The New England girls 2028 class is rapidly gaining strength.
Sure, everyone knows Ella Peper. But she's only the beginning of a top group of 2028 prospects loaded with impact wings and forwards. You can find them in NEPSAC and four different state high school associations. These players, with their size, diverse skill and athletic potential, will be coveted by college coaches as they continue developing. Add in some sharpshooting guards and intriguing bigs as well. I'm very optimistic about the depth and potential of this class.
This is the next installment in our new Best of New England prospects series. With these players still in their first halves of high school, we're categorizing them in alphabetical order for a watch list. You can read more about how we approach building these lists here.
These are 25 players you should know in the girls Class of 2028.
MORE RANKINGS:Â 2026 girls | 2027 girls | 2029 girls | 2026 boys | 2027 boys | 2029 boys
Aliyah Allston-Pujols
5-10 guard
Nobles/Shooting Touch
Hometown: Randolph, Mass.
Allston-Pujols has played major minutes in two years of high school at Nobles. She's physically strong and a great driving and cutting scorer who has grown in her ability to read the floor.
Ava Ayotte
5-5 guard
Mount St. Charles/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Burrilville, R.I.
After dealing with a heart condition last summer, Ayotte returned to average 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals. She's one of the top 3-point shooters in the class.
Juju Booth
5-6 guard
Suffield/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Hartford, Conn.
Booth has standout hops and explosiveness that help her get to the basket and finish creatively. She's also a plus defender who Suffield often put on its toughest opposing guard matchups.
Addison Brennan
6-3 center
Wilbraham & Monson/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Monroe, Conn.
Brennan is a rare young center who looks comfortable shooting from distance. She also improved as a rebounder and physical presence during her sophomore season and has noteworthy mid-major Div. 1 interest already.
Abby Broderick
5-10 wing
Medfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
Broderick averaged 19.1 points and shot 43 percent behind the arc on Medfield's MIAA Div. 2 title team. She's an elite floor-spacer who has quickly grown her strength and confidence scoring around the basket and on turnaround jumpers.
Genesis Castro
5-4 guard
Barrington/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Barrington, R.I.
Castro was the engine of Barrington's RIIL state championship season and scored 19 points in the state final. She's quick off the dribble and crafty finishing over size. She can also knock down 3s and makes plays out of drives.
Note: Castro is reclassifying to 2029 and transferring to Brimmer & May. This will be reflected in our next update.
Lily Davis
5-6 guard
Tabor/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Waterford, Conn.
Davis is an instant paint touch who NEPSAC teams can't seem to contain on drives. She averaged 13.7 points at Tabor this season and improved to a solid 35.5 percent behind the arc.
Saige DeJesus
5-7 guard
New Hampton/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
DeJesus grew into an important role on a NEPSAC AAA finalist in her first year at New Hampton. She has great court vision when she taps into it and is strong for her size, emerging as one of New Hampton's better perimeter defenders. DeJesus' scoring game is well-rounded.
Kayla Dunlap
6-0 forward
Natick/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
Dunlap was among the breakout sensations of the MIAA scene, averaging 21 points, five rebounds and three steals. She's a standout athlete with long arms that cause problems on defense. But the skill is surprising; Dunlap has developed some scoring moves and can hit 3s too.
There's a lot of buzz building around New England's girls Class of 2028.
Ella Peper and Alannah Morantus lead the way, but as @ethman43 says, NEPSAC and area public schools are filled with talented sophomores.
Full 25-player watch list: https://t.co/h5hDTqXFNX pic.twitter.com/OxbuUXMg6K
— New England Basketball Journal (@nehoopjournal) April 3, 2026
Sophie Dupeyron
6-1 forward
Kimball Union/New England Storm
Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
A fluid, versatile forward, Dupeyron excels in the pick-and-roll and mixes in a solid mid-range game to keep defenses guessing. She's also a strong rebounder.
Jordynn Elijah
6-1 wing
Kimball Union/New England Storm
Hometown: Ozone Park, N.Y.
One of the underrated transfers of the winter, Elijah's length and immediate defensive impact helped Kimball Union to the Class B Small final. She's a streaky but capable perimeter shooter and is quick in the open floor.
Zuri Faison
6-0 wing
Greenwich/Pivot Elite
Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.
Faison powered Greenwich to its first CIAC state championship as the team's leading scorer and posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and four steals in the Div. 1 final. She's a long, explosive wing who can get to the basket with ease.
Carolyn Joo
5-7 guard
King/Connecticut Basketball Club
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
With 26.1 points per game and a 50-piece to her credit, Joo lit up some of NEPSAC's smaller-class schools at King. Obviously she's a scorer, but her toughness on defense stands out too.
Ayla Keefe
5-11 guard
Newman/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Cave Creek, Ariz.
NCAA: Davidson
Keefe did a little bit of everything for Newman, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. She's very strong and a plus defender already who picks her spots scoring well.
Baileigh Kimball
5-7 guard
Marianapolis/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Charlton, Mass.
Kimball, who recently reclassified down to 2028, is a super quick lead guard and strong defender. She averaged 12.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.2 steals at Marianapolis last season.
Juliet Laws
5-8 guard
Bedford/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Laws stepped up with some Bedford injuries and emerged as one of the Bulldogs' leading scorers. She's a pesky defender and strong driving guard who averaged 11.5 points per game.
Alannah Morantus
6-0 guard
Nobles/Mass Rivals
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
Morantus is a lead guard and a powerful one, capable of bulldozing defenders on drives as part of true three-level scoring ability. She's also a tough matchup defensively 1-on-1. Morantus has some early high-major Div. 1 interest.
Lana Orietas
6-0 wing
Berkshire/MCW Starz
Hometown: Voorheesville, N.Y.
Orietas is a prime breakout candidate after arriving at Berkshire and becoming a go-to contributor right away. She's a stellar shooter first, but has some craft scoring off the dribble and is strong enough to deal with contact.
Ella Peper
6-4 wing
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
Peper is the best college prospect we've seen in New England since Caroline Ducharme — at least. She looked noticeably more confident scoring inside the arc as a sophomore and is headed back to Team USA junior minicamp this April. The ultra-short summary of her game: Peper's a 6-4 sharpshooter, open-floor weapon and impact perimeter defender.
Kiera Paradis
5-5 guard
Lawrence Academy/MCW Starz
Hometown: Goffstown, N.H.
Paradis was among the toughest and most emotive competitors I watched during the NEPSAC season. She averaged 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists on Lawrence Academy's Class B Large finalist team.
Ella Reyes
5-10 wing
Westerly/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Westerly, R.I.
A rapid riser in this class, Reyes dominated on the RIIL school scene for Westerly. She's an elite wing shooter who has some sneaky moves scoring off the dribble and plenty of experience as an offensive centerpiece already.
Aaralyn Scott
5-6 guard
St. Andrew's/RIBC
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Scott is a shifty guard who plays with a fun blend of strength and tight handles. Her natural scoring touch and court vision were also apparent when she ran the offense at St. Andrew's.
Hillary Simo
6-4 center
Newman/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Hockley, Cameroon
Simo is improving at breakneck speed as a strong post player who averaged a near-double-double this winter. She has good touch around the basket and is starting to develop some more complex post moves.
Jules Stevenson
5-5 guard
Phillips Andover/NSSA
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Stevenson has cleared 1,000 career points already, and despite being a small guard, she's a prolific 3-point shooter who knows how to get to mid-range shots and floaters.
Eva Zink
6-0 forward
Bedford/MCW Starz
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Zink has been a key cog in one of New England's premier public school programs for two years. She's a lanky forward who excels as a defender and plays with a consistent high motor.
MORE NOTES:Â The most notable omission is the Coventry (Conn.) forward duo of Hailey Mayo and Reese Jeamel. They could easily be watch-list worthy; I just haven't seen them play enough yet to feel confident placing them here. But I'll follow them during the grassroots season.
As I mentioned, this class is already deep with contributors. High-impact guard defenders like Jolie Abelard (Milton Academy), Joy Robinson (Rivers) and Caprese Conyers (Pittsfield) might not be on the list now, but I'm a big fan of their respective skills. I'm also noting an additional handful of young post players on the rise. Stay tuned for when we eventually build this list out to a Top 50 rankings.
