With Christmas break approaching after a busy start to the season, it would be easy to mail it in. But last week, several players went into the break with a bang.
This week’s boys prep "5 Stars,” our player of the week series, highlights several individual performances that were not only brilliant, but led their teams to high-profile victories that will surely give their squads some momentum going into the new year.
As always, coaches and players are encouraged to submit nominations for our players of the week. If doing so, please email me at steve.hewitt@basketballjournal.com or by connecting with us on Twitter/X (@steve_hewitt or @nehoopjournal). Be sure to include stats and any context to the player’s performance.
With the prep season going on a brief hiatus for the winter break, this will be our last “5 Stars” for a few weeks. Let’s dive into last week’s standout performers. These performances came from games played Dec. 16-22.
TJ Allen, St. Sebastian’s
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Watertown, Mass.
With a premier scoring ability, Allen has showcased why he’s one of the best 2027 prospects in New England to start the winter, and last week, it led to the first two victories of the season for Sebs. Allen scored 22 points with 11 rebounds in the Arrows’ 68-52 victory over Berkshire on Friday before erupting for 31 points with eight boards a day later in their 73-68 win over Austin Prep, in which he sliced up their zone to go 13-for-17 from two-point range. Sebs suffered a tough loss to Taft on Thursday at home, but head coach Matt Karpowicz was proud of how his squad responded behind Allen – and also senior Charlie Hinman, who had 20 points and 13 boards against Austin Prep – to go into the break on a high note.
Ryan Altman, Rivers
Class of 2025, 6-6 forward
Hometown: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
NCAA: Penn
Altman was instrumental in Rivers’ encouraging turnaround over the weekend, both with his leadership and on-court performances. He was named the MVP of the Rivers Holiday Tournament for the second consecutive season, averaging 26 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks over Rivers’ three wins. That included a 32-point, 13-rebound effort in a win over Proctor in which he passed 1,000 career points. Altman was dominant on both ends as he controlled the game and worked effectively out of the high post offensively while wrecking the game on defense with his activity, length and anticipation. He had three steals and five blocks in Saturday’s holiday tournament championship win over Brooks.
MORE: How Rivers got its season back on track after unexpected 0-6 start
Andreo Ash, Canterbury
Class of 2025, 6-8 forward
Hometown: Liverpool, N.Y.
Canterbury was the author of the biggest victory of the week, a Class B over Class AAA upset against St. Thomas More at Basketbull in Connecticut. Ash’s 34 points and six rebounds helped get the job done. Ash made just one 3-pointer, but went 12-for-20 shooting as the Saints screened him into the post, where he successfully produced throughout the game. Defensively, he was solid against St. Thomas More’s bigs. Along with 2025 guard David Dix – who Canterbury head coach Brian Fruscio thought controlled the game – the Saints had enough in the tank to outlast the talented Chancellors in overtime, despite playing 13 extra minutes (including OT) than they typically do in Class B games. Ash picked up an offer from Canisius following the win; he’s one of the best uncommitted 2025 prospects remaining in New England, and he should garner even more interest after his performance against one of the country’s best prep teams.
Payton Kamin, Worcester Academy
Class of 2025, 6-7 guard/forward
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Worcester Academy head coach Jamie Sullivan told me in the fall that Kamin would score 35 points in a game this season; it took 11 games for it to happen. Kamin scored a career-high 37 points in the Hilltoppers’ win over Mount St. Charles on Saturday, sending them into winter break with an 8-3 overall record and 6-1 mark in NEPSAC Class AA. That came three days after Kamin’s big performance in a win over Lawrence Academy, when he scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, and a day after he scored 26 in a loss to Vermont Academy. After missing 15 games last season due to a torn labrum, Kamin is making up for lost time in a big way early this season as one of the best scorers in NEPSAC. Sullivan described him as “probably the most underrated player in New England right now” to me last week, and his stock is only growing as one of the region’s top uncommitted recruits.
MORE: Standouts and takeaways from Worcester Academy's win over Lawrence Academy
Christian “Mouse” Williams, Kimball Union
Class of 2025, 6-0 guard
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Down two starters in Nathan Clay and Brandon Arnold due to injury, Kimball Union pulled off two huge wins over Wilbraham & Monson and Cushing – and Williams was at the center of it all. He scored 21 against Wilbraham before going off for 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, in the upset over Cushing as he and Siena-bound Zay Henderson (27 points) put the shorthanded Wildcats on their back. Williams, who’s also a standout defender, remains uncommitted with more than a dozen low- to mid-major Division 1 offers, and he’s quickly asserting himself as a New England standout this winter.
Honorable mention
Lawrence Academy’s Alex Egbuonu (Nashua, N.H.) posted two more 30-point games – 34 points against Worcester Academy, and 34 points with 13 rebounds against Cheshire – as the 2026 wing continued his big start to the season. …
Proctor Academy 2026 guard Khari Bryan (Worcester, Mass.) looked terrific in his team’s 2-1 showing at the Rivers Holiday Tournament, posting averages of 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds and two steals over the three games. …
Brooks 2025 guard Emersen Davis lit up the nets in three games last week; he had 31 points, including eight 3-pointers, in a victory over Groton, 22 points with six 3-pointers in a win over Frederick Gunn, and 21 points with five triples in a loss to Governor’s Academy.
