BRAINTREE, Mass. — Since Cary Herer took over as the head coach of CATS (Cambridge Arts, Technology & Science) Academy in 2021, the program has taken a step forward in every season.
After playing in NEPSAC Class A in his first two seasons, CATS leveled up to Class AA last season. And while they ended the season with a quarterfinal playoff loss, there was great optimism for the future after they grabbed the No. 3 seed with a talented roster. Now, CATS is ready to take an ever bigger leap in 2024-25.
Headlined by Jaylen Harrell, the Providence commit and reigning Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, Herer has assembled CATS’ most talented and deepest team yet. And following the departure of Bradford Christian, CATS was selected to join the New England Basketball League this year, an eight-team league that includes the best teams in the region. But even against a difficult schedule, CATS is hoping for big things this season.
Here’s what to expect from CATS Academy in 2024-25.
Harrell looks to take step as leader
A year ago at this time, Harrell (Roxbury, Mass.) was feeling the pressure. Then a junior entering his first season at CATS, Harrell was being highly recruited and some of the biggest programs in the country – Duke and Kansas included – were visiting the team’s open gyms to get a look at him. But there’s no one coming to recruit him now; Harrell committed to Providence in July.
“It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Harrell said. “I felt like everywhere I (went), I was being evaluated. I feel like now, I get to ease up and really play the way I want to play and how (Providence coach) Kim (English) sees for me. Last year at open gyms, it was a lot of pressure and overwhelming. … There were times when I couldn’t sleep. But for the most part, I’m glad the process is over.”
At a recent open gym, Harrell was wearing a pink Providence training shirt and had a big smile on his face. The 6-foot-6 forward looks loose and free, and that should certainly help CATS as it looks to take its next step.
Harrell has established himself as one of the best scorers in New England, but he doesn’t necessarily need to have huge scoring nights with the talent that will surround him this season. For Harrell, the numbers and accolades come behind what really matters this season. He already has the awards and his college decision is done – now, the clear goal is for him to lead CATS to victories as he looks to finish his career on a high note.
“I need him to be a leader this year,” Herer said. “He’s the older guy. He doesn’t have to prove anything. He’s got his school, while these other guys, they’re worrying about what schools they’re going to and all that, he’s all set. Sometimes he’s going to have 30 (points), even 40, and sometimes he’s going to have 10, and hopefully he’s going to be OK with that because it doesn’t really matter. His biggest step this year is wins.
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice some of the things you do for the team, and he did that last year too, but now it’s going to be easier to do that where he doesn’t have to score or whatever, and there’s one stat that matters and it’s winning.”
Impact additions
The biggest difference between this season’s CATS team and last year’s version, Herer says, is that this squad is a year older, and they’re much deeper.
Herer has assembled a team that he believes can possibly go 12 players deep depending on how he structures everything. It’s a massive difference from last year, when he said they only went six deep. Having a deep team is a must with the schedule they’re about to play.
“To play NEBL and play a national schedule, a 40-minute game, you can’t play six,” Herer said. “It was important.”
Herer added several transfers who will be immediate contributors. One of them is 6-foot-5 guard Jaxson Terry (Acton, Mass.), who transferred from Lawrence Academy and is starting to get attention nationally in the 2026 class. He’s a two-way force – a gifted scorer who has the versatility to defend all five positions. Herer, who’s been training Terry since he was in third grade, said he’s even been defending CATS’ 7-foot-1 center Leo Curtis during open gyms.
“He has a very mature game. He can do a lot of things. Whatever you’re asking,” Herer said. “He can shoot it, he can handle it, so he does everything. So, he’s going to do everything for us, whatever we need.”
Curtis is a recent transfer from Iceland who Herer believes is a high-major Division 1 prospect. He also added Jaylin Williams-Crawford (Boston, Mass.), a 2026 wing who won a state title with Charlestown last season, as well as Josiah Adamson (Boston, Mass), a 6-foot-2 guard who’s one of the best sophomores in the region.
Sacrifice will be key
Herer loves the mix he has. Desmond Bellot (Boston, Mass) returns as one of the best guards in New England’s 2026 class and CATS will boast one of the most dynamic backcourts in the region. The frontcourt, while it doesn’t get as much attention, is turning heads. Herer believes Curtis’ presence will free up space for 6-foot-9 senior Nelson Mboudjika and allow him to get better, and 6-foot-10 senior Julien Kabori will be a force as well.
Herer boasts an athletic team that should score and defend at a high level. But there are a lot of mouths to feed. His biggest challenge is making sure everyone buys into the sacrifice required to win.
“I think the biggest thing is us playing as a team versus individuals,” Herer said. “If we play as individuals, we won’t do so well. If we play as a team, we’ll be competing every night. …
“My biggest concern is OK, one guy is going to be real good one game and then another guy and we have to be OK with that. That’s part of team building. … The hardest thing is to show them, hey, it’s OK not to score 20. It’s better to score 12 and we win.”
As the leader, it seems Harrell understands it’s his job to set that tone. Last year was rocky at times, he said, but he believes this team has the right makeup. He said it’s an unselfish group, and he doesn’t see CATS losing much this season.
“We were very talented (last year), it just took us a while to click,” Harrell said. “It was all our first year coming here, so I think this year, everyone’s settled in. I think it’s going to be a great year. I think last year there was a lot of jealousy and whatnot, but this year there’s a lot of humility. Everyone just has one goal and that’s to win.”
