The Gatorade Player of the Year award lands among the most prestigious honors in high school sports.
They're given to just one player in each of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. The award highlights the elite members of each state's basketball talent, who also excel in the classroom and the community.
Players in their first four years of high school are eligible. This year in New England, two top NEPSAC prospects took home honors as well as four torch-bearers for their state's association schools.
Here's a rundown of the six honorees from the region. You can find the full list of winners here.
Connecticut: Abby Casper, Northwest Catholic
Class of 2026, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Cromwell, Conn.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Casper, a strong, versatile forward, has been the engine of Northwest Catholic's recent CIAC dominance. As of the award's announcement, she was averaging 20.2 points and 10.2 rebounds on ridiculous shooting splits (68.6 percent from the field, 46.8 percent on 3s). Casper is a 2,000-point scorer and Northwest Catholic's all-time leading scorer, and she's currently steering the program in pursuit of a Division 1 championship.
Maine: Maddie Provost, Lawrence
Class of 2026, 5-8 guard
NCAA: Holy Cross
Casper capped one of the most dominant individual seasons in recent Maine girls basketball memory by leading Lawrence to a thrilling Class B state championship victory. She racked up 27.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and earned Class B North MVP honors.
“Provost is arguably one of the best players I have seen over my 15 years of coaching," Ellsworth opposing coach Andy Pooler said.
Massachusetts: Fope Ayo, Austin Prep
Class of 2026, 6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
NCAA: Michigan
Ayo is New England's top-ranked 2026 college prospect (ranked 45th by ESPN), an imposing defensive presence and inside scorer. She amassed 22.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks for Austin Prep, clearing both 1,000 career points and rebounds.
New Hamphire: Bella Owumi, Tilton
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
Owumi transferred to Tilton this season and immediately made an impact, helping the Rams go 25-4 and reach the NEPSAC Class AAA semifinals. She averaged 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Owumi is New England's most highly-touted 2027 prospect, ranked No. 30 in the class by ESPN.
Rhode Island: Lauren Bousquet, Moses Brown
Class of 2026, 5-11 forward
Hometown: West Warwick, R.I.
NCAA: Marist
Bousquet scored her second Gatorade Player of the Year honor with another prolific season in RIIL play. The powerful forward collected 27.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, surpassing 2,000 career points.
Vermont: Charlotte Jasmin, Hartford
Class of 2026, 5-10 guard
Hometown: White River Junction, Vt.
Jasmin returned from an ACL injury to post a remarkable senior season, powering Hartford to a 22-1 record and a Division II state championship. She became the fifth Vermont high school girl to eclipse 2,000 career points, posting 25.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.1 steals and 4.7 assists per game. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year is still uncommitted but recently received a Div. 1 offer from UMass Lowell.
