When Ushearnda Stroud arrived at Austin Prep to steward the girls basketball team's NEPSAC transition, she was starting from scratch with a program that hadn't had much MIAA success.
Entering Year 3 of the transition, Austin Prep is slowly but surely building. The Cougars moved up to Class AA following this year's realignment. They've added a more robust strength and conditioning program. Stroud, who helped Brooks win two NEPSAC Class B titles in 2019-20 and 2021-22, has a star duo leading the way and a young supporting cast to develop.
"I feel great about it. I wouldn't have made the transition from Brooks to here if I didn't have the support from the school, the community, and if I didn't believe that I could build this into a legitimate program," she said. "... As I was telling coaches, it's piece by piece, it's family by family, it's kid by kid, just recruiting and building."
Here's what to expect from Austin Prep in 2024-25.
Fope Ayo has been busy
Ayo (Methuen, Mass.) used a meteoric summer rise to reach No. 47 in ESPN's national 2026 rankings, and her hectic offseason didn't stop there. The 6-foot-4 center attended the prestigious Wootten Camp in Las Vegas two weekends ago, joining Tabor star Kaelyn Carroll as the two representatives from Massachusetts.
Ayo tested herself against some of the best prospects in the country and was on the 5-on-5 squad that ultimately won the weekend championship. She's continuing to pull in high-major offers, most recently from Wake Forest.
"It definitely felt a little bit nerve-wracking, but I got a lot more comfortable as it progressed," Ayo said. "I had an amazing team. They were always giving me advice, always helping me, always encouraging me. And my coach — Coach (Mike) Holloway, he was my coach on my team — he also was great and encouraged us, but also let us kind of figure out what we were doing. He wasn't, like, coaching us and telling us what to do; he let us figure it out as we went. That's something I wasn't used to and I was forced to grow on my own."
Ayo's first season at Austin Prep — also only her fourth year playing basketball seriously — was a work in progress, and now opponents know her name and stature. She's also more confident entering this season and has worked on becoming a more well-rounded offensive player in addition her dominance as a rebounder and rim protector. Stroud wants to see Ayo take more control as a leader and top player.
"She's gonna have to be more vocal and demanding," Stroud said. "She's going to have to do that, because right now she's still trying to figure out how to not offend (teammates). And part of growing in this is understanding that ... sometimes you gotta take the medicine. Yeah, her learning that, I think, is gonna be huge."
Tiffany Burns is the sophomore leader
Burns (Methuen, Mass.) led Austin Prep through warmups and drills during Thursday's open gym. The 5-foot-9 point guard is the squad's vocal lead and a top regional prospect herself. Burns landed on our 2027 watch list and boasts offers from schools including Boston College, Providence and Merrimack.
In many ways, Burns is representative of Austin Prep's transition to NEPSAC. She's one of the school's Green Keys and hosts tours for prospective students.
"I have to admit that I'm very, very, very fortunate to have her," said Stroud, who also coaches both Burns and Ayo with Mass Rivals. "When you have your center and your point guard growing together — I've been down that road before, back with a couple of girls at Brooks, watching them grow together. They can win you a lot of games, and they can win you championships."
Burns' explosiveness separates her literally and figuratively from most other guards. She's now working to add strength to her physical profile. Burns asked her family for a membership to her local Choice Fitness, where she now works out twice a week, and also adds twice-weekly strength training sessions at Austin Prep.
She also put in significant work over the summer on her jump shot, getting better spin on the ball when she releases it.
"I went through a whole year trying to work on my jumper, and now I've gotten to the point where I got it down," Burns said. "So now it's just consistently reps, and reps and reps."
Building behind the stars
When asked who the roster's breakout player might be, Ayo and Burns answered at the same time: Ruby Thompson.
Thompson, a 5-foot-6 guard from Winchester, is the floor-spacing, sharpshooting complement to Burns and Ayo. Stroud compared the situation to Kendall Eddy, one of her former stars at Brooks, who got buckets playing alongside Taina Mair and Sam Dewey.
"She puts in a lot of effort. Her shot has improved so much between last year and this year, and again, she just always has a drive to get better (and) to want to do it right," Ayo said.
The pair also mentioned their excitement about Angel Efosa (Lawrence, Mass.), a 2027 transfer guard who should play significant minutes right away. Efosa, the younger sister of Providence guard Grace Efosa, played at Whittier Tech last season. She has impressed Stroud with the way she's attacked her matchups in practice, even against taller defenders like Ayo. During the open gym, Efosa showed off some nice hesitation and step-through moves to score.
"She's not Fope's size, but her physical strength makes it harder for Fope, She gets Fope on her toes with that ball," Stroud said. "She has an unbelievable motor. She loves to compete."
