Hometown: Milford, Mass.
Farrell caused havoc on the perimeter, securing two steals per game in addition to creating 3.5 deflections per game and being St. Mark’s second-leading rebounder at 5.5 boards per game. His activity and anticipation on defense produced constant disruption for opponents as he created turnovers and ignited fast breaks.
There were several more impact defenders in Class B Large who had a case for this award. Rivers guard Chais Harriette produced 2.6 steals per game and Austin Prep guard Sean Dolan was a consistent disruptor with steals and deflections.
Coach of the Year: Justin Perron, St. Mark’s
In his third year as the head coach at St. Mark’s, Perron successfully built the Lions to the pinnacle as Class B Large champions after another historic winter. A year after making its first playoff appearance in a decade, St. Mark’s earned its highest playoff seed since 2012, beat Rivers and Brooks for the first time in over a decade and won a NEPSAC championship for the first time since 2012.
Rivers coach Keith Zalaski was also a legit consideration for this award after the Red Wings said goodbye to a dynastic core and still stayed near the top of Class B Large with several newcomers.
Marksman of the Year: Jared Strand, Canterbury
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
Strand connected on 80 3-pointers this season, including six triples each in games against Phillips Andover, Masters and in the NEPSAC championship game vs. St. Mark’s. He also hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the Class B Large semifinals vs. Rivers.
All-Class B Large First Team
Alex Echevarria, St. Mark’s
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Penuelas, Puerto Rico
NCAA: Trinity
Echevarria averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season, and more importantly, was the clear-cut veteran leader the Lions needed in their Class B Large championship run. He was also named an All-ISL selection.
CJ Farrell, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-0 guard
Hometown: Milford, Mass.
Our Defensive Player of the Year, Farrell was terrific offensively too as he put up 14.5 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line. He was named an All-ISL selection.
Jack Millward, Rivers
Class of 2027, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Wakefield, Mass.
In his first NEPSAC season, Millward led Rivers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16 points and seven boards in addition to three assists per game as he pushed the Red Wings to the No. 3 seed and semifinal appearance.
Will Nunes, Austin Prep
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.
Nunes was one of the top breakout players in New England this season as he averaged 17.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range.
Luca Palermo, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-7 forward
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
Our Player of the Year was a four-time prep star of the week and was a matchup nightmare with his ability to play inside and out as a forward with guard skills. He posted 20 points in the Lions’ first-round win, which was their first playoff win since 2015.
All-Class B Large Second Team
Donovan Clement, St. Mark’s
Class of 2027, 6-8 wing
Hometown: Pawtucket, R.I.
Clement had a breakout winter in his first NEPSAC season as he averaged 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 39 percent from deep. He scored 27 points in the Class B Large championship game as he earned tournament MVP honors.
Omari Levy, Masters School (NY)
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Harrington Park, N.J.
Levy was Masters’ top scorer and defender as he shot 40 percent from 3 and became a 1,000-point scorer while leading Masters to the No. 5 seed and an appearance in the semifinals. He remains uncommitted with heavy interest from local Division 2 schools.
Dash Mabilon, Canterbury
Class of 2026, 6-10 center
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mabilon was one of the best frontcourt prospects in the class and a nightly double-double as he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds while adding two blocks per contest.
Jared Strand, Canterbury
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
As one of the best 3-point shooters in the class, Stand posted 14 points, three rebounds and two assists to lead Canterbury to the No. 2 seed and a run to the Class B Large championship game.
Julien Wiggins, Westminster
Class of 2027, 5-11 guard
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Wiggins averaged 23.3 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals per game while shooting 37 percent from 3 to lead Westminster to the No. 7 seed in Class B Large. He’s ranked 45th in our Class of 2027 rankings.
Honorable mentions: EJ Ashby (Canterbury), Patrick Costello (Rivers), Ethan Griffin (Westminster), Jake Freeman (Middlesex), Trokon Harris (Brooks), Will Hoffmaster (Concord Academy), Damian Mojica (Masters), Ikenna Okafor (Rivers), Izzy Wane (Austin Prep)
