WESTON, Mass. — Between its first two years, the girls side of the Draft League has doubled its participating teams and grown quickly as a summer destination for young basketball talent.
Co-directors Kenny Small Jr. (Rivers head coach) and Dwayne Powell (Concord Academy) have overseen the development of the girls counterpart of the summer league, which concluded with its championship matchup and an All-Star game on Tuesday at Rivers. They've added several prominent NEPSAC coaches to lead the teams, which coaches draft at the start of the seven-week season.
"With us growing the teams and us growing our coaching staff, I think that really attracted some other kids from a lot of other programs," Small said. "There's so many new faces I've never seen, that I never would've had access to."
For prep coaches, the Draft League serves as an opportunity to stay connected to the young talent pipeline and form connections that could help with recruiting in the future. It also pits coaches against each other in a low-stakes competitive setting — though they still want to beat each other. The live draft was a particularly fun battle.
"We're legit serious (about the draft)," Powell said. "I was like, 'This is who I'm gonna pick next,' and then that person gets picked and you're like, 'Man! That's who I was literally gonna pick!' And then you have to pivot."
I attended the championship day for my first Draft League experience. Trey It Ain't So, led by new Marianapolis coach Dan Nagle, earned a convincing win over Heat Check and Newton Country Day coach Scott Newman. Though this was a young group comprised mostly of middle-schoolers, the talent impressed me and I'll definitely note some of the names as they develop in the years to come. Here are seven standouts from what I watched of the final and All-Star game.
Remi Antunes, Trey It Ain't So
Class of 2031, 5-5 guard
BB&N/Medford, Mass.
It's easy at this level to focus on ball skills and on-ball talent, but Antunes balanced flair with the ball and consistent effort moving without it. She got open on a couple of nice basket cuts for layups. Antunes also created multiple step-back 3s and got to a spin move in the lane a few times to score. She's quick and brings great energy as a lead guard.
Hailey Evans, Trey It Ain't So
Class of 2031, 5-6 guard
Thayer/Foxboro, Mass.
The championship MVP, Evans plays at a breakneck pace and had one of the most entertaining handles that I saw. She's a stellar catch-and-shoot 3-point threat who also opened her scoring with a step-back bucket. Evans looked to make plays in transition, both as a push-ahead passer and threat to run the floor. She already holds a Division 1 offer from Providence and is an obvious name to know as I start understanding this 2031 class.
Maia Hamblett, Trey It Ain't So
Class of 2031, 5-3 guard
Brimmer & May/Boston, Mass.
Hamblett made seven 3s in the championship game and the parent crowd in attendance seemed to rally behind her as she heated up. She did an excellent job moving without the basketball, squaring up quickly and knocking down shots over contests.
Lilly Panda, CT Wings
Class of 2031, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Panda is the lone standout here who did not play in the championship game. I came away impressed by her skill at her size and age. She attacked a driving lane from the wing to score a tough lefty layup. She scored on a basket cut via an assist from Antunes and knocked down a corner 3. Obviously all of these players are still growing, so that makes Panda a forward talent worth monitoring.
Jalah Pincince, Trey It Ain't So
Class of 2030, 5-5 guard
Moses Brown/Johnston, R.I.
I appreciated Pincince's two-way impact in the championship matchup. Her on-ball defense was excellent and I noted a deflection guarding a handoff attempt as well. She made an impressive crossover and drive past multiple defenders for one tough layup. Pincince is a proficient 3-point shooter too; she opened the championship with a catch-and-shoot make and had multiple deep 3-balls land during the All-Star game.
Darcy Tarte, Heat Check
Class of 2031, 5-8 wing
Meadowbrook/Weston, Mass.
Tarte set the tone at the start of the championship game with some impressive hesitation and power drives to the basket. She showed a standout burst and power combination that allowed her to get to the rim practically at will, and her crossover dribbles were lethal. We're so, so far away from thinking about upside, but Tarte's athletic traits had me the most intrigued out of anyone I watched on Tuesday.
Aniyah Tinsley, Heat Check
Class of 2031, 5-7 forward
Hometown: Bridgewater, Mass.
Tinsley's rebounding effort was a major difference-maker and helped keep Heat Check in contention during the early portion of the second half. She consistently outleaped and outworked opponents on the offensive boards, tallying a few putback layups. I thought Tinsley's off-ball movement in the dunker spot areas and screen-setting both were solid, and she did hit a spot-up 3 in the All-Star game. Her willingness to do little things that often go underrated was nice to see from a young player.
