GILL, Mass. — The NMH Tip-Off Classic is quickly gaining steam as one of the best early-season prep basketball events in the region.
Four of the top NEPSAC Class AA boys teams – Northfield Mount Hermon, Winchendon, MacDuffie and Wilbraham & Monson – participated in the second annual showcase event inside Forslund Gym at Northfield Mount Hermon, where four of the best girls teams also competed. Three of the boys teams – Winchendon, MacDuffie and Wilbraham – appeared in our preseason NEPSAC Top 10, with NMH on the bubble.
Winchendon was the big winner of the weekend, going 2-0 with 94-82 and 63-50 victories over MacDuffie and Wilbraham & Monson. MacDuffie responded to its late Friday night loss to Winchendon with a 75-53 win over NMH. And NMH opened the weekend with a 66-37 victory over Wilbraham.
While several of the region’s top 2026 recruits have made college commitments, there were many uncommitted prospects on the court Friday and Saturday hoping to make a big early-season impression. Here are eight uncommitted standouts who helped their cause at the NMH Tip-Off Classic.
NMH TIP-OFF CLASSIC: 10 girls standouts from the event
Darren Moore, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
Hometown: Potomac, Md.
The postgraduate lead guard made a strong NEPSAC debut, scoring 11 points in the win over Wilbraham and 16 points in the loss vs. MacDuffie as he showed an electric burst and dynamic downhill ability to consistently get into the lane and put pressure on the interior and crafty finishing moves around the basket. His competitiveness and motor on both ends was consistent; an offensive rebound followed by a three-point play as he crashed to the floor against Wilbraham, and provided tough defense as he fought through screens and gave fits to opposing ball-handlers. There was one sequence early against MacDuffie where he dove on the floor for a loose ball, then blocked Keyshon Joyner at the rim before getting a steal and taking it coast to coast before getting fouled at the rim. He was relentless.
It’s also clear that Moore is one of the leaders on this team. He was commanding huddles and instructing teammates on the court. Much will be expected from Moore this season, and for good reason. Moore – a former Stonehill commit who reopened his recruitment – was more of a glue player at his former school, and he’s expected to take on more of a scoring load this season. He looks ready for it, and his leadership is exactly what head coach Mike Shelton anticipated.
“When I started recruiting Darren, that’s the first thing that jumped off the telephone with him. I got off that phone call and I was like, ‘That’s a winner.’ Just as a kid,” Shelton said. “The way he carried himself, the questions he was asking. When I asked him questions about how he engaged with his teammates or coach, what the season was like, he was extremely sharp, genuine, caring, thoughtful and just a natural-born leader.”
Quinn Gibson, Winchendon
Class of 2026, 6-6 forward
Hometown: Cherry Hill, N.J.
If there was an MVP for the weekend, it would be Gibson. He was quite literally everywhere in both of Winchendon’s wins, racking up 34 points and 13 rebounds in Friday’s win over MacDuffie and posting 16 points and eight rebounds vs. Wilbraham. None of his points came from 3-pointers, which makes his impact even more impressive. Gibson showcased an incredible motor, piling up second-chance points on the offensive glass and making backdoor cuts to get easy buckets. A tireless worker, Gibson was always active defensively with deflections and steals. There was a stretch during the Wilbraham win when he picked up three steals in about 90 seconds, all of which resulted in transition points – two loud jams and a dump-off to teammate Cam Blankenberg – that fueled a 15-2 run for Winchendon.
Coach Alex Popp described him as a taller version of Utah State guard Mason Falsev, an exciting do-it-all hustle player sparking the Aggies’ 6-0 start. Gibson possesses the tools – athleticism, high IQ, an elite motor and high-energy rebounding and defense – that can make an immediate impact at the next level.
“If he doesn’t land a Division 1 scholarship, I’m not doing my job correctly,” Popp said. “Because he is as talented as it gets. … Regardless of what your position is, if you rebound at the rate he’s rebounding at, it translates to the higher levels. If you defend and rebound, you can fit in with other good players as a result.”
Tavin Penix, Winchendon
Class of 2027, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Syracuse, N.Y.
On a deep Winchendon roster, Penix was my pick as the Wapiti’s second-best player throughout the weekend. With star Brady Sehlhorst sidelined on Friday night, he stepped in and scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and he added another 10 points with two triples on Saturday. His size and length was also very impactful on the defensive end, and he rebounded at a high rate throughout the weekend.
Elijah Avery-Turner, MacDuffie
Class of 2026, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Madison, Conn.
Avery-Turner is the glue that puts it all together for MacDuffie, a two-way impact player who’s continuing to get better. He surpassed 1,000 career points this weekend, as he scored 15 second-half points – including three 3-pointers – in the close loss to Winchendon before producing 16 points and five steals in the win over NMH. Avery-Turner seems to always read the game well with an eye on the next play. I loved a relocation 3 to start the second half vs. Winchendon, and he was making great cross-court passes and being a consistent pest on defense, including a block that led to a shot-clock violation. He does all the little things for the Mustangs, and he’s efficient shooting the ball from every level. He’s at over 50 percent from deep through MacDuffie’s first three games.
“He does it on both ends,” MacDuffie coach Kurt Steiner said. “He’s like your Derrick White on the Celtics. He defends, he can knock down big shots, he can get into the lane and kick out, his IQ is elite. Every D2 and low D1 (college) should be on him. He’s a monster. People don’t see, he has a lot of assists that don’t get in the stat sheet. Second-chance rebounds, extra passes, setting good screens and seeing the plays develop on defense, he’s really good at that. That’s a college ballplayer in my mind, a guy that’s college-ready.”
Brayden Harris, MacDuffie
Class of 2026, 6-5 guard
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Harris’ confidence shooting the ball is undeniable; he went 8-for-18 from long range over MacDuffie’s two games, including 30 points and six triples in the Mustangs’ loss to Winchendon. When they need a bucket, Harris is the go-to guy, and he delivered with some really tough shots. I would personally like to see better shot selection in certain situations, but Harris has proven capable of hitting tough ones, from pull-up mid-range shots to beyond the arc, even if there’s good defense on him. He recorded six steals in the win vs. NMH — a stat that can be misleading, but he was consistently competitive on defense, jumping lanes, contributing deflections and making it hard on opponents. Harris doesn’t have a Division 1 offer yet but is getting interest from Lehigh, Georgia Southern, Le Moyne and others. He’s a player to watch this winter.
Keyshon Joyner, MacDuffie
Class of 2027, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
A shorthanded MacDuffie team needed Joyner to play virtually every minute of both games this weekend, and he delivered: 19 points and seven assists vs. Winchendon, then 22 points and two dimes vs. NMH. I love watching Joyner on the ball offensively; he’s got a little Isaiah Thomas to his game with the ways he can create, make plays, get downhill and finish creatively near the rim, whether it’s a floater or pushing through contact with both hands. He also made a terrific turnaround jumper over a defender vs. Winchendon. Joyner played 72 minutes this weekend and dominated the ball yet committed just five turnovers. He’s so steady and reliable.
PROSPECT WATCH: Why Keyshon Joyner is one of New England's best 2027 guards
Sam Fleming, Wilbraham & Monson
Class of 2026, 6-8 wing
Hometown: Springfield, Mass.
This was our first look at Fleming since he tore his Achilles last winter, and I thought the weekend was pretty encouraging overall for him. Fleming, sporting a new No. 23 jersey, scored 12 points in the first half vs. NMH and may have lost some wind in the second half, but he looked stronger the next day vs. Winchendon, as he scored nine of his 14 points in the second to lead a strong comeback effort. Fleming is one of the most patient offensive players I’ve seen at this level with his ability to use pump fakes and slow down the game to make plays. He was cooking in the second half vs. Winchendon; he hit a mid-range jumper from the foul line for a three-point play, made a short turnaround jumper over a double team, and backed down a defender for a clean jumper off the window.
My favorite play came a few moments later, when he got into the paint and picked up his dribble before using excellent footwork off his pivot foot to spin and send a defender flying by on a fake, before finding Chinedu Okpara underneath for an easy dunk. Fleming shouldn’t have problems finding a Division 1 home, especially if he continues playing like this. His injury caused complications in his recruitment, but it’s just a matter of patience for him at this stage.
Chinedu Okpara, Wilbraham & Monson
Class of 2026, 6-7 wing
Hometown: Bronxville, N.Y.
It was a tough go for Wilbraham in the boys weekend opener vs. NMH, but I thought the Titans responded well on Saturday even in a losing outcome. They trailed by double digits early in the second half to Winchendon, but stormed back to make it a five-point game late. A lot of it had to do with Okpara, who 10 of his 16 points in the second half and was a monster on both the offensive and defensive glass, helping Wilbraham finish strong defensive possessions and creating extra points on the other end. His length, as usual, was also bothersome defensively, which included a loud block at the rim. Those impact plays around the margins are critical for not only Wilbraham’s success, but Okpara’s recruitment as he continues to eye a Division 1 placement.
Quick shouts: We’ll give some love to a few of the committed players who stood out this weekend. NMH big man Will Higgs, a Princeton commit, was a monster in the paint, and he had one of the best plays of the weekend as he raced back in transition for a chase-down block vs. MacDuffie. … Winchendon’s Brady Sehlhorst, an Elon commit, missed Friday’s game due to an illness but returned Saturday and was impactful off the bench; he made three second-half 3-pointers, including one at the shot clock buzzer that put the Wapiti back up by 11 with under five minutes left.
Other uncommitted standouts included Winchendon 2027 guard Jayce Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.), who feels like a cheat code coming off the bench. He made some clutch baskets late to help hold off MacDuffie; at 5-foot-9 but with lightning quick pace and burst, he doesn’t need much room to make an offensive impact. … MacDuffie 2029 forward Xavier McCall (Belchertown, Mass.) was really impressive in the win over NMH. He scored eight points, including a loud putback slam, and played tremendous interior defense against NMH’s bigs.
