The star-studded New England Class of 2025 rides off into the sunset, and now the focus shifts to an intriguing 2026 class.
This is a very different group. Though the 2026 class appears to have fewer bona fide superstars at the top, the pool of potential Division 1 talent is deep — I'd argue even deeper than 2025. Our 2025 commitments database currently has 32 Div. 1 college commits and will probably top out around 35. I would not be shocked at all to see 2026 surpass that count, even in the age of the transfer portal logjam, and continue on with quality Div. 2 and 3 players.
There are plenty of standouts at every position, but the forwards and post player groupings look especially strong. College coaches scouting this batch of New England talent should appreciate the positional and two-way versatility in many of the junior/rising senior stars. Our watch lists only include the top 10 prospects in a class, but in my personal notes, I have close to 20 players arguably deserving of a spot. Differing opinions are welcome.
With this being our first watch list of the calendar year, I've laid out my approach to creating this list and evaluating the talent. Read that, then see our top 10 prospects (listed in alphabetical order) of the New England 2026 class.
MORE WATCH LISTS: 2027 girls | 2028 girls
How I approach building our watch lists
Ranking players is fun for discussion. But especially at younger levels, a ranking doesn't mean a whole lot and can sometimes do more harm than good. Our watch lists aim to capture the best of the best in New England without pitting them against each other.
Projecting college impact is a woefully inexact science.
Here's my best succinct way at describing what I watch for. A great prospect will consistently make me think, "Wow, that's a winning play in college." It doesn't always mean getting a bucket — it could be rotating on defense and blocking a shot or making a quality contest. It could be using separation speed and ball-handing to create an advantage and dishing off the right pass, even if the teammate misses the shot. It could be cutting for a layup, grabbing a rebound, running the floor in transition or staying focused after a bad foul call. All of these and more are winning plays whether or not the scoreboard happens to change.
Some players have physical tools and traits that give them natural advantages. Some have elite skills that will immediately translate to college. These outlier gifts matter if they're put to use to win.
My goal is to publish prospect watch lists in May and August. They won't look the same because players continue growing and my own philosophies evolve. A player falling out of the watch list doesn't mean they got worse or less projectable to college; everyone develops at different rates.
I hope this is helpful! Now, to the watch list.
Izzy Adams
Dexter Southfield/MCW Starz, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
Now that the 2025 class is behind us, Adams has the leading claim for best court vision in New England. She just sees available passing windows no one else does and has the unabashed confidence to send it. I thought Adams made significant progress adapting to the pace and size of NEPSAC AAA basketball in her first year at Dexter Southfield. She's not an explosive athlete, but she's physically strong and can create shots for herself. Adams cuts well without the ball too and is an excellent guard rebounder. She just scored an offer from Loyola Maryland, adding to a handful of interested mid-majors.
EARLY LEADERS:Â 2026 standouts from the New England Spring Showdown
Fope Ayo
Austin Prep/Rivals, 6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
Ayo is the top college prospect in this class and ranked No. 42 nationally by ESPN. Our NEPSAC Class AA Defensive Player of the Year is simply taller and stronger than anyone else in New England, averaging 24.5 points, 19.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game this winter. Ayo also runs the floor hard and establishes position quickly on the low block. She's making smarter, faster decisions with the ball and has notably improved her finishing around the basket. Ayo holds offers from a slew of high-major schools, the latest being Houston this past weekend.
REWIND:Â How Ayo got on the national map with a breakout 2024 summer
Lauren Bousquet
Moses Brown/Mass Huskies, 5-10 forward
Hometown: West Warwick, R.I.
Providence Journal writer Eric Rueb said Bousquet's 42-point, 23-rebound feat in the RIIL Open State Tournament championship loss was the greatest performance he had ever seen in RIIL basketball, boys or girls. I'll trust that as another anecdote of Bousquet's dominance in Rhode Island. She won Gatorade Player of the Year with force, a power forward who outmuscles opponents inside. Bousquet can drive past or through anyone and has great footwork and touch in the mid-range areas. She recently added a Quinnipiac offer to her list.
Bela Cucuta
Tilton/iBelieve Elite, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Newington, Conn.
Cucuta lived up to the hype as one of NEPSAC's top transfers last winter, averaging a team-high 18.1 points in Tilton's run to the Class AAA and national prep school championships. She's a ridiculous perimeter scorer first and foremost, hitting 38 percent of her 3s in a variety of fashions off the catch and off the dribble. Cucuta also keeps getting better at pressuring the defense and making plays out of drives. As I mentioned at the start of spring, she's a prime candidate to seize the spotlight in her last AAU season.
Morgan Jenkins
Newman/Bay State Jaguars, 6-2 forward
Hometown: Higganum, Conn.
Jenkins, who recently announced her transfer to Newman, is no longer a breakout star. Most have become familiar with the versatile forward who added Seton Hall to her offers that include several Ivy League and mid-major programs. She crushed NEPSAC Class A with Hotchkiss to the tune of 20.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Jenkins is a dependable interior defender and rebounder, but she's got more in her bag driving the ball than I initially realized, and she'll hit the occasional 3-pointer off the catch. She drew respect from Class A Player of the Year Alicia Mitchell for their frontcourt battles.
Serenity Lancaster
New Hampton/CBC, 6-1 forward
Hometown: New London, Conn.
Lancaster transferred to New Hampton last winter and popped almost immediately. She helped New Hampton reach the Class AAA semifinals, averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and won our Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year award. Lancaster is such a fun, versatile big to watch. She's decisive scoring out of the post, a great all-around athlete and obvious rim-protector, but she also has legit ball-handling skills and can drive 1-on-1. Don't be surprised to see Lancaster knock down a 3-pointer or two in a game. She's raking in mid-major offers right now, and I think Lancaster still has another leap left in prep school.
Elyse Ngenda
New Hampton/Rivals, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Ngenda posted 15.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals as the engine of New Hampton's semifinal squad, capturing New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year in the process. She's a super smart scorer who picks her spots to drive or pull up in the mid-range extremely well, and though Ngenda doesn't shoot a ton of threes, she's very efficient when she does. Her transition playmaking, rebounding from the guard position and general level-headed demeanor all contribute to winning. Ngenda has a bunch of mid-major interest and is creeping into high-major territory with recent offers from Stanford and Northwestern.
PROSPECT WATCH:Â Why Ngenda is one of the best in the 2026 class
Caterina Ravosa
Wilbraham & Monson/Rivals, 6-2 forward
Hometown: East Longmeadow, Mass.
Ravosa might be the most advanced offensive post player listed here. She put up 20.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game with Wilbraham & Monson during its first winter in NEPSAC Class AA. Ravosa dominated as a post scorer, an area we wanted to see her shine in, with physical strength and developing footwork. She's also a catch-and-shoot 3-point threat and will mix in some stepbacks. Her double-digit offers include schools like Syracuse, Boston College, Northwestern, and most recently, Holy Cross.
Jae Scott
Wachusett/Bay State Jaguars, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Holden, Mass.
Scott outshone a stellar group of 2025 stars in taking home our MIAA Player of the Year award. She led Wachusett to its first Division 1 championship by averaging 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Scott is a special defender with her length, natural instincts and easy, gliding athleticism, and she's become a monster rebounder using those same tools. She can take defenders off the dribble from the perimeter — look at her game-winning layup in the Div. 1 final — and has improved her focus through contact. It's all about maintaining consistent aggressiveness right now, but Scott's another player with tons of room to keep growing. She also scored a recent offer from Seton Hall.
Athena Thompson
Putnam Science/New York Gauchos, 5-9 guard/forward
Hometown: Northampton, England
Thompson may be less known than the other names listed because she's not from New England and Putnam Science is not in a NEPSAC class. But in one year crossing the pond, she's already become one of the region's best. Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.1 assists for the Mustangs and holds offers from Fordham, Siena, UIC, Iona and Holy Cross. She emerged quickly as a game-altering wing defender and driving scorer this winter, and she can knock down 3s consistently off the catch. Thompson also has plenty of experience on Great Britain's youth national teams and made the U16 FIBA EuroBasket All-Star Five last summer.
Five more names to know:Â Abigail Casper (Northwest Catholic/West Hartford, Conn.), Olivia Fleming (Northfield Mount Hermon/Windham, N.H.), Ella Getz (Worcester Academy/Wayland, Mass.), Brooke Golden (Tilton/Chester, N.H.), Selah Prignano (Wilbraham & Monson/Newington, Conn.)
