SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — New England's resident national-circuit boys program continues to assert itself as one of the best in the country.
Brewster (N.H.) gave one of the most impressive performances of the Hoophall Classic with a 2-0 weekend. Those wins included a narrow, 55-51 triumph against IMG Academy (Fla.) — ESPN's third-ranked boys team as of last week — on Saturday and a 67-60 victory against Oak Hill Academy (Va.) on Sunday.
"It means a lot," junior Sebastian Wilkins said. "Everyone in this league matters. Every game's like a playoff game in that sense."
The Bobcats are now 17-2 overall this season and 7-1 on the Nike EYBL Scholastic circuit, which leads the field of elite high school and prep school teams. They've done most of that winning without top prospect Dwayne Aristode, an Arizona commit who remains out due to injury. Instead, Brewster has relied on balanced contributions throughout the lineup, including four New England natives.
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Wilkins (Canton, Mass.), a 6-foot-8 wing and the No. 40 recruit in the 2026 class according to ESPN, led the Bobcats with 22 points and eight rebounds against Oak Hill. Against IMG, he took the primary assignment against center Kareem Stagg. In a Brewster rotation that lacks a traditional center, Wilkins often draws the matchup against opposing bigs.
"I just know I need to box them out, because my teammates are gonna help me rebound," he said.
Preston Fowler (Vernon, Conn.) rewarded Wilkins' faith and spearheaded the effort against IMG with a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double. The 6-foot-7 James Madison commit is naturally more of a wing, and he showed off three-level scoring ability and a willingness to attack with surprising strength. But like Wilkins, he also feels the responsibility to contribute on the glass.
"Since we're kind of the tallest people on the team, and we're undersized, we've just got to go out there and rebound every game," Fowler said.
With Aristode out, Wilkins is the most highly-touted prospect on the Bobcats. After each game, he fielded the typical questions about recruiting (his offers include Alabama, Texas A&M, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Providence and Rutgers, among many others). But Wilkins is quieter by nature.
Brewster coach Jason Smith says Wilkins' leadership most frequently comes behind the scenes — making sure teammates are accountable with homework and practice. Smith compared Wilkins to former Bobcat Melvin Ejim, who first came off the bench while at Brewster but never complained and typically helped close games. Ejim went on win Big 12 Player of the Year in 2013-14 at Iowa State and currently plays in Spain's Liga ACB.
"Sebastian has a lot of the same characteristics as Melvin did," Smith said. "You don't have to run anything for him and he'll still produce. He's a leader, he's mature beyond his years and just a joy to coach."
In its eight EYBL Scholastic contests, Brewster's leading scorer is Ebuka Okorie (Nashua, N.H.) at 14.1 points per game, followed closely by Fowler (14.0) and WIlkins (13.1). The Stanford-bound Okorie reached double figures in both Hoophall Classic games. Then off the bench is 2027 guard Antonio Pemberton (Lawrence, Mass.) who transferred in from Bradford Christian. Pemberton also flashed bright moments at Hoophall, scoring 10 points and adding five assists in 18 minutes against Oak Hill.
Brewster's national team is no longer affiliated with NEPSAC. Its EYBL Scholastic schedule includes travel incomparable to any other New England team. The Bobcats have already played in showcases in Florida, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Indiana.
For some players like Fowler, who transferred two years ago from East Catholic in Connecticut, the travel isn't so bad. He likened it to the national schedules played in AAU. But joining Brewster requires a more demanding lifestyle adjustment, especially during a school year. Wilkins typically meets with his teachers before a road trip to map out homework plans, and though he has downtime on the road, he tries to finish homework before traveling.
"It was definitely different, because during high school, I never had to miss school to go on a trip to play basketball," he said. "So it was really an adjustment, but the school really helped me adjust to it."
That makes the closer-to-home Hoophall Classic special for Wilkins and the other New Englanders. Brewster has enough name recognition in the region's basketball circles that fans know to attend a nearby game when they can. Wilkins was glad his squad capitalized on the chance to play in front of his local crowd.
"It means a lot. I got a couple of friends and family that came down," Wilkins said. "It truly means a lot, because I don't really get to come home that often, especially in season."
