The way last season ended for the New Hampton boys left a sour taste for coach Andrew Gale and his team.
In the span of a week, the Huskies’ strong winter concluded with a lopsided loss to Newman in the Class AAA semifinals before a decisive defeat to Cushing in the national prep championship tournament. Gale admitted there was some inevitability to the runaway train that was Newman, but it was a motivation in getting his program back to the championship standard they expect.
Gale got to work in the offseason and assembled a roster that looks poised to get there. A long list of newcomers give New Hampton a more versatile look, but also join the returners in having a chip on their shoulder. Several of them similarly lost in heartbreaking fashion in the postseason at their previous schools, and this fall, the Huskies have had a united focus in their goal of claiming glory this season.
“We have a group of hungry individuals who really want to win a championship,” Gale said.
Here’s what to expect at New Hampton, No. 4 in our preseason NEPSAC rankings, in 2026-27.
State of the program
New Hampton has been a regional powerhouse for decades and annually among the best teams in not only NEPSAC Class AAA, but on the national prep circuit. The Huskies’ last championship came in 2020, when an Alex Karaban-led squad took down Brewster in the final. They’ve reached two finals since then, in 2024 and 2025.
New Hampton is no longer a member of the NEBL, meaning the Huskies will be eligible for the Class AAA playoffs.
AAA PREVIEWS: St. Thomas More | Newman
The coach
Gale has spent the last 10 years at New Hampton, where he was first named an assistant coach in 2016 before taking the head-coaching position in 2019, when he won the NEPSAC title in his first season. Before then, he spent four seasons at Vermont, where he became a graduate assistant coach.
After last season, Gale worked hard on the recruiting trail to put together a deep roster built on versatility on both ends of the floor. He believes there was some redundancy last season that doesn’t exist with this team.
“I think that the pieces fit well together,” Gale said. “We can mix and match a bunch of different dudes in different roles is something to look forward to, we can match up depending on our opponent. We haven’t had that kind of flexibility in a long time.”
The star players
Following the departures of Division 1 commits Chad Cook, Jayden Harrington, Wesley Waddles and James Sanderson, the path is wide open for returner Stetson Merritt to have a substantial role as New Hampton’s lead guard this season.
WATCH LIST: Our Player of the Year candidates in Class AAA
Merritt had a promising junior season as a microwave three-level scorer that he took into a breakout AAU campaign. He looked great in his new role at New Hampton during the June live periods. Whenever the Huskies need a bucket, the ball will likely go through the 6-foot-3 guard who committed to Buffalo this fall. Gale is hoping to see even more development off the ball.
“I just think his ability to create his own shot is really high level and that’s his superpower if we were to give him one,” Gale said. “I don’t know if we have a lot of guys on our roster right now who can do that. So putting him in situations, (like) late shot clock, that he can be our offensive engine is something that really excites me. … I think he can play on the ball, off the ball. … His growth off the ball is the thing that will allow him to make an impact this year at a higher level.”
One of the most high-profile NEPSAC transfers of the offseason came at New Hampton with the addition of Derek Swartz (Portsmouth, N.H.), who’s ranked No. 59 in the national 2028 class by 24/7 Sports. The 6-foot-5 guard – who holds multiple high-major offers – is a premier scorer, but Gale thinks his immediate impact will go beyond points. He watched with excitement this summer when he saw how Swartz played with top-ranked New England guard Antonio Pemberton on Mass Rivals.
“His ability to just impact without the ball in his hands is special,” Gale said. “I’m watching film, he kills people on cuts, he kills people with his catch-and-shoot ability, he kills people reading the floor and attacking a bad close out, that really fits him no matter who else is on the floor, I think he elevates others. His defensive instincts are insane. (He’s) very comparable to the highest level players I’ve coached at New Hampton.”
The under-the-radar players
New Hampton boasts a pair of returners who played significant minutes last season. One is Merritt, the other is 6-foot-7 2029 wing Brandyn Clarke, who showed several glimpses of his potential in his first season. Gale said last year was an adjustment period in many respects for the super athletic Clarke, but he should make a leap this winter, both with his physicality and ability to create easy offense for himself.
“His ability to rebound is the thing that jumps out to me,” Gale said. “Last year was a huge growing process for him in terms of the speed of the game and being able to match the physicality of his opponents. Even though he looks physically developed, he’s still very young. … He didn’t know how to use his physicality yet. He’s made tremendous growth in his ability to guard and he takes a lot of pride in guarding without fouling now, and being a rim protector because of his length.
“When he wants to … he can be the best rebounder in our league, hands down. It’s just a matter of how often and frequently he’s going to buy into that end.”
Gale also noted Kasten Eggers, a 6-foot-3 guard in the 2027 class who reminds him of graduated guard Ben Safran as an effort glue guy. He said his defensive instincts are high level and he brings a steady presence as an older guard on the roster.
Top newcomers
There are more than a half-dozen newcomers on this roster who should make an immediate impact. Gale pinpointed three postgraduates in guard Niko Christofilis, wing Temi Olafisoye and forward Brennan Williams who will each be massive pieces this season.
In Christofilis – a 6-foot-2 guard from Seattle – Gale sees some similarities to former New Hampton guard Keyshuan Tillery, who was a Top 50 recruit, in his ability to pass and score on the move.
“I’m not saying he’s Keyshuan Tillery, but his ability to play in ball screens, make reads, punish people for going under ball screens with his ability to space the floor, his twitchiness with the ball in his hands, those things offensively really help us,” Gale said. “I think he’s really going to be that calming presence, that older presence.”
Olafisoye is a 6-foot-7 wing who has incredibly intriguing tools as a physically gifted inside-out presence, while Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward, has a high basketball IQ and possesses skills as a cutter, offensive rebounder, catch and shoot ability and defensive versatility. Gale is hopeful they act as mentors for the young prospects on his roster.
“Those guys are where we want our younger guys to be,” he said.
That young group includes a trio of 2029 prospects who appeared for Mass Rivals’ 17U 3SSB team alongside Swartz. Guard Luke O’Connell (Bedford, N.H.), wing Finn McCauley (Portsmouth, N.H.) and forward Ryan O’Rourke (Bedford, N.H.) are each brimming with potential. O’Connell is among the highest upside players on the roster with his athleticism, length, defensive disruptiveness and shotmaking ability.
Our expectations
The depth and versatility of this roster is real, and it was a clear emphasis for Gale. New Hampton doesn’t necessarily have a 5-man with rim protecting ability, but the Huskies have so many frontcourt pieces that have a variety of offensive skillsets in addition to defensive versatility that will allow them to match up with any opponent, and they should have the offensive firepower.
The ceiling of this squad may depend on how well the young newcomers on the roster acclimate to the Class AAA and national prep level, but I have faith after what I saw this summer; the Mass Rivals quartet, led by Swartz, has already been playing at a national level for several years, and they have chemistry together. I expect Merritt to come into his own as an alpha scorer, Clarke to make another leap and the postgraduate additions to make a real impact. If everything comes together, they should at least reach the Class AAA championship game with a real chance of coming home with a trophy that they’re all hungry for.
