Masters Academy International announces move to join Nike EYBL Scholastic

Masters Academy International, the new sports academy opening this fall in Stow, Mass., will be joining the Nike EYBL Scholastic – widely considered the top boys high school basketball league in the country – the school announced.

“The Nike EYBL immediately places our student-athletes on one of the biggest stages in high school basketball,” Masters Academy head coach Jason Smith said in a statement. “Our players will have the opportunity to compete against elite talent from across the country, challenge themselves against some of the nation’s premier programs and gain exposure to college coaches and NBA scouts. It’s an incredible opportunity for our students and speaks to the strength of our mission and what Masters Academy International is building.”

Masters will be one of 15 teams from across the country that make up the Nike EYBL in the 2026-27 season and will be the only school in the league representing New England. CATS Academy will no longer be a full-time member of the league, and Brewster Academy – where Smith previously spent 26 seasons and brought to the Nike EYBL in 2023 – will return to NEPSAC Class AAA.

"Being selected to join the Nike EYBL represents the highest level of scholastic basketball in the country,” Masters Academy director of basketball John Carroll said in a statement. “Every game, every event and every opponent presents an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete against elite talent and measure themselves against the best programs in the nation. That's the type of environment that accelerates development and prepares players for success at the collegiate and professional levels.”

Masters Academy announced in March that Smith – who amassed more than 700 wins and seven national prep championships while developing more than 200 Division 1 players in his time at Brewster – would lead its boys basketball program. He’s still in the process of building his roster for the school’s first season. But it already includes Antonio Pemberton (Lawrence, Mass.) – our top 2027 New England prospect – and four-star 2028 guard Kevin Wheatley, who both spent last season at Brewster under Smith. They also added 2027 guard Kenny Benedict, who spent last season at St. George’s, and Tayden Langdon, an elite-shooting 2027 prospect.