The 2028 class, due to its star power at the top, has been on our radar for multiple years. Now, for the first time, we're unveiling a ranked Top 50.
You can probably guess our No. 1 prospect. But the 2028 class in general boasts a pair of elite centers in its top tier as well as plenty of skill and versatility on the wing. Four public school players appear in the top 20 spots on this list, underscoring that in the 2028 class, you can find high-end talent everywhere.
The first ranking of any class is always tricky because it sets a baseline for the rest of high school. I'm trying to avoid anchoring bias and keep an open mind as these prospects become upperclassmen. But I've gathered enough notes and talked to enough coaches, both at the youth and college levels, to feel confident that this is a great starting point to understanding the region. You can read more about my approach to building player rankings here.
Here are my Top 50 players in the girls basketball Class of 2028.
MORE BEST OF NEW ENGLAND: 2027 girls | 2029 girls | 2027 boys | 2028 boys
1. Ella Peper
6-4 wing
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
2. Alannah Morantus
6-0 guard
Nobles/Mass Rivals
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
3. Hillary Simo
6-4 center
Newman/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Hockley, Cameroon
4. Addison Brennan
6-3 center
Wilbraham & Monson/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Monroe, Conn.
5. Ayla Keefe
5-11 guard
Newman/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Cave Creek, Ariz.
NCAA: Davidson
6. Aliyah Allston-Pujols
5-10 guard
Nobles/Shooting Touch
Hometown: Randolph, Mass.
7. Eva Zink
6-0 forward
New Hampton/MCW Starz
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
8. Zuri Faison
6-0 wing
Greenwich/Pivot Elite
Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.
9. Ella Reyes
5-10 wing
Westerly/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Westerly, R.I.
10. Naya Annigeri
5-8 guard
Nobles/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
Top 10 thoughts: Peper is in a tier of her own as New England’s best prospect regardless of class. Morantus has established herself as a clear No. 2, a lead guard with Power Four size and true three-level scoring ability. Simo’s year-over-year skill improvement means a lot when projecting high-ceiling centers. Those three have separated themselves from the rest of this class.
I love the rest of this top 10 because all of them impact winning without taking over possessions. They can each defend at a high level and fill a role offensively as unselfish playmakers, but still get a bucket if needed. Reyes is the best scorer of the bunch, Faison has the most athletic upside and Brennan has valuable skill and shooting as a 6-foot-3 center. From Keefe at No. 5 down to our 12th-ranked player, all are roughly in the same tier to me and could be arranged in different orders.
11. Abby Broderick
5-10 wing
Medfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
12. Lily Davis
5-6 guard
Tabor/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Waterford, Conn.
13. Sophie Dupeyron
6-1 forward
Kimball Union/New England Storm
Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
14. Carolyn Joo
5-7 guard
King/Connecticut Basketball Club
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
15. Jordynn Elijah
6-1 wing
Kimball Union/New England Storm
Hometown: Ozone Park, N.Y.
16. Kayla Dunlap
6-0 forward
Natick/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
17. Aaralyn Scott
5-6 guard
St. Andrew’s/BCRI
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
18. Mel McCarthy
6-0 forward
New Hampton/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
19. Shannon O'Leary
6-1 forward
New Hampton/MCW Starz
Hometown: Marshfield, Mass.
20. Amanda Martin
6-1 forward
Rivers/Circle Point
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
11-20 thoughts: Broderick and Davis are a very strong No. 11 and 12. They’re receiving Division 1 looks and both have potential to break into the top 10. Broderick is an elite catch-and-shoot player who has significantly improved as a strong, dangerous off-dribble scorer. Davis is practically automatic generating a paint touch as a point guard and has made progress with her 3-point shot.
Dupeyron, McCarthy and O’Leary have also been offered by Division 1 schools, which makes sense, given their versatility and the importance of their forward positions at the next level.
Joo is among the best pure bucket-getters in this class. Scott sees the floor at a very high level as a point guard. I think Dunlap and Elijah have Division 1-caliber athletic traits, and they’ve shown skills that I would buy into.
21. Layla Ljubuncic
5-7 guard
MacDuffie/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Burlington, Conn.
22. Juju Booth
5-6 guard
Suffield/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Hartford, Conn.
23. Itansan Eugene-Ajayi
6-1 center
Loomis Chaffee/iDream
Hometown: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
24. A'laya Colbert
6-0 forward
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
25. Mila Harmon
6-0 center
Kent/Connecticut Basketball Club
Hometown: Trumbull, Conn.
26. Joy Robinson
5-7 guard
Rivers/MCW Starz
Hometown: Norwood, Mass.
27. Kiera Paradis
5-5 guard
Lawrence Academy/MCW Starz
Hometown: Goffstown, N.H.
28. Jules Stevenson
5-5 guard
Phillips Andover/Team NSSA
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
29. Juliet Laws
5-8 guard
Bedford/Mass Rivals
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
30. Madi Wright
5-7 guard
Loomis Chaffee/Mass Rivals
Hometown: East Hartford, Conn.
21-30 thoughts: Four more post players join the list here. Eugene-Ajayi and Harmon primarily use strength to win in the paint, but they’re developing skill and have shown some ability to step out near the perimeter. Martin is also a post player first, but she can handle the ball and has some driving ability. Colbert, a recent reclassified 2028, is the most athletic of the four.
Around them, we start diving into what will be a very guard-heavy rest of this list. Ljubuncic, Stevenson and Wright stand out for their perimeter scoring off the dribble and from a standstill. Booth and Robinson are the best defenders with some added explosiveness. Laws and Paradis are in between as capable scorers and playmakers with high compete levels.
31. Lana Orietas
6-0 wing
Berkshire/MCW Starz
Hometown: Voorheesville, N.Y.
32. Kayla Mouzon
5-8 guard
St. Luke's/Empire State Blue Flames
Hometown: Norwalk, Conn.
33. Caprese Conyers
5-4 guard
Pittsfield/Albany Lady Stars
Hometown: Pittsfield, Mass.
Note: Conyers recently announced she will be reclassifying to 2029 and attending Northfield Mount Hermon. This will be reflected in our next update.
34. Neve Rugette
5-8 guard
Loomis Chaffee/iDream
Hometown: Richmond Upon Thames, United Kingdom
35. Charleigh Green
6-0 forward
St. Mary's/MCW Starz
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
36. Gabby Ravosa
6-0 forward
Wilbraham & Monson/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: East Longmeadow, Mass.
37. Giavanna Mars
5-6 guard
Springfield Central/Albany Lady Stars
Hometown: Springfield, Mass.
38. Ryanne Sheehan
5-10 guard
St. Andrew's/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
39. Avery Vanderburg
5-9 wing
Wilbraham & Monson/iBelieve Elite
Hometown: Easton, Conn.
40. Hailey Mayo
6-1 center
Coventry/CT Starters
Hometown: Coventry, Conn.
31-40 thoughts: More guards! Conyers, who holds Division 1 offers from Delaware State and Siena, is one of the truly elite point-of-attack defenders in this class. Mars and Rugette are also pests on the perimeter. Mouzon really wowed me at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase and has become one of my favorite underrated players in this group.
Unlike the 2027 class, which boasts a bunch of wings and forwards that will either be fringe-Div. 1 players or great Div. 2/Div. 3 players, the 2028 class is thinner at these positions. That means it’s a great opportunity for prospects like Orietas, Ravosa, Green and Vanderburg and to shine. Mayo, as more of a true post, will be one of the CIAC's top players this winter.
41. Emma Moore
6-1 center
Phillips Andover/Team NSSA
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
42. Zaida Aponte
5-2 guard
Rogers/BCRI
Hometown: Newport, R.I.
43. Alana McNamara
5-11 forward
Archbishop Williams/Behn Hurricanes
Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
44. Jaidelis Rivera
5-1 guard
Marianapolis/Boston Showstoppers
Hometown: New London, Conn.
45. Baileigh Kimball
5-7 guard
Newman/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Charlton, Mass.
46. Maeve Powers
5-8 guard
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
47. Jolie Abelard
5-7 guard
Milton Academy/MCW Starz
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
48. Brynn Noel
5-10 guard
Dexter Southfield/Bay State Jaguars
Hometown: Waltham, Mass.
49. Natalia Silva
5-8 guard
Biddeford/Maine Firecrackers
Hometown: Biddeford, Maine
50. Haleigh Adamowich
5-8 guard
Woburn/Mass Huskies
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
41-50 thoughts: As we get to the end of these rankings, where the differences between prospects are minuscule, I want to collect a few who are flying under the radar.
Colleges will covet the reliable post presence of Moore at Phillips Andover (as well as Mayo, our No. 40 center). McNamara played on a smaller Behn Hurricanes grassroots team, but I’m fascinated by her skill-set as a big wing who can get hot in shooting stretches, finish consistently at the rim and make some smart passes. Rivera is a small guard, but I can’t ignore the way she’s able to consistently pressure defenses, see the floor and cause chaos defensively.
The best players just outside the rankings fall into a few different categories. We have some lead guards like Jazzlyn Booth and Lily Norton. Sharpshooters include Kallie Martin, Camilla Jordan and Avery Wozniak. Kyla Yurkus and Ellen Baranowski are two intriguing MIAA post players, and Jhene Fortunat is another one in NEPSAC. Steph Regan is a standout wing defender and cutter, while Kendall Sullivan shows potential as a stretch forward.
There are a few more names who definitely have shown Top 50 flashes, but I simply want to watch more before I put them on the list. Those would include: Faith Boothe, Marybel DoRosario, Jordan Egan and Leila Belle McNair.
Lastly, I should note Ava Ayotte, who was on our previous 2028 watch list and would make this Top 50. I was told Ayotte is transferring from Mount St. Charles to Burrillville, which, if I understand correctly, would put her back in the Class of 2027. She's a very good player and if she is still a 2028, Ayotte will be on this list in the next update (or be in contention for the 2027 rankings).
Ineligible: A reminder that to be eligible for the Best of New England rankings, a player must be a New England native or enrolled at a school based in New England for at least a full school year.
Darrow guard Dior Dobere is a certain Division 1 prospect, but she's among the best NEPSAC players at New York schools who are thus ineligible. The same is true for Malia Jackson and Loren Green at Darrow, plus some of Hoosac's new transfers.
Additionally, new prep school transfers will become eligible for these rankings after the completion of their first school season. Berkshire's Maddie Becerra is one new name I'll be keeping an eye on, and surely more will join along the way.
