BOSTON, Mass. — Well, that was fun.
The start of the New England Basketball League season this weekend at the Track at New Balance couldn’t have gone much better. Eight boys prep programs – including a handful of the best in the country – converged in Boston and produced some of the best basketball you’ll see at this level anywhere.
The NEBL is an eight-team league that was formed in 2019 and puts the best of the best in the region against each other as part of a seven-game schedule throughout the winter. Saturday and Sunday marked the first two of five showcase days at New Balance headquarters this winter – also Feb. 1, Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 – with each team playing one game per day.
I went to all eight games this weekend, and I was not disappointed. Terrific individual performances, an exciting atmosphere and some truly great games, includes three thrilling down-to-the-wire finishes. I tried to capture it all here, with a list of 24 combined standouts, takeaways and general observations from the weekend.
Saturday’s results
Newman 98, Brimmer & May 74
New Hampton 75, Putnam Science 72
CATS Academy 75, South Kent 60
Cushing 87, Brewster Academy Prep 60
Sunday’s results
South Kent 71, Brewster Academy Prep 63
New Hampton 94, Brimmer & May 55
Cushing 72, CATS Academy 70 (OT)
Newman 86, Putnam Science 79
Standouts
Mason Blackwood, New Hampton
Class of 2025, 6-foot-7 wing
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Blackwood didn’t have a start to his high standard in New Hampton’s season-opening wins over Hoosac and Darrow, but the Penn State commit looked like himself and then some this weekend. He poured in a game-high 30 points – including the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds remaining – to lead the Huskies to their thrilling comeback win over Putnam. He scored seven consecutive points during a stretch in which he played some lead guard against Putnam, and his jumper couldn’t be stopped. He’s as polished of a scorer as you’ll find in New England, and that was on display this weekend.
Chad Cook, New Hampton
Class of 2026, 6-foot-7 forward
Hometown: Syracuse, N.Y.
New Hampton head coach Andrew Gale has talked up Cook’s development over the last year and it was easy to see why, especially in Sunday’s win over Brimmer. The skilled big showed his versatile offensive game as he finished with 17 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Jacob Davis, Cushing
Class of 2025, 6-foot-7 forward
Hometown: Huntington, N.Y.
Davis played the most instrumental role in willing Cushing’s thrilling comeback overtime victory over CATS. Cushing trailed by as many as 19 but kept chipping away as its veteran forward made winning play after winning play and gave his team energy; his defensive pressure forced a five-second inbounding violation late in regulation. He finished with 17 points and provided the game-winning assist in overtime. With the game tied, Davis rifled a perfect backdoor pass between two CATS defenders to Ryan Ward (Swampscott, Mass.), who scored the game-winning layup with 2.5 seconds to go.
Cushing beats CATS in an overtime thriller, 72-70, here at @The_NEBL. This bucket from Ryan Ward with 2.5 seconds left on an incredible pass from Jacob Davis is the difference.
What a game. pic.twitter.com/x6a7LZnAzw
— Steve Hewitt (@steve_hewitt) November 17, 2024
Jaylen Harrell, CATS Academy
Class of 2025, 6-foot-6 guard/forward
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Harrell picked up where he left off last season in the scoring department, finishing with 19 points on 12 free throws in CATS’ victory over South Kent and 27 points in the loss to Cushing, which included some big shots late in the second half and overtime. But I was most impressed by Harrell’s playmaking. CATS played very unselfishly on offense, and Harrell set the tone as he consistently made good reads when the defense collapsed on him. He had three assists in the loss to Cushing, but easily could have had more if a few more open shots from his teammates went down.
Ryan Moesch, Cushing
Class of 2026, 6-foot guard
Hometown: Chittenango, N.Y.
It’s time to get familiar with Moesch, and get your popcorn ready when you watch him. He’s already becoming appointment viewing as one of the most exciting guards in New England. The transfer from New York made a very strong first impression this weekend. He was electric with the ball in his hands, putting constant pressure on the defense with his speed in the open floor, advanced ball-handling, quick decision-making and sharp, on-time passes. Most of all, he’s fearless. He had 15 points in the comeback victory over CATS, and nothing exemplified that fearlessness more than a play late in regulation, when he dribbled around a defender into the lane before attacking CATS’ 7-foot-1 center Leo Curtis – who stands more than a foot taller than him – at the rim and completed a three-point play over him with his left hand as he fell to the floor. It was a jaw-dropping play. Expect more of that from Moesch, who looks ready to make a name for himself this winter.
Lucas Morillo, Newman
Class of 2026, 6-foot-7 guard
Hometown: Mount Vernon, N.Y.
On a deep and talented Newman team that impressed with a 2-0 weekend, Morillo was a clear standout. He does everything for the Cardinals, and always seems to be around the ball. He scores, he facilitates, he gets on the glass. He’s smart, calm and in control. The big guard finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in Newman’s big win over Putnam Science, and there are likely some triple-doubles in his future.
Takeaways
1. Newman head coach Jackson Johnson really liked his team in the preseason, and he was cautiously optimistic about a group that was unproven but had been practicing and gelling very well together. Safe to say, he feels even better after Newman’s victories over Brimmer and Putnam Science.
Johnson loved the maturity level it took for Newman to methodically beat Brimmer before showing its high potential in beating Putnam, one of the best prep teams in the country.
“I had the feeling that I liked them. That was validated this weekend,” Johnson said. “They are tough, they care about winning, they care about the right stuff. They don’t take selfish shots, they respond in the moment, they make in-game adjustments, we have depth. I like my team more after this weekend than I did before, and I like them. …
“It’s encouraging, and now I’m really excited for where we can be.”
2. After a bit of a slow start to the season, Newman’s Quinn Costello (Medford, Mass.) stepped up in Sunday’s win over Putnam. The 2026 6-foot-10 forward had 14 points, including some big 3-pointers.
MORE: Inside how Newman is building the game's future in the heart of Boston
3. I was really excited to watch the frontcourt matchup between Putnam’s Ben Ahmed and Newman’s Collins Onyejiaka, who are good friends and BABC teammates. Onyejiaka got the best of the matchup, but it was a team effort from Newman to slow down Ahmed, who had just two points.
4. When Gale returned to the locker room after New Hampton’s thrilling win over Putnam, the head coach heard his players giving credit to the preparation.
“We practiced that all week!” his players said.
New Hampton trailed Putnam by six with less than three minutes to play, but didn’t panic. The Huskies had specifically worked on late-game situations all week in practice, and it paid off. They increased possessions, took the right shots and got fortunate with some Putnam turnovers to pull off the comeback. It was also shocking to see Blackwood unmarked from the wing for the game-winning 3-pointer.
New Hampton’s chemistry was also a big factor in the late-game execution. Blackwood and star point guard Keyshuan Tillery have played together for three years between New Hampton and their City Rocks AAU team, and the Huskies returned their core from last season. That continuity has already paid dividends.
5. Tillery is heading to Cincinnati next fall as one of the best prospects in the country for many reasons, but his elite situational awareness should be noted. Look no further than the play he made to close the first half against Brimmer. With the seconds winding down, a loose ball in the air landed to him just beyond the free-throw line. Knowing he had no time, he flicked up a circus shot with his right hand that banked in at the buzzer.
6. It was a good weekend, too, for New Hampton’s complimentary pieces that will be important for them in their championship pursuit. Junior guard Jayden Harrington hit a huge corner 3-pointer late in the comeback win over Putnam, and added three more triples against Brimmer. Will Goode, a senior 6-foot-9 center, and senior Gus Fried had 13 points and 10 points, respectively, vs. Brimmer.
7. Even when Cushing went down 19 to CATS on Sunday, I had a feeling the Penguins had a second-half run in them. Beyond their talent, they’re so well-coached and have great veteran leadership. They showed fight in their comeback. Moesch and Davis are high-energy players who play with passion – they were visibly fired up after some big plays – and new addition Jay Jones (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) has a winning pedigree. This group has no quit in them, and that’s a big credit to head coach James Cormier, who celebrated his 36th birthday this weekend in style.
8. It was certainly a bit surprising to see Putnam go 0-2 this weekend, but the Mustangs had their hands full against the toughest opponents they could face. Head coach Tom Espinosa’s group still had plenty of positives to bring home from Boston. They were relentless on the glass against New Hampton, finishing with 20 second-chance points on 24 offensive rebounds, emblematic of the hustle that’s part of their identity. Their backcourt, specifically Jah Hatchett and Fairfield commit Tony “Butta” Williams (Norwich, Conn.), was also terrific. Hatchett, a 2026 guard, scored 15 points vs. Newman and was super tough on both ends. Williams had 17 points and made some big shots.
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9. It’s easy to see why Curtis is getting high-major interest. The post-graduate 7-foot-1 center from Iceland is a high-level rim protector and has an ability to shoot from deep. He certainly has room to develop and grow more into his body, but he’s a very intriguing prospect who should really help open the court for CATS and its talented guards and wings.
10. Jaylin Williams-Crawford (Boston, Mass.), the 6-foot-7 CATS transfer from Charlestown High School, had an impressive opening weekend against NEPSAC competition. The 2026 wing started both games and was impactful, including scoring 14 points against Cushing.
11. South Kent star Badara Diakite, who committed to Iowa last week, did not play this weekend – he’s expected back this week – but first-year head coach Craig Carter was happy how some others stepped up. Adam Chiacchia, a 6-foot-8 2025 forward, scored 19 points in the win over Brewster Prep, 6-foot-3 2025 guard Tim Walker had 17 points, and 6-foot-8 2025 forward Alexander Bryant was everywhere, with 12 points and several blocks and hustle plays. Jonas deKrassel, a 6-foot-4 2025 guard, also hit nine 3-pointers off the bench over the two games after not playing in South Kent’s opening win last week. Carter is still figuring out his team, but the pieces are coming together to form what could be an exciting group, especially when Diakite returns.
12. Newman’s Chase Geremia (Madison, Conn.) is making me look good for featuring him in our boys shooters to watch list we put out last month. The 2026 guard hit seven 3-pointers in the first half against Brimmer on Saturday.
13. The dunk of the weekend goes to Brimmer’s Ladanion Payne (Mattapan, Mass.). The 2027 guard got the ball in transition and threw down a vicious right-handed slam over Newman’s Jalen Harper.
Might not see a better dunk this weekend @The_NEBL than this poster from Brimmer’s @LadanionP against Newman.
🎥: @AasimSullivan pic.twitter.com/HParAg8mTJ
— Steve Hewitt (@steve_hewitt) November 16, 2024
14. It was a tough weekend for Brimmer, which lost by 24 to Newman and 39 to New Hampton, but head coach Tom Nelson’s squad is young and should learn some valuable early-season lessons against two of the best teams in the region. Windston Legentus (Raynham, Mass.), the Gators’ star 2026 guard, had a big scoring performance vs. Newman, while Payne scored 17 against New Hampton. Osa Idada (Brockton, Mass.), Brimmer’s intriguing 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior forward, had some really nice moments throughout the weekend. He’s super shifty for his size with advanced footwork, and showed an emerging jumper.
15. Cyrus Hutchinson, a 6-foot-6 wing, was a bright spot in a difficult weekend for the Brewster Prep team. He had 20 points in the loss to South Kent and was impactful on both ends, which included an impressive block of Bryant at the rim.
16. The weekend’s games included some very physical play, but it was always clean and never went over the line. The officiating deserves some credit for what was mostly a fair whistle and letting them play through some contact.
17. While I was at the games and didn’t really get a chance to watch or listen, I only heard great things about the NEBL’s broadcast of all eight games throughout the weekend. Brad Feldman, the founder of Super Preps Hoops, is a pro on play-by-play duties, and Vin Pastore, the longtime director of Mass. Rivals, was a great choice for color commentary. The broadcasts were also a live beta for plans to expand the coverage to the Go! Game On Total Sports Network, where NEBL games will soon be streamed globally. The games from this weekend can be found on the NEBL's YouTube channel.
18. I’ll pat myself on the back really quickly. Two of the 10 games I listed last week in my boys prep games to watch this season met and even surpassed expectations this weekend with New Hampton/Putnam and CATS/Cushing. The weekend made me even more excited for another matchup I have listed – Newman vs. New Hampton. The two teams will meet on Dec. 8 and Jan. 25, and maybe a third time in March.
