School is back in session, making now a good last time to reflect on how New England’s basketball talent fared during the spring and summer.
Hundreds of local players took meaningful steps forward with their grassroots teams, as well as on high school teams in select tournaments and showcases. But some truly popped and elevated their statures in the landscape of talent.
"Stock-risers" in this context are players who have changed the perception of their games, both in the eyes of colleges and analysts like myself. We can primarily tell from any significant increases in recruitment. Verbal scholarship offers are by absolutely no means a measure of development (we've unpacked how they actually work), but scholarships are what nearly every athlete is after, and a coach’s offer indicates they see college potential. Add in any individual accolades, team success and our own observations, and we can start to see who shined in the travel season.
Below are eight players whose names are on the rise after a strong summer.
Fope Ayo
Class of 2026, 6-4 center
Austin Prep/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
We’ve covered Ayo’s breakout summer in detail already, but to reiterate: Ayo went from a small handful of Power Five offers before this spring to nationally-ranked status. She’s tapping into more of the potential that initially piqued coaches’ interest. Ayo is an imposing shot-blocker and overall anchor defender with her size and length. She’s also a strong interior scorer who is improving on straight-line drives and touch shots further from the paint. There’s a lot to like with her game already and still so much room to grow.
Caitlin Boyle
Class of 2026, 6-2 forward
Bishop Fenwick/MCW Starz
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Boyle went from zero Division 1 offers before the AAU season to five: Harvard, Stonehill, Le Moyne, Army and Loyola Maryland. On Starz’s 2026 Power 24 squad, she showed off a versatile skill set as a player who runs the floor hard, screens well and plays strong in the post, yet can step out and hit a 3-pointer off the catch.
Boyle’s emergence along with teammate and classmate Celia Neilson has me intrigued by Bishop Fenwick this coming winter. The Crusaders lost a lot of talent led by Cecilia Kay (now at American), but Boyle could shine in a larger role.
Morgan Jenkins
Class of 2025, 6-2 forward
Hotchkiss/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Higganum, Conn.
Jenkins is the only senior on this list. It’s a bit less common to see these later breakout summers, but Jenkins had a massive close to her AAU career that resulted in eight Division 1 offers just in July (Richmond, James Madison, Bucknell and more). She’s a monster rebounder with her size, strength and effort level. Jenkins averaged 6.6 points, 6.5 boards and 1.8 blocks in 12 games on the Under Armour circuit.
Anna Moser
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Hoosac/NY Havoc
Hometown: Rutland, Vt.
Moser might have been the breakout performer at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase back in June. She wowed me with her combination of downhill speed, tight dribble moves and smooth shooting both on pull-ups and off movement. Colleges are evidently noticing too. Since mid-May, Moser has received double-digit Division 1 offers including schools such as Syracuse, Boston College, Fairfield and Harvard. I’m excited to see how she fares at the NEPSAC Class AA level this winter.
Elyse Ngenda
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
New Hampton/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Ngenda was another NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase star for me. She just found ways to impact winning, whether it was through effort rebounds, extra passes to shooters or quick, easy shots without overthinking. Ngenda had some offers entering the spring season but added a lot more, including Wisconsin and several New England Division 1 programs. She’s one of the reasons I’m buying in on New Hampton as a sleeper contender this season.
Bella Owumi
Class of 2027, 5-11 wing
St. Mary’s/MCW Starz
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
Owumi has been a known name locally since she started on an MIAA championship team at St. Mary’s in seventh grade. But whenever a player scores an offer from a collegiate top-25 contender, it’s a big deal.
Owumi picked up two such offers in the last week: one from Miami and another from Louisville after impressing the Cardinals at their elite camp. She played up on the Starz 2025 team that reached the Select Events Power 24 final. I also got to watch Owumi with St. Mary’s at the Wally Seaver Invitational, where she showed growing poise as a lead playmaker. She's on course for a special sophomore year with the Spartans.
Ella Peper
Class of 2028, 6-4 forward
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
If you’re following New England talent, you’re already quite familiar with Peper, who we featured in July. But the hype train has left the station. The incoming freshman is up to at least 16 Division 1 offers, including 13 from high-major programs. And though it’s not reflective of Peper’s status as a prospect, going viral on Overtime’s Instagram account for dunking is still pretty cool.
Peper earns her reputation without being a super ball-dominant player. She’s elite shooting off the catch, she cuts hard, she makes quick decisions as a connective passer and she’s a threatening help shot-blocker. In my time watching Peper play, I’ve rarely seen her overdribble or compound bad, unforced mistakes. She plays with a poise well beyond her years.
Selah Prignano
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard
Wilbraham and Monson/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Newington, Conn.
I’ve already watched and written about Prignano multiple times this summer. She’s quickly become one of my favorite players in the region because she injects energy and tempo into any lineup. Prignano is dangerous with the ball because of her elite burst, either in a straight line or around a ball screen. She also sees the open floor well on fast breaks, a skill that shined when iBelieve won the Hoop Group NE Jamfest in June.
Prignano received her first Div. 1 offer from Stony Brook in May and has since added a bunch including Rhode Island, Loyola Maryland, Lafayette, Northeastern, Yale, UMass and Quinnipiac.
Five more stock-risers: Izzy Adams (Dexter Southfield/MCW Starz), Cheyenne Brand (Green Farms/iBelieve Elite), Olivia Fleming (Northfield Mount Hermon/Rivals), Ella Getz (Worcester Academy/Bay State Jaguars), Molly Sisson (St. Andrew’s/Bay State Jaguars)
