WELLESLEY, Mass. — Teams across the NEPSAC are still months away from the start of their seasons, but we've already had a first look at their 2024-25 squads.
Seventy-five schools – ranging from Class AAA to C – converged at Babson College from June 21-23 for the NEPSAC scholastic showcase. The event gave college coaches around the country an opportunity to check in on prospects during the NCAA live period, which allows them to see recruits play in person. But it was also a chance for the NEPSAC teams to play together and start building chemistry for the first time ahead of the fall.
I attended two days of the event to get an early glimpse of several teams and prospects. It’s worth noting that it was impossible to see all the action – with three games playing at once throughout each day – and that many teams did not have their full rosters available, and those rosters are not yet finalized. Some schools even split their rosters to have multiple squads. But I still came away with plenty of takeaways and impressions.
Many teams are undergoing major turnover from last year, so this event was especially valuable for them. Here are six schools that caught my eye.
Cushing Academy
With a couple new faces in the mix, Cushing understandably struggled in its first game against South Kent. But as the weekend progressed, it was apparent that head coach James Cormier has a dynamic group that will once again be hard to beat in Class AA next season. Cushing produced a strong defensive performance in a 61-44 win over Worcester Academy before scoring a dominant 93-55 victory over Winchendon to close its weekend. One takeaway is that this squad is deep. It boasts a strong core that includes David Melson, Ryan Moesch and newcomer Jay Jones, but there was no drop-off whenever they went to their bench.
Bridgton Academy
The start of the weekend was not kind for Bridgton, which was thumped by Vermont Academy in its opener. But head coach Whit Lesure was proud of his boys’ response with an early-morning victory over South Kent on Saturday. The Wolverines have several new players in the mix, so the weekend served as a great opportunity to feel each other out. Bridgton has some good pieces, including guards Joe Fitzgerald and Connor Parkes, who was impressive. That could make them intriguing in Class AAA next season.
Brimmer & May
Head coach Tom Nelson will be the first to say his team has a long way to go. He graduated three high-level players in the spring – Andre Mills (who’s off to Texas A&M), Bryce Dortch (Rutgers) and Daemon Thomas (Elmira College) – and has a young team for the 2024-25 season. But the Gators had some promising moments during the Babson showcase, including in their 72-68 win over Tilton. They were sound defensively and on the defensive boards, and overwhelmed Tilton with their pace in transition led by Windston Legentus, a class of 2026 guard who’s poised for a breakout season.
Vermont Academy
After winning the Class AAA championship in March, Vermont Academy is almost entirely rebuilding its roster. Joson Sanon – one of the top recruits nationally in the Class of 2024 – is off to Arizona State and Chike Ndefo is heading to Towson as head coach John Zall lost nine members of his squad and returns just three players. But he has some exciting pieces coming into the fold that were on display at Babson. Jakye Rainey – who’s doing a post-graduate season at Vermont after playing at Nichols School in New York – is an electric guard who was among the best performers of the weekend, and big man Zack Sherler impressed with great hands around the basket and an ability to shoot from deep.
Newman School
After falling short to Vermont Academy in the Class AAA playoffs last season, it's easy to see Newman challenging for a title in 2024-25. Head coach Jackson Johnson’s roster is loaded with Division 1 prospects, and they were really impressive against South Kent and Winchendon to finish off the weekend. Need a lead guard playmaker? Jalen Harper has that covered. Quinn Costello has a consistent 3-point stroke, and Chase Geremia is a dynamic scorer. And Collins Onyejiaka is a force down low as a rim protector and strong finisher around the rim. This team has a little bit of everything.
Taft School
It might be easy to overlook them in Class A, but Taft was an eye-catcher even in a loss to Phillips Exeter. This group’s physicality really stood out. It boasts several athletic big bodies who can put pressure on the defense. Asher Cort and Jeremiah Ibeziako impressed with their ability to both attack the rim and shoot from deep, while point guard Ford Okehi was consistently making good reads whether it was setting up open teammates or finding his own shot. Watch out for this squad this fall.
