HANOVER, Mass. — During Sunday afternoon's game between MCW Starz and Shooting Touch, I chatted with Mass Rivals guard Saige DeJesus and her New Hampton coach, Jamie Bavaro, on the baseline while we watched the two talented 2028 teams. They were partially seated for a New Hampton teammate (mentioned in our standouts below).
But in talking with DeJesus as the two teams went to double overtime, I noted how much she just enjoyed watching a good basketball game. She and the many other players I talked to stayed around Starland Sportsplex long before, between and after their schedules ended to watch AAU teammates, school teammates or top matchups. Grassroots basketball definitely has its issues and I'd consider myself more of a cynic, but I always appreciate how these young players create a broader community that crosses the (sometimes tense) boundaries of competition.
Now enough of that sappiness. I spent the weekend getting a quality look at the returning wave of New England basketball talent, and the 2028 class put on a show between their 16U age group and those playing up in 17U. Though I didn't watch any freshman teams, some 2029 standouts who were playing up did impress me as well. Though I didn't see every top AAU team (MCW Starz S40, Firecrackers S40 and Bay State Jaguars UAA Rise were the best 2028 programs I missed), this was a super valuable weekend that helped me expand my underclassmen knowledge base.
I touched on my philosophy in evaluating AAU with my 2027 standouts which you can find here. Below is a schedule of games I watched, plus my 2028 and 2029 standouts.
