WELLESLEY, Mass. — For three days this weekend, Babson College was a hotbed for college basketball recruiting.
The 2025 NEPSAC Boys Scholastic Showcase tipped off on Friday as the best prep teams in New England came together for one of the most important events of the recruiting calendar. By several measures – with the talent on the court and the quality of coaches and schools watching them – it was one of the best in recent memory.
This year’s showcase attracted more than 200 coaches from every level of college, including some of the most recognizable head coaches in the country. UConn’s Dan Hurley, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Marquette’s Shaka Smart and Purdue’s Matt Painter were among those who passed through, along with many assistants from the high-major level. The region was well-represented, with Providence’s Kim English, Boston College’s Earl Grant and Northeastern’s Bill Coen among the many locals in the house.
Our series of standouts from the weekend starts with the guards from the 2026 class, a deep group playing in their last NEPSAC showcases and looking to make a critical impression in their recruitment. Here are 10 who caught my eye over the three days at Babson.
Lateef Afolabi, Dexter Southfield
6-3 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
Afolabi has already been a big stock-riser this spring with the Middlesex Magic, and he continued his ascent with a strong weekend at Babson. I was impressed with his overall floor game in a victory over Loomis Chaffee, where he showed a healthy balance of scoring downhill and making quick, decisive reads as Dexter’s lead guard. Afolabi is fast and athletic in the open floor, but he’s demonstrating an understanding of playing with the right pace, changing speeds effectively and slowing the game down. He also slammed home one of the loudest dunks of the weekend, an alley-oop in transition that was lobbed low, but Afolabi still had the ability to grab it and throw it down.
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Brandon Arnold, Kimball Union
6-3 guard
Hometown: Baldwin, N.Y.
There was a point last season when KUA head coach Cory McClure empowered Arnold and teammate Christian Williams to take the keys of the team, and it carried the Wildcats to the Class AA semifinals. Now with Arnold back, the offense goes through him, and his confidence was apparent all weekend. He’s just a steady, mature and reliable guard who consistently made the right decisions, specifically in pick-and-roll actions, and he showed he can take over when needed. He scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, in the final minutes to secure a win over St. Andrew’s, and in a back-and-forth duel with St. George’s, he hit a few big shots and found Merrick Smith for a go-ahead bucket in another win. Arnold got an offer from Marist after his big weekend and he’s generating interest at the mid-major level.
Desmond Bellot, CATS
6-3 guard
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
With former CATS star Jaylen Harrell off to Providence, the ball will be in Bellot’s hands even more this season and he consistently made good reads and impact plays throughout the showcase. He was getting to the rim at will to help CATS pull away for a win over Brimmer & May, and he had a strong balance of making paint touches and finding open teammates on the perimeter. He was reliable from 3-point range, and I was impressed with his poise and ball security against Darrow’s high defensive pressure in a victory on Sunday.
Dywane Chess, St. George’s
6-4 guard
Hometown: Bethlehem, Pa.
I’m a big fan of Chess’ game and he was among the best performers of the weekend. He was consistently making winning plays for St. George’s with his unique combination of size, physicality and athleticism. He was dominant in the first half against St. George’s with tough rebounds, including on the offensive glass, and finishing three-point plays. I watched him back down a smaller guard for a bucket and then finish an athletic up-and-under layup, a testament to how difficult of a matchup he is. He was outstanding again in a close loss to KUA, where he continued to be hard to guard with his physical strength, speed and change of direction. He was a defensive disruptor in passing lanes, too, and he hit an impressive go-ahead pull-up jumper in the final minute. He grabbed offers from Marist and Stony Brook following the weekend.
Jake Freeman, Middlesex
6-5 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Freeman caught some attention with a 35-point showing in a victory on Friday and followed it up with another 30-point outing in a Saturday morning win over Proctor, where he continued to display high-level shot-making. The first play I saw him make was a four-point play, and he demonstrated a promising three-level scoring ability. He hit from the mid-range and got to the rim as he finished through contact for multiple three-point plays, and had one play where he expertly decelerated in the paint for two.
Chase Geremia, Newman
6-2 guard
Hometown: Madison, Conn.
One of the best shooters in the region, Geremia brought his best in a big-time Sunday matchup against Brewster Academy. He drained several 3-pointers, but I really liked his offensive versatility. My favorite move came when he drove baseline against a defender, and used his shoulder and body leverage to create space for an impressive turnaround fadeaway jumper. Geremia is not just a catch-and-shoot sniper; he can make them on the move, off the dribble and from pull-ups. He has an elite ability to create space for himself to generate great looks.
Amir Jenkins, Worcester Academy
6-2 guard
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
Jenkins has cemented himself as one of the best guards in the country, but his performance in a win over Vermont Academy still warrants a mention. His playmaking and shot creation for himself combined with the way he can process defenses at his speed and pace is unmatched. Jenkins, in my eyes, has evolved into a mature leader; he’s always talking and directing his teammates, and he blends that with a unique charisma and spirit that’s infectious. I do want to see him take more 3-pointers, which is an important part of his development, but he did show a capable mid-range shot, including one he hit while being fouled.
Ty Tabales, New Hampton
6-2 guard
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
Tabales was my biggest winner of the weekend. After playing a complementary role off the bench for New Hampton last season, Tabales is now the lead guard for the Huskies after they graduated several stars – and he shined in his first opportunity. The Middlesex Magic guard has always been a knockdown shooter and he continued to show that with consistent shot-making from deep – including five 3-pointers in the first half of Friday’s win over Newman that set the tone for his weekend. But more than that, I was just really impressed with the confidence Tabales played at point guard; he made all the right reads, and he was very communicative as he directed his teammates – which includes several newcomers. He’s a natural as a floor leader. He has already picked up offers from UMBC and Fairfield following the weekend and his stock is quickly rising.
Jamison Thrower, Darrow
6-4 guard
Hometown: Frisco, Texas
Darrow is a defense-first unit that terrorizes opponents with its pressure, and Thrower looks like he’ll fit right in after an impressive opening weekend with the Ducks. He provides constant energy on the defensive end, and he was constantly around the ball whenever I watched Darrow throughout the weekend. If he wasn’t getting a steal, he was causing havoc on ball-handlers that disrupted their offensive rhythm, and his pressure was the root of several big runs. He also showed his elite athleticism and bounce with a monster dunk in transition while being fouled.
Devan Williams, Milton Academy
6-1 guard
Hometown: Uncasville, Conn.
I identified Williams as a player to watch last week in my showcase preview, and he delivered in an impressive weekend for the Mustangs. He was dominant in Milton’s opening win over St. Paul’s; I counted at least three 3-point plays in the first half, including one off-balanced shot off the window. He’s fast with the ball in his hands but still maintains total control of his movements and finishes exceptionally well through contact and traffic. He’s also a capable 3-point shooter and playmaker; he consistently made good decisions and balanced his scoring ability with finding teammates open looks. I loved his competitive drive and passion.
Quick shouts: Brewster’s Darien Moore, an early Seton Hall commit, had head coach Shaheen Holloway in the house and impressed with his two-way impact and 3-point shooting. … Worcester Academy’s Jordan McFadden was clutch in the Hilltoppers’ late comeback win over Vermont Academy, hitting two 3-pointers in the final and the game-winner from the corner with 10 seconds to go. … Ryan Moesch doesn’t appear to ever have bad games; he was consistent for Cushing all weekend and continued to excel with his pick-and-roll decisions. …
Darrow’s Hunter Te Retana grabbed offers from ECU and Towson over the weekend while showing his two-way impact and polished offensive game. … Northfield Mount Hermon newcomer Darren Moore looked good as a lead guard with his scoring and playmaking for others. … Tabor’s Trevor Payne continued to impress with his 3-and-D ability, while teammate Aiden Smith flew around the ball on both ends with steals and defensive pressure in addition to tough finishes at the rim. … CATS guard Jaxson Terry, who returned from an injury this spring, had a productive weekend as he continued to look more like himself. He hit from deep and was impactful defensively.
