The NEPSAC Class AAA boys playoffs will look vastly different when March 2027 comes.
Due to NEPSAC’s ruling that teams competing in the NEBL are ineligible for the postseason, there will only be five eligible teams for the playoffs. Those teams will be St. Thomas More, Bridgton, New Hampton, Vermont Academy and Brewster Academy.
With Newman – the two-time reigning Class AAA champion – ineligible, that means a new winner will be crowned in this class. As the season begins this week, here’s our quick playoff forecast for Class AAA boys, including a dark horse title pick, runner-up pick and championship prediction.
FIRST LOOK: Our preseason NEPSAC boys Top 10 | Class AAA Player of the Year watch list
Dark horse
Brewster Academy
Last season: Competed in Nike EYBL Scholastic
Alex Pace, Trey Edwards, Kelvin Anderson, Maxx Tjongondjoza and James Minlend headline a group of intriguing upperclassmen prospects in head coach Luke Rosinski’s first season at Brewster. The Bobcats’ top-end talent should help them compete with the best in NEPSAC and beyond as Rosinski put together a hard national schedule. They’re going to play hard, physical defense and they have athletes and shooters all over the court.
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Brewster’s ceiling – at least compared to its opponents in AAA – may depend on its depth. Rosinski has a comfortable top seven; who else can step up? How can Cannon Combs, a 6-foot-10 center in the 2029 class with high Division 1 interest, fare against other bigs? If the Bobcats stay healthy and the pieces gel together well, this team could put a scare into the AAA title conversation.
Runner-up
New Hampton
Last season: Class AAA semifinals
The Huskies made some offseason splashes with the transfers of nationally-ranked 2028 Derek Swartz (Portsmouth, N.H.) in addition to impact postgraduates Niko Christofilis, Temi Olafisoye and Brennan Williams. Buffalo commit Stetson Merritt will take over an alpha scoring role and coach Andrew Gale has a deep and versatile roster that complements each other well. There aren’t any glaring weaknesses, unless you want to point out the lack of a true, rim-protecting center. But that’s not usually necessary in Gale’s system. The Huskies have the personnel to match with anyone.
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With so many new faces, there may be an adjustment period as players get used to the physicality of AAA. I have no doubt they will. Can 2029 wing Brandyn Clarke make a big leap? How will Merritt handle more responsibility and attention? I think the aforementioned trio of postgraduates significantly raise the floor of this squad, and if Swartz makes the impact I think he will, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Huskies hang a banner.
Championship pick
St. Thomas More
Last season: Class AAA quarterfinals
More often than not, it feels like experience wins out when March rolls around. St. Thomas More’s starting five of 2027s featuring Patrick Otey (Westwood, Mass.), Declan Griffiths (Simsbury, Conn.), DJ Hawkins (Farmington, Conn.), Greyson Pierce (West Hartford, Conn.) and Dillon Callahan – all Division 1 prospects – fit the bill. The Chancellors were stunned at home in the quarterfinals of last season’s playoffs to Hoosac, and they brought back the core of that team while adding one of the best prospects in the region in Griffiths, a Vanderbilt commit who’s capable of taking over games with his shotmaking.
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STM also boasts strong depth with a bench that includes guards Jayden Johnson and Nagi Soto as well as forward Toby Gass and 6-foot-9 returner Josh Okoduwa. The Chancellors may be running opponents out of the gym with their offensive firepower, and as long as they stay engaged defensively and on the glass, it’s going to be hard to beat them with their talent.
