By the end of last season, as Newman captured its first NEPSAC Class AAA championship, head coach Jackson Johnson believes his team had built its best culture in his three years there. They improved significantly and got tighter as a group, and the players were finding their voice.
Now, as the Cardinals look to defend their crown, it could be even better.
“I think this team has the potential to surpass that (culture) if they so choose,” Johnson said.
With several returners from last season’s championship team, including nationally-ranked prospects Lucas Morillo and Quinn Costello (Medford, Mass.), Newman is in an advantageous position heading into the new season. Their best players know the blueprint to success, and they added several impact transfers that are already meshing well in early open gyms.
“The guys from last year, no one had won a championship, so now you have guys who know what it looks like and know what it takes and know what you need to do even more,” Johnson said. “I think there’s a lot of potential. That’s what I’m excited about. It’s just like every year, like I’m excited to be a part of trying to squeeze the most out of this group collectively and individually as humanly possible.”
Newman has at least 13 Division 1 prospects on its roster this season and will be the favorite to repeat its Class AAA championship and land among the best prep teams in the country. The Cardinals will have eyes on a deeper run in the National Prep Championship tournament. Here’s what to expect from Newman in 2025-26.
Nationally-ranked leaders
No team in New England boasts as much top-end Class of 2026 talent as Newman with Morillo and Costello, who are both universally recognized as Top 100-ranked recruits. The 6-foot-10 Costello, who committed to Michigan on Sept. 16, is fresh off a stock-soaring summer with the Middlesex Magic as he started to unlock his potential. He’s entering his third season at Newman, and Johnson expects that he’ll be a focal point for opponents after the spring and summer he had.
“I just want to see him take ownership in this team,” Johnson said. “This is his third year. I want to see him go take it from the players around him within our group, not from anybody else. Because I think guys are going to be coming at him this year in our league. He’s going to have a target on his back, so it’s going to be an even different experience, but I think he has a pride about this program and about how much he’s grown within this program, so I want to see him take it. I think he’s ready for it and I’m excited to watch that happen.”
MORE: Quinn Costello commits to Michigan
Morillo, our Class AAA Player of the Year last season, had a huge breakout in his first winter playing in New England as he dominated opponents with his scoring and facilitating abilities as a 6-foot-7 point forward. But there are two key areas they’re hoping to see him improve in. On the technical side, Johnson said the biggest piece of feedback Morillo is getting from college coaches is getting better with his scoring efficiency and 3-point shooting. Morillo already gets to the free-throw line consistently at the prep level, but they want to fully prepare him for the increase in physicality at the next level and how to make adjustments.
“We have to put pressure on him to be more and more efficient in his game,” Johnson said. “He’s doing a really nice job with training his shooting. He’s been super disciplined and consistent with that, so I expect that to take a huge jump for him.”
Johnson also wants to see Morillo continue to gain comfort with being a vocal leader. Towards the end of last season, he was challenged to do so and he responded, and it was a huge reason why Newman went on to win the championship. Morillo is more introverted by nature, but Johnson will continue to challenge him.
“I’m looking forward to see if he’ll take control,” Johnson said. “Like (saying) nope, this is not at the level that we want it to be at and I know it – because he always knows – but I’m going to be the one to let everyone know. That’s the player-led stuff. I want to see him do that. If he does those two things, I think he’s going to be a star. …
“Now there’s new expectations. It can’t just flat line. He needs to get significantly better.”
Surplus of talent
You couldn’t blame Johnson if his head was spinning with the depth and amount of lineup combinations at his disposal. He has a quartet of Ivy League commits – Chase Geremia (Penn/Madison, Conn.), Louis O’Keefe (Princeton), Timmy Bollin (Brown/Raynham, Mass.) and Atticus Richmond (Columbia) – as well as a group of more than a dozen impact transfers.
Johnson said that Geremia – already one of the best shooters in the region – has gotten even tighter and efficient with his shotmaking. He described Richmond as a “steal” for Columbia as a physical 6-foot-8 forward who can dribble, pass and shoot. And he’s seen huge strides in O’Keefe, a key reserve last season who has looked the part of a lead guard.
“He is facilitating at a level that I didn’t see at all last year and it’s making him a really good player,” Johnson said.
COACHES SURVEY: Who are the best boys NEPSAC teams entering 2025-26?
Johnson said they were strategic and intentional about their Class of 2027 additions, a group that brings versatility and different skills. It includes 6-foot-8 forward William Meribe, who’s raw but an athletic freak. He plays bigger than his size, blocks shots, rebounds and defends multiple positions. They also brought in 6-foot-7 Davon Maloney, a skilled and smooth wing who has a Penn State offer and a ton of upside, as well as 6-foot-9 shooter Philipe NDong. In the backcourt, Jaylen Hunter-Coleman (Boston, Mass), a 6-foot transfer from Northfield Mount Hermon who averaged 9.5 rebounds per game last season, and Jordan Smith will give Johnson even more dynamic options. Look out for 6-foot-8 forward Jack Donohue, who just joined the team after having open heart surgery this summer. He can light it up from deep.
The most impressive player in Newman’s early open gyms? It might be Preston Bollin (Raynham, Mass.), the brother of Timmy.
Johnson described the Bollin brothers as “the best glue guys in the country,” and he’s seen significant growth in Preston, a 6-foot-6 forward who has always been relentless, physical and competitive, but has slowed the game down and played with more control after a sophomore season plagued with mistakes.
“He’s done a nice job eliminating those,” Johnson said. “Because of that, there’s more trust from his teammates and he’s slowing down and he’s finishing around the basket way better.”
Johnson is also excited about the Class of 2026 addition of Kabir Narasimhan, a 6-foot-5 guard from Switzerland who will bring even more shooting to a team filled with them. Though this squad is loaded with talent, and minutes will be hard to find for some, Johnson views that as a positive. He hopes the 2027 class challenges the 2026 class and top returners to create a competitive environment that will make them all better.
“The No. 1 thing is to get these guys college-ready,” Johnson said. “With the depth in our gym, they are going to get college-ready. They are going to know how to compete for minutes that are available in front of them. They are going to know how to be disciplined because if they’re not, somebody else is going to do it.”
How will Newman reach its potential?
Despite its load of returners, Newman will look vastly different on the interior after the departure of 6-foot-11 big man Collins Onyejiaka, who’s off to Alabama. Onyejiaka was an overpowering, overwhelming presence, a physical monster who had unique gifts. But his departure allows Johnson to bring a new look; he’ll have more creative freedom both offensively and defensively with the personnel he has.
“You can play all these lineups where we have size across the board,” Johnson said. “Offensively, I think we’re going to be really hard to guard. We have an unbelievable amount of shooting.”
COACHES SURVEY: Who are the best and most underrated players in NEPSAC?
Johnson, entering his fourth season, will be responsible for putting the puzzle pieces of his deep roster together. But for Newman to reach its potential, it will go even beyond that. Johnson said they don’t talk about repeating or trying to win championships; he said there’s an element of luck and factors outside their control that affect that. Johnson’s No. 1 priority is getting his team prepared for college and elevating them individually as a group to put them in the best possible position to succeed.
To get there, he wants to build a team that’s fully operational on its own. Years ago, when he joined the staff at Northfield Mount Hermon under John Carroll – who is now with him at Newman – the emphasis of a player-led collective stuck with him. He hopes they take a full step in that direction this winter. If they do so, they’ll be in a good position to win. More importantly, they’ll be ready for college.
“JC has all these little sayings. A bad team has no leader, a good team has the coach as the leader and then the great ones are player-led,” Johnson said. “That’s where we want to get to. We had moments last year, but I don’t think we were truly player-led. It’s a huge point of emphasis. We want them to take this team.”
