HANOVER, Mass. — During Sunday afternoon's game between MCW Starz and Shooting Touch, I chatted with Mass Rivals guard Saige DeJesus and her New Hampton coach, Jamie Bavaro, on the baseline while we watched the two talented 2028 teams. They were partially seated for a New Hampton teammate (mentioned in our standouts below).
But in talking with DeJesus as the two teams went to double overtime, I noted how much she just enjoyed watching a good basketball game. She and the many other players I talked to stayed around Starland Sportsplex long before, between and after their schedules ended to watch AAU teammates, school teammates or top matchups. Grassroots basketball definitely has its issues and I'd consider myself more of a cynic, but I always appreciate how these young players create a broader community that crosses the (sometimes tense) boundaries of competition.
Now enough of that sappiness. I spent the weekend getting a quality look at the returning wave of New England basketball talent, and the 2028 class put on a show between their 16U age group and those playing up in 17U. Though I didn't watch any freshman teams, some 2029 standouts who were playing up did impress me as well. I didn't see every top AAU team (MCW Starz S40, Firecrackers S40 and Bay State Jaguars UAA Rise were the best 2028 programs I missed), but this was a super valuable weekend that helped me expand my underclassmen knowledge base.
I touched on my philosophy in evaluating AAU with my 2027 standouts which you can find here. Below is a schedule of games I watched, plus my 2028 and 2029 standouts.
Saturday
Bay State Jaguars UA Rise 2027Â 59, Mass Huskies EYCL 2027Â 39
Bay State Jaguars UAA 2028 49, Shooting Touch 2028 45
BCRI Silvia 2027Â 56, RIBC 2027Â 46
iBelieve Elite P24 2027Â 67, Bay State Jaguars UA Rise 2027Â 46
Boston Showstoppers Clinton 2027Â 64, Dana Barros UA Rise 2027Â 59
Mass Rivals 3SSB 2028Â 49, United NJ 2028Â 38
Boston Showstoppers Nay 60, Mass Huskies EYCL 2028 24
MCW Starz P24 2027Â 62, New England Storm S40 2027 41
MCW Starz P24 2027Â 59, Maine Firecrackers S40 2027Â 40
Sunday
BCRI Silvia 2027Â 52, Boston Showstoppers Clinton 2027Â 45
Bay State Jaguars UAA 2027Â 62, iBelieve Elite P24 2027Â 61
MT Ducks Emerald 2027Â 60, Mass Huskies EYCL 2027Â 54
United NJ P24 2027Â 69, Mass Rivals 3SSB 2027Â 46
MCW Starz P24 2028Â 56, Shooting Touch 2028Â 54Â (2OT)
Maine Firecrackers S40 2027Â 59, New England Storm S40 2027Â 53
New England Storm S40 2028Â 60, iBelieve Elite P24 2028Â 50
Aliyah Allston-Pujols, Shooting Touch 2028
Class of 2028, 5-10 guard
Nobles/Randolph, Mass.
Allston-Pujols battled some sickness Saturday, but that didn't deter her from standing out in both weekend games I watched. It's difficult for defenses to get her out of control because of her strength and court awareness. Allston-Pujols scored a few times by backing down defenders, she pinned some others on her hip to great space on drives, and she finished through contact around defenders. I also saw her swat one opponent defending a post-up.
Zaida Aponte, BCRI Silvia 2027
Class of 2028, 5-2 guard
Rogers/Newport, R.I.
Aponte, a rising star in Rhode Island, was a new name to me. She's super quick in the open floor and explosive on half-court drives. I took note of her success finishing through contact and over length; she's able to create enough separation with her body to score at tough angles. Rogers averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 steals and 4.0 assists for Rogers during the high school season.
JuJu Booth, iBelieve Elite P24 2027
Class of 2028, 5-7 guard
Suffield/Hartford, Conn.
Booth runs some point for iBelieve's top team and fits well with a group that can really push the pace. She's a great transition playmaker who made some smart open-floor passes to teammates. Booth also has a quick first step, a floater game she's comfortable with and strength scoring through contact.
Abby Broderick, Bay State Jaguars UAA 2028
Class of 2028, 5-10 wing
Medfield/Medfield, Mass.
Broderick is one of a few elite shooting wings on a Jags squad that went 4-0. She scored with nonchalance off baseline out-of-bounds plays and off the catch. But I liked what I saw from Broderick inside the arc during Saturday's win against Shooting Touch. She made a great skip pass to Maeve Powers for a corner 3 assist, had another smart pass out of the post, and curled off a screen and attacked into a made runner.
Lily Davis, Mass Rivals 3SSB 2028
Class of 2028, 5-6 guard
Tabor/Waterford, Conn.
I'm floored by Davis' rapid improvement as a shooter. Last year, she seemed streaky and hesitant behind the arc, and this year, we're seeing her confidently drill open catch-and-shoot 3s and even some off movement. I believe Davis scored 14 of Rivals' first 16 points in the win I saw against United N.J., still standing out with her straight-line drives too. Davis is getting better at reading the defense when she attacks.
Marybel DoRosario, BCRI Silvia 2027
Class of 2028, 6-0 wing
Taunton/Taunton, Mass.
DoRosario is a sneaky-explosive athlete with long arms and some bounce. I liked what I saw from her in both games where she affected shots around the basket. Sunday morning against the Showstoppers, DoRosario showed me more as an active cutter and slashed for an additional tough layup. She also drew a charge in that contest. Her defense helps winning now, and DoRosario has upside on offense as well.
Jordynn Elijah, New England Storm S40 2028
Class of 2028, 6-1 wing
Kimball Union/Ozone Park, N.Y.
Elijah balled out playing on Storm's 2028 and 2027 rosters. She was efficient shooting 3s off the catch and more consistent than I've seen in the past. Elijah attacked closeouts and open space but didn't force bad shots. I saw a nice one-dribble pull-up and a bunch of smart extra passes, including a drive-and-kick to the opposite corner. Elijah is tall, long, athletic and a solid defender. If the perimeter game is this good, she's a real sleeper as a Division 1 prospect in this class.
Sysy Mcausland Emmanuel, MCW Starz P24 2028
Class of 2029, 5-9 guard
St. Mary's/Melrose, Mass.
Emmanuel exuded confidence running the show on an older MCW team. When her shot is falling, she's such an entertaining scoring guard. Emmanuel made pull-up 2s and some catch-and-shoot 3s, scored on an and-1 layup, and spread the ball around. Her changes of pace off the dribble are tough to contain.
Reese Jeamel, iBelieve P24 2028
Class of 2028, 6-0 wing
Coventry/Coventry, Conn.
This was my first in-person watch of Jeamel, who's intriguing with her speed and body control at her size. She rises up into her jumpers with a release that's difficult to guard, and she's capable of hitting pull-ups, runners and fadeaway shots. Jeamel has a more slender frame, but she can handle contact on drives. She's received early Division 1 offers from Rhode Island and Central Connecticut.
Ayla Keefe, Bay State Jaguars UAA 2028
Class of 2028, 5-11 wing
Newman/Cave Creek, Ariz.
Keefe is so crafty getting to the basket; though she's not an explosive athlete, her footwork on step-throughs helped her create a few impressive layups. She also continues to win with strength as a finisher and defender. I saw her pick up a steal guarding the ball Saturday and go coast-to-coast for a tough bucket through traffic. Keefe makes smart extra passes that aren't always direct assists, but they open up the floor for her team.
Skylar Makalusky, Shooting Touch 2028
Class of 2029, 5-11 (estimate) forward
Brookline/Brookline, Mass.
Shooting Touch's 2028 team is largely comprised of freshmen, a few of whom have already generated some buzz. I have slept on Makalusky, who was a leader on a solid Brookline team this season. She is super interesting with her lanky frame and surprising speed on drives. I saw Makalusky register a big block Saturday morning against the Jaguars, mix in a step-through score in the same game and later attack from the perimeter for a decisive layup against MCW. Makalusky's still early in her general skill development, but the length/athleticism combination is a fun foundation.
Shannon O'Leary, MCW Starz P24 2028
Class of 2028, 6-1 center
New Hampton/Marshfield, Mass.
I have a bias for bigs who can pass. It's not a super common outlier skill because post players today aren't asked to pass quite as much, but it can open up so much for an offense. O'Leary is a great passing center; she found Avery Terry on an interior pass Sunday against Shooting Touch and made a few additional smart kick-out finds. She also battled on the boards and ran the floor in transition. I want to see O'Leary be more confident in her own shot, but those innate passing instincts help her stand out.
Ella Peper, Bay State Jaguars UAA 2027
Class of 2028, 6-4 wing
Dexter Southfield/Newton, Mass.
Peper scored 25 points Sunday morning against iBelieve and totally took over the second half. She started heating up on corner 3s, but again, I appreciated how she demanded post touches. Peper scored a tough post bucket on Paola Kanoute (one of the only other players here with a similar physical profile) and also added a turnaround jumper that's become a staple of her scoring arsenal. To cap off the thriller, Peper used a screen to force a switch and get a post mismatch, but when she saw Shannon Welburn get open on a backdoor cut, she dumped off the pass for the game-winning layup. Peper is playing up in the 17U age group for the first time, and I'm eager to see how that goes on the Under Armour circuit.
Nahla Perkins, Shooting Touch 2028
Class of 2029, 5-10 (estimate) forward
Nobles/Needham, Mass.
I'd been hearing about Perkins for a little bit, and she lived up to the moderate hype this weekend with how her long arms and quick strides are already impacting the game. She wreaked havoc in both games I saw with blocks on drives and as a help defender, also tallying some steals in the passing lanes. Perkins was mostly a cutter on offense, but she's fast and a solid finisher.
Ella Reyes, Bay State Jaguars UAA 2028
Class of 2028, 5-10 wing
Westerly/Westerly, R.I.
It is scary to face Reyes and the aforementioned Broderick on the same team. Both are two of the best perimeter shooters in the 2028 class. Reyes was hitting 3s without breaking a sweat on Saturday against Shooting Touch. She also keeps impressing as a driving scorer. I saw her look off a defender in transition with a fake to convert a layup and fight off contact at the rim on a separate make. Reyes makes a lot of her offensive game look easy, and that's exciting as she continues to grow and add strength.
Tajeaya Sterling, Boston Showstoppers Clinton 2027
Class of 2028, 5-10 forward
Durfee/Fall River, Mass.
Sterling made a big difference in a close Showstoppers win against Dana Barros Elite on Saturday. She's a strong, athletic big with great hands who brought down some contested post entry passes and won important offensive rebounds. She had a short takeover stretch where she blocked the opposing scorer 1-on-1, got the ball back and handled it in transition for a layup, then tacked on an offensive rebound and putback shortly afterward. Sterling is mostly a paint presence right now, but she's a difference-maker.
Avery Terry, MCW Starz P24 2028
Class of 2029, 5-11 (estimate) forward
Acton-Boxboro/Acton, Mass.
This was my first extended watch of Terry, who won Dual County League Player of the Year at Acton-Boxboro. She's physically capable of playing up a year and was great as a cutting and driving forward. Terry's length helped her block one driving shot and she affects attempts at the rim. She's dynamic in the open floor and can handle the ball better than I expected, as shown with another crossover into a pull-up 2-pointer. The athletic traits definitely stand out with some additional interesting skill.
Eva Zink, MCW Starz P24 2027
Class of 2028, 6-0 forward
Bedford/Bedford, N.H.
Zink was among my favorite performers all weekend. I've been wanting to see her increase her efficiency scoring around the basket, and she gave us two phenomenal efforts in that regard on Saturday. She was aggressive attacking open lanes and converted difficult contact layups. She also showed off a bit of back-to-the-basket work with scores against New England Storm. Zink remains a high-motor defender and rebounder, and she hit a pick-and-pop 3, but the improvement in strength and success at the rim could really elevate her game.
Quick shouts: Two more sharpshooters I want to credit: 2029 guard Jen Xue (Shooting Touch/Milton Academy) and 2028 guard Brynn Noel (Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars). ... 2028 guard Kiera Paradis (MCW Starz/Lawrence Academy) came up clutch Sunday against Shooting Touch with two huge late threes and a give-and-go score with Shannon O'Leary. ... I only saw Saige DeJesus (Mass Rivals/New Hampton) play once, but her defensive improvement and added strength that showed in prep school seem to be carrying over to the AAU scene. ... Courtney Anderson (New England Storm/Proctor) is an underrated new name. The 2028 forward made a bunch of smart passes in the middle of the floor and also scored around the basket. ... Jali Eason (New England Storm/Governor's) is not a new name to me, but while playing up on Storm's S40 2028 team, she continued showing off her off-dribble playmaking. ... Avery Bollin (Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars), arguably New England's top 2029 prospect, also had some bright passing moments as a center, which you know I love. She's playing up two age groups on the Jaguars' 2027 UAA squad. ... Recent 2028 reclass Naya Annigeri (Nobles/Medfield, Mass.) was her typical self on the Jaguars' 2027 UA Rise team, picking off a bunch of steals and hitting some relocations 3-pointers.
... Lastly, I want to shout out two players I saw very briefly. I only caught a little bit of the Mass Huskies' EYCL 2028 win against Reps Basketball, but I liked what I noticed from 2028 wing Lovena Stanley (Lawrence Academy) as a shooter and hustling defender. ... I think I watched maybe two total minutes of PSG Elite on Saturday. In that time, I saw 2029 guard Lexi Linsey (Andover) score seven straight points with a pull-up 2, a sharp driving layup and a pull-up 3. I know she closed her freshman year strong and I need to carve out more time to watch her play.
