WORCESTER, Mass. — In many ways, the 2028 class took center stage at this year's NEPSAC Girls Scholastic Showcase.
Whereas many top 2027 prospects have long been collecting scholarship offers (and a few are beginning to commit), the 2028 class is in the sweet spot of the recruiting process. These players are also ascending to upperclassmen status and taking on larger roles with their respective prep school teams.
I've been excited about this class for a while and it lived up to the billing last week. Fourteen 2028 standouts are listed below, along with a slew of honorable mentions. Almost every game I watched had someone shining in this group, and we have some new names to the class and region also worth mentioning.
Here are my top performers from the 2028s.
MORE SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE STANDOUTS:Â 2027 guards | 2027 forwards | 2029 & 2030
Naya Annigeri, Nobles
5-8 guard
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
It was cool to see Annigeri’s confidence visibly grow over the course of two days. Her handle has improved notably over the years and she jumped right into NEPSAC competition with some sharp attacks off the dribble and great off-ball movement. Against Dexter Southfield on Thursday, Annigeri strung together a game-tying driving layup, then a steal in full court pressure, and then winning free throws. Even with her 3-point shot not falling at its typical clip (we have plenty of evidence to back up Annigeri's shooting prowess), she was an impact perimeter defender and her off-dribble game has taken a step forward. This was a strong prep debut.
Addison Brennan, Wilbraham & Monson
6-3 center
Hometown: Monroe, Conn.
My biggest critique of Brennan, one of the top talents in New England’s 2028 class, has previously been her fluctuating aggressiveness and inside impact at her size. That felt totally different this weekend as she made a forceful effort scoring in the post, rolled hard for pick-and-roll layups and put in commendable rebounding work. She had a huge sequence with an and-1 hook shot and defensive board late against Northfield Mount Hermon that helped seal a WMA win on Friday. Brennan distinguishes herself with her floor-stretching jumper, but pairing that with interior toughness paints a great picture for her as a Division 1 prospect. She's so far added UMBC, UMass and UMass Lowell to her long list of mid-major offers.
Dior Dobere, Darrow
5-2 guard
Hometown: Troy, N.Y.
Dobere is so much fun to watch as a high-motor small guard. She dug in as a point-of-attack defender and made some commendable hustle plays, including a save from out-of-bounds and eventual assist to teammate Brooke Lilley. Dobere is explosive off the dribble and tough through contact, but I also saw her make a 3 around a ball screen and a runner with impressive body control. Dobere already had Stony Brook, Sacred Heart and Mercyhurst offers prior to the showcase.
Malia Jackson, Darrow
6-2 forward
Hometown: Latham, N.Y.
Jackson is a prep newcomer, and together with 2027 center DD Harcourt, they'll form one of the most physically imposing frontcourts in NEPSAC this winter. A powerful interior post presence, Jackson punished mismatches and battled on the offensive glass against Newman. She's also more mobile defensively at her size than I expected and picked up a deflection in help. With two offers from American and Marist before the Scholastic Showcase, Jackson is definitely a name to know from a prep school and recruiting lens.
Carolyn Joo, King
5-7 guard
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
I got to see bits and pieces of two Thayer/King games. Joo first had her perimeter jumper dialed in on Friday. She was splashing spot-up and pull-up 3s, looking comfortable with a variety of moves and putting together some short microwave stretches as a lead guard. Saturday, Joo showed more willingness to attack and got to the basket for layups. She also timed up a huge block in transition. Joo is emerging as one of the better guard scorers in this class who's frequently looking to challenge defenses with her shot.
Layla Ljubuncic, MacDuffie
5-7 guard
Hometown: Burlington, Conn.
I watch a lot of elite catch-and-shoot players. The next-level prospects can fire away quickly and consistently despite difficult movement. Ljubuncic excelled in the lone MacDuffie game I watched, hitting a bunch of deep 3s and a few flying around off-ball screens. She doesn’t need time to set her feet and regain control, and she has no problem launching over contests. Ljubuncic will significantly boost MacDuffie’s ceiling and could quickly become one of NEPSAC’s top sharpshooters. She's picked up a UMBC offer since the showcase.
Alannah Morantus, Nobles
6-0 guard
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
Morantus laid down one of the most dominant individual performances of the entire weekend as she and Ella Peper, the top two New England prospects in the class, dueled Thursday afternoon. Her handle seems tighter and she's getting better at mixing up power drives with more finesse scoring moves. Morantus was lethal with her step-back 3. The scoring popped the most, but Morantus also drew a charge, got involved as a help defender and rebounder and hit a cutting Olivia Sancinito with a bounce pass out of a post-up. This adds to evidence of a true regional superstar leap.
Kayla Mouzon, St. Luke’s
5-8 wing
Hometown: Norwalk, Conn.
Mouzon was quietly one of the smartest all-around players I saw from the 2028s last week. She's athletic and has long arms that help her play beyond her online listed height as a wing. Mouzon's a solid spot-up shooter who can also hit on a one-dribble pull-up. She sees the floor well. She does a great job timing up her cuts and was rewarded by teammates, and she can put the ball on the floor and drive. I fear I've underrated Mouzon quite a bit in the past; she's efficient and reliable while still possessing some upside with her physical traits.
Shannon O’Leary, New Hampton
6-1 forward
Hometown: Marshfield, Mass.
O'Leary continues to impress me this spring with the different ways she can get involved on offense. Thursday against New Hampton, she finished off several buckets around the basket by taking advantage of post mismatches and crashing the boards for putbacks. Similar to what I wrote about Brennan — O'Leary's game is unique for her passing as a post player and her potential to stretch the floor. But colleges still want to see assertiveness in the paint, so this was a good sign. O'Leary picked up her first Div. 1 offer from UMass a few weeks ago.
Kiera Paradis, Lawrence Academy
5-6 guard
Hometown: Goffstown, N.H.
Paradis' high-pace tendencies and high motor set the tone for most teams she's on — in this instance Lawrence Academy/St. Thomas More's co-op team. She and teammate Alana Brownstein showed chemistry on the fast break, assisting each other for scores. Paradis knocked down 3s and a nice pull-up mid-range jumper, and she hit a rolling Kendall Sullivan for a quality assist. I'm excited to follow Lawrence Academy this winter after the breakout March run to the Class B Large championship with Paradis as a vocal leader.
Ella Peper, Dexter Southfield
6-4 wing
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
My niche observation from my latest Peper watch is that she is improving at seeing the floor and making reads off the dribble. I thought her passes out of drives were smart and helped open up the floor, and she was even still emphasizing cutting to her teammates, so she's looking for those outlets. Peper also drained plenty of 3s, included a sweet step-back as she battled Morantus on Thursday, and finished off some tough driving layups. It's no surprise that the region's top college prospect stood out at the Scholastic Showcase.
Aaralyn Scott, St. Andrew’s
5-7 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Scott is known for her skill offensively, but I thought her defense impressed me most Saturday against Hamden Hall. She picked up two steals guarding the ball and forced another turnover in pick-and-roll defense, showing off mobility at her strong size and good awareness of the play. One of those steals turned into an important buzzer-beating layup early as St. Andrew's went on to grab a nice win against Hamden Hall. Scott also knocked down a 3-pointer off the catch and showed an eagerness to attack the basket.
Ryanne Sheehan, St. Andrew’s
5-10 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Sheehan is a high-level shooter first, and she connected behind the arc on Saturday. But she wowed me with her passing and decision-making on offense. Sheehan wasn't afraid to make the extra pass to other teammates, and I thought she ran some pick-and-rolls smartly. She also attacked off the dribble and converted on a nice runner. Generally, Sheehan didn't force many bad decisions and was a reliable playmaker alongside Scott.
Jules Stevenson, Phillips Andover
5-5 guard
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
It remains incredible how good a shooter Stevenson is despite being undersized as more of a combo guard. She's automatic off the catch and still dangerous on pull-ups, unbothered by traffic or contests in front of her. Stevenson also hit multiple backdoor cutters with well-timed passes, and I'm encouraged by her court vision.
Quick shouts: Again, despite my best efforts, I cannot see every game, but I try to ask around and learn what I missed. I heard Davidson commit Ayla Keefe (Newman/Cave Creek, Ariz.) logged an efficient 17 points against Tabor. Others who played well when I wasn't watching: twins Juju and Jazzlyn Booth (Suffield/Hartford, Conn.), Jordynn Elijah (Kimball Union/Ozone Park, N.Y.) and Amanda Martin (Rivers/Wayland, Mass.).
A ton of 2028 prospects showed promise and I'll try to highlight them in chunks. Beyond Brennan, I thought Wilbraham & Monson's 2028 class looked great in their 4-0 week. That was led by smart passing from forward Gabby Ravosa (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and some tough buckets by Avery Vanderburg (Easton, Conn.). Berkshire had two 2028 talents pop to me. Lana Orietas (Voorheesville, N.Y.) showed some versatility as a pick-and-roll scorer in addition to her 3-point prowess. New transfer Maddie Becerra (Pleasantville, N.Y.) has a fun blend of off-dribble scoring chops and on-ball defense at 5-10 with lead guard potential.
... Three additional players who I saw heat up behind the arc: Loren Green (Darrow/Rochester, N.Y.), Camilla Jordan (Kingswood Oxford/Canton, Conn.) and Madi Wright (Loomis Chaffee/East Hartford, Conn.). ... Some smaller guards who shined by beating defenders off the dribble: Mari LaMonica (Thayer/Dorchester, Mass.), Jaidelis Rivera (Marianapolis/New London, Conn.), Jasalene Rosario (Holderness/Nashua, N.H.) and Brianna Taveras (Concord Academy/Central Valley, N.Y.). ... Lastly, Hamden Hall wing Cheyanne Little (Derby, Conn.) intrigued me as a 5-10 wing who logged a couple of steals and blocks on defense, along with some tough-nosed drives.
