In six full seasons covering high school girls basketball, I've grown accustomed to the springtime subplot that is the MIAA vs. NEPSAC tug-of-war for top talent.
The plight of MIAA girls basketball hasn't changed (and though it varies on the boys side and in other New England states, I believe the themes are similar). Superstar high schoolers want to pursue their highest level. Division 1 scholarships (NIL deals aside) are the most valuable commodity in youth sports. Most youth players and Div. 1 college coaches don't believe the local high school circuit can get them there. Enter NEPSAC, with a track record that's only gaining steam.
MIAA schools have the means to fight back. They still send plenty of stars to some of the region's top Div. 2 and Div. 3 programs — this is purely a battle to retain Div. 1 prospects, the true best of the best. Keeping that elite talent local is not a lost cause, but it'll require tremendous work and a dramatic mindset shift from both the MIAA at large and individual coaches.
Right now, MIAA schools are misaligned with their marketing. They're too often aiming to tear down NEPSAC and the decision-making process instead of building their appeal. In addition to outdated association rules and restrictions, they're sending elite student-athletes a message that doesn't resonate — and they're actually selling themselves short.
What's going wrong
The most common refrain from public school coaches and supporters is that playing for your hometown means much more than suiting up for a prep school. It's true that NEPSAC will never have the same level of rocking high school gyms or idolatry from young kids. It's commendable if teenagers feel empowered to represent their towns through sport.
But it's not a moral obligation. Why, when social media makes a vast world more connected than ever, should a teen feel a duty to stick to their school? NEPSAC players form close-knit friendships and make sacrifices for the good of their teams, just like any other level. Kids and families are chasing their dreams, and guilting them for doing so comes off as its own form of selfishness.
Instead, MIAA teams need to prove that they can still make that dream come true without spending college-like tuition at a prep school and losing the security of home. That starts by pitching the state to Division 1 colleges.
On the most recent HoopWise Podcast episode. Mark Nickerson, head coach of three-time defending state champion Medfield, lamented the lack of Div. 1 college interest in his program. It ultimately factored into Izzy Kittredge and Naya Annigeri's decisions to transfer to Nobles in consecutive springs. I asked Nickerson what his relationship was like with Div. 1 colleges.
"It's been a real battle," Nickerson said. I don't get any feedback, truthfully, from any Division 1 coaches. I just feel like they're not paying any attention to public schools, on the girls side, anyway."
According to our 2025 and 2026 girls college commitment databases, NEPSAC outscored the six New England state associations 24-5 in Div.1 commits (New England natives only) for the 2025 class and is currently up 25-9 in 2026 Div. 1 commits. The MIAA has seven combined Div. 1 signees in the last two years. Stonehill, four years into its tenure as a low-major Div. 1 school, is the only program to recruit multiple MIAA girls from the last three graduating classes.
The MIAA cannot match prep schools' allowance for reclassifying, which is growing even more valuable as high school players wait out the logjam of the NCAA transfer portal. Most school systems simply can't compete educationally either, with several New England prep schools ranking among the best in the world.
And though Nickerson's predicament isn't representative of everyone, it's fair to say few MIAA coaches have consistent pull in the Div. 1 world. That's not sustainable. An aspiring Division 1 college basketball player should not feel like they're sacrificing their dream by staying at their local high school.
Reshaping the message
If high school coaches want to retain their best athletes, they need to be leading advisors in the athlete's recruiting circles, which means constantly networking and building those Div. 1 relationships in any way possible.
When they do so, they need to highlight not just their individual school, but the MIAA as a whole. Is this level of play worth a college coach taking their time to scout? Does the MIAA actually produce Div. 1 talent in the post-pandemic climate?
Fortunately for the girls coaches, the answer is still yes. A strong collection of recent MIAA stars have committed to and succeeded at the Division 1 level.
Among many examples: Norwood center Megan Olbrys got recruited by Villanova and averaged 14 points this past season at UMass. Abigail Wright was recruited by Harvard out of Newton North and averaged 13.3 points this winter. Anna Foley won a state title at Andover, was a go-to player for three seasons at Quinnipiac and just transferred to Villanova. Camryn Collins won two state titles at Foxboro and averaged 11.4 points this year at Northeastern. Charlotte Adams-Lopez averaged single-digit points as a Bishop Feehan senior, committed to Brown and earned multiple Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors as a freshman. Jae Scott, a two-time state champ at Wachusett, is our fifth-ranked prospect in New England's senior class and a Tulsa commit.
And players who transferred to NEPSAC still help the message. Bella Owumi was receiving Power Four offers at St. Mary's before she went to Tilton. Wouldn't college coaches love to be first to find stars like Orlagh Gormley (North Quincy), Jasmyn Cooper (Oliver Ames) or Grace Oliver (Norwell) — who didn't have Div. 1 offers while dominating the MIAA but would go on to be high-major college recruits after going prep?
Sure, NEPSAC programs make a difference with their player development pipelines. But most scholarship offers get handed out during the grassroots season anyway. Oliver received Div. 1 offers during AAU before she ever played a game at Nobles. Same goes for Bryant impact freshman Izzy Adams, who earned offers between leaving Walpole and suiting up for Dexter Southfield. Kittredge got her first offer from UMass during NEPSAC open gym season, only a couple months into her time at Nobles.
The pro-NEPSAC counterpoint would be that Kittredge, Adams, Oliver and Cooper all reclassified, which moved them to the front of the next recruiting class. Reclassifying may have played into the sudden interest increase. But NEPSAC didn't turn them into Div. 1-caliber prospects overnight.
The MIAA's sales pitch to Division 1 should be: You can find hidden gems in the MIAA and get ahead on the recruiting trail by looking here. If college coaches buy back into the MIAA as a high-level circuit, the appeal to those elite prospects becomes a lot stronger.
How to make it happen
Nothing will change until MIAA coaches build relationships and trust with Division 1 colleges. But let's say they get there and the above message entices some folks.
Now, how does the association show off its stars?
Nickerson has admirably organized the Eastern New England Showcase during the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for the last two years. It's a well-run exhibition game that draws the best high school talent in Eastern Mass., Rhode Island and New Hampshire. But it occurs smack in the middle of Division 1 nonconference play. Coaches aren't thinking about coming to a single gym for a small talent group that may yield one or two players worth recruiting. Instead, much to Nickerson's dismay, the showcase has become more effective for NEPSAC schools' own recruiting purposes.
This event would fit better during the June scholastic live period, a designated window for Division 1 coaches to scout high schools. MIAA teams could bring full rosters to showcase. But that's another problem — under the MIAA's current out-of-season coaching rules, they can't (at least with their actual head coaches).
The vast majority of participants in last year's MIAA coaches' survey implore looser restrictions on out-of-season coaching. They also clamor for an open gym culture that matches the importance in NEPSAC, where open gyms are meaningful recruiting opportunities. Kittredge and her father told me plainly last year that MIAA rules, which kept her from playing lacrosse for Medfield and attending AAU showcases, were a driving factor in her decision to reclassify and transfer.
"I know for a fact, this June, our kids who are scholarship kids or college kids — when (prep schools) are playing in this open time, that's an eyesore for us," Andover boys coach Dave Fazio said. "So we need to level the playing field as best we can."
Lastly, both Nickerson and Fazio lamented the challenges of scheduling games within the MIAA's limit of approximately 20 official regular season contests that count towards standings. This pales in comparison to NEPSAC teams that often come close to 30 games played, and it also means poor league strength significantly reduces quality film to show colleges.
Adding exemption games would allow more MIAA teams to travel out of state and find the best competition they can. It would also demand more time, energy and money from coaches and programs. That might not be in the best interest of the association at large, but to give MIAA teams schedules worthy of Division 1 coaches' interest, it might have to be the trade-off. Medfield's players gained nothing in exposure or development by going up 49-3 against Dover-Sherborn by halftime of a required Tri-Valley League matchup last winter.
"My best players are sitting on the bench for the entire second half of our games, for the most part," Nickerson said.
Over the last two decades, NEPSAC has cultivated a proof of concept by consistently sending its best players to big college stages. If the MIAA makes these changes, and coaches create meaningful connections with the Div. 1 level, they can close the exposure gap with NEPSAC. Then their other selling points, like hometown pride and lower cost of education, can seal the deal.
