Until now, we haven’t released a watch list for the Class of 2028 boys in New England. Last winter was their freshman season, and it’s uncommon for first-year boys players – especially at the prep school level – to have significant roles. Without much tape or evaluation opportunities, it didn’t make sense to project prospects to the next level.
But with their first major grassroots season in the books, there’s a clearer picture of the top 2028 prospects in the region. Some are even making noise on a national level. We felt comfortable releasing our first watch list.
The criteria I look for when looking for the top 10 college prospects in this class remains roughly the same. Consistency, winning impact, transferable skills, physical tools and intangibles are the main ingredients. But since this class is still so young, still three years away from going to college, I’ve left more room for upside and potential. There’s still so much time for these recruits to grow physically and developmentally over the course of the next few years before we have a better idea of their translation to the college level. This list serves as a starting point, and will very much remain fluid.
Like the other watch lists, these selections must be either New England natives, or have played for a school or grassroots team in the region. If they are new transfers to a prep school, they need to have debuted during the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcases.
Let’s unveil the first Class of 2028 boys watch list.
AUGUST WATCH LISTS: 2026 boys | 2027 boys | 2026 girls | 2027 girls | 2028 girls
Brayden Buckley
Thayer/Expressions Elite, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
I caught Buckley for the first time when I saw Thayer at the Zero Gravity Prep Classic last December and was impressed with his energy and two-way impact, and it stood out to me that he had been trusted to be in a closing lineup as a freshman as they sealed a win over Berkshire. I remember talking to the late Michael Babul after that game about Buckley, and the coach lit up while talking about him, saying he had played him as an eighth grader and called him one of the best freshmen in the state.
Since then, he’s only gotten better. A lead guard with a shifty handle, Buckley can score at all three levels, and he’s a deadly 3-point shooter. He shot 41 percent from deep with Expressions Elite’s 15U team as he led them in scoring at 13.7 points per game to go with 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Buckley had similar numbers as a freshman at Thayer – 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals – as he routinely made the right plays and made an impact in every part of the game.
Adriel Cantave
St. George’s/Expressions Elite, 6-2 guard
Hometown: Carver, Mass.
Cantave is a name many are familiar with if they've been active on social media over the last few years, but his game isn’t just online buzz. He played a role off the bench as St. George’s won the ISL championship last season, and he’s continuing to make strides. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game on the Nike 15U circuit this spring, and he shot 35.9 percent from 3-point range, a noticeable improvement from his freshman prep season. He’s building a reliable lefty stroke from both deep and the mid-range, he’s incredibly active with his hands defensively and he has strong lead guard traits. He’s a twitchy ball-handler who plays with great pace, makes decisive reads, scores with crafty finishes and has advanced vision to find teammates with timely and sometimes high difficulty passes. Cantave has a promising future as he continues to develop his body; I’m excited to see the strides he can make this winter in a bigger backcourt role alongside Dywane Chess and Ethan Njenga.
Wiji Dak
Bedford High School/Mass Rivals, 6-2 guard
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Dak won a New Hampshire state championship with Bedford High before enjoying an eye-opening spring and summer playing up an age level with Mass Rivals’ 16U team. A member of Vin Pastore’s New Hampshire “Fab Five,” Dak impressed as a big-bodied, physical guard who overwhelmed opponents with his size and strength, even at just 15 years old. But he also has skill and athleticism, which he showed with some explosive, highlight-reel dunks throughout the grassroots season. He feasts on the inside, where he gets tough rebounds, makes difficult finishes through traffic and he’s a versatile defender who isn’t afraid to mix it up with bigger opponents. He averaged 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds overall on the Adidas circuit, and he scored in double figures during the championship weekend, when Rivals made the final 16 of bracket play; he got better over the course of the spring and adapted well to his new level’s physicality. That bodes well for his future.
FAB FIVE: Meet New Hampshire's next wave of 2028 stars from Mass Rivals
Kyle Delves
Mount St. Charles/Team New England, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Delves had a unique opportunity to step into a lead guard role for a young Mount St. Charles team in its first Class AA season last winter and excelled, earning an All-NEPSAC honorable mention selection. He carried that to a strong performance at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase, where he picked up another Division 1 offer from Manhattan, before leading Team New England to the 15U MADE Hoops championship. Delves is the total package as a point guard; he’s a high IQ player with a mature poise who rarely makes mistakes, gets his team organized and can score at all three levels as a knockdown shooter and athletic slasher. He’s also a very disruptive defender who I saw make some eye-opening blocks during the NEPSAC Showcase at Babson.
Oli Higgins
Brewer High School/Team Maine, 6-9 wing
Hometown: Brewer, Maine
When we launched New England Basketball Journal last July, I spoke with Higgins for our cover story on Cooper Flagg’s inspirational impact in Maine. Then a 6-foot-7 eighth grader, Higgins spoke about how he models his game after Flagg; while there’s no prospect as talented as the No. 1 overall pick, there are certainly some hints of Flagg in Higgins’ game. The physical traits come first. Like Flagg, he’s a long, athletic wing with high-level on-ball creation abilities. He’s a dangerous threat in transition, an explosive slasher who plays above the rim and can hit shots consistently from deep. He’s also a versatile defender who has good rim-protecting timing. Higgins averaged a near double-double of 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as a freshman at Brewer, and he’s shown well this summer in events featuring better competition like at the New England Academy in July. Higgins certainly needs to fill out his frame and get more physically stronger, but there’s already so much to like.
Yann Kamagate
Darrow/Expressions Elite, 7-1 center
Hometown: Burkina Faso, Africa
It’s still early for Kamagate after he transferred in to Darrow in January, but 7-footers with his skill set don’t grow on trees. He averaged 8.6 points, 9.9 rebounds – including 4.7 on the offensive glass – and 2.1 blocks per game on the Nike circuit with Expressions, which included a monster 14-point, 17-rebound (14 offensive), four-steal performance. He also added a 16-point, 12-rebound effort in addition to a seven-block game at Peach Jam. He’s raw, but there’s great intrigue with his physical tools. He’s an incredible lob threat and already an elite rim protector with his length and athleticism. He’s clearly still developing in other areas, but there is high-major upside.
Malachi Odugbela
St. Andrew’s/BABC, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Odugbela was the straw that stirred the drink for a talented 15U BABC team that showed a ton of potential this spring and summer. He averaged 16.3 points per game on the Adidas circuit – which ranked in the top 20 on the circuit – while adding 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. A fluid lead guard, he has a smooth handle with a natural scoring ability, and he’s a disruptive defender who can play at the top of the press with his length and size. Odugbela made strides throughout the grassroots season with his leadership and effort levels on both ends, and he was at his best during the Adidas championships in July, when he posted 27-point and 29-point performances against national competition. He needs to fill out his frame and develop a more consistent jumper, but there’s major upside for him as a rising sophomore who has not reclassified.
AAU RECAPS: 15 summer standouts | Championship takeaways | Team White Mamba's title run
Jackson Perri
Roxbury Latin/Middlesex Magic, 6-0 guard
Hometown: West Roxbury, Mass.
Every time I watch Perri play, it always feels like he’s one step ahead of his opponent and plays beyond his years. It helps when your dad is a longtime college coach. After averaging 17 points and 4.5 assists for Roxbury Latin last season, Perri played up on the Middlesex Magic’s 16U team and was a steady hand for Michael Crotty as one of his lead guards, finishing as the squad’s leader in assists. There’s a poise, calmness and confidence about Perri that can’t really be taught; it’s effortless the way he can get to the basket, make strong finishes, find teammates and initiate offensive actions. And though the overall numbers didn’t necessarily reflect it this spring, he’s a reliable 3-point threat with a repeatable stroke that he displays in the mid-range and the free-throw line. Perri easily projects as the type of point guard that Division 1 college programs will want to lead their offenses.
Derek Swartz
Portsmouth High School/Mass Rivals, 6-5 guard
Hometown: Portsmouth, N.H.
Swartz is probably the most talented of Pastore’s New Hampshire “Fab Five,” already boasting offers from Georgetown and Oklahoma State to reflect his breakout spring with the Rivals. The athletic guard averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game at the Adidas championships in July, and clearly got better and more confident as the grassroots season unfolded and he continued to produce against older competition. Scoring is Swartz’s strength; he can get points from any level, he’s shifty enough to get by any defender, and even at 15 years old, he has a physical, mature body to help him finish through contact and play above the rim. It’s scary to think about how much better he can get as his body and skills continue to develop; Pastore thinks he can be a nationally-ranked recruit and that seems entirely realistic.
Michai White
Brewster Academy/City Rocks, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Newark, N.J.
The only nationally-ranked recruit on this list – No. 17 on ESPN – White transferred in to Brewster in the spring after breaking New Jersey’s freshman scoring record – surpassing former NBA player Dajuan Wagner’s mark with 763 points – while playing at St. Benedict’s Prep. White played two age divisions up this spring with the 17U City Rocks, where he had a significant role as he averaged 13.4 points per game at Peach Jam, and he impressed in his first appearance with Brewster at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase at Babson, where he gave us a glimpse of his skill, craftiness, quickness and scoring ability. I love the confidence and maturity White plays for being a 15-year-old. He already holds an offer from Louisville and he’s destined for more high-major offers.
Five more names to know: Patrick Costello (Rivers/Expressions Elite); Cole McClure (Phillips Exeter/Middlesex Magic); Isaac Olaniba (Mount St. Charles/Team New England); Maxxwell Thorpe (Northfield Mount Hermon/Expressions Elite); Braylon Washington (CATS/Expressions Elite)
