As we preview the winter prep girls basketball season, one of my top questions is: How open is the window for a new Class A champion?
Loomis Chaffee will be as strong a frontrunner as ever, but as the four-time reigning champion Pelicans sort through major roster turnover, a handful of opponents seem ready to challenge. Sacred Heart leads the uprising following a 22-5 season and a valiant 51-45 defeat in last year's championship. Though Arkansas-bound Oushy Hassan and standout forward Jadamarie Henry (now at UMSV) have graduated, most of the roster returns with some key additions.
"We have a significant core back. We graduated three out of 12," coach Ayo Hart said. "So I'm feeling very good about the ability to pick up where we left off."
Here's how Sacred Heart is approaching its winter title chase.
MORE TEAM PREVIEWS:Â Newman | Worcester Academy
Eva Wilkerson brings two-way versatility
After missing much of 2023-24 and the ensuing AAU season due to significant injuries, Wilkerson made a statement return to NEPSAC last winter. The lanky guard won our Class A Defensive Player of the Year award and averaged 10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals. She then shined on the AAU circuit and at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase, earning her first Division 1 offers, and ultimate committed to Towson.
"We didn't know a year prior where she would be able to end up when she was sitting in a boot, a cast, and (she) thought she had to have a second surgery," Hart said. "Hats off to her because she persevered, not just physically, but mentally."
Oushy Hassan's presence at point guard last year allowed Wilkerson to thrive off the ball as a cutter and finisher around the basket. Hart expects Wilkerson to ascend to the vocal leadership role Hassan held, but she hopes that, with some ascending teammates, Wilkerson can stay threatening without needing to dominate the ball. She'll still be the core of Sacred Heart's defensive foundation; Hart has previously tasked Wilkerson with guarding legitimately every position on the floor.
"She is not just athletic and long. She's smart. She knows when to gamble (and) when not to gamble," Hart said.
A potential breakout freshman?
Who could help run the point? Hart is excited about incoming freshman Addy Sipkin, from Chappaqua, N.Y. The 5-7 point guard has shown skill off the dribble, finishing ability around the basket and high-level passing on the AAU circuit with Lady Choz, as well as in early Sacred Heart workouts.
"I'm not able to work with them during the school year, so I'm fortunate enough to have a couple people who come in and take the girls through workouts, and in the summer, I'm able to work with them. And when I was running camp this summer — I mean, she was going toe-to-toe with Eva and Ava (Curto) and holding her own," Hart said. "I like the way she handles the ball. She's a very unselfish player, but yet she knows how to score. She's everything you'd want in a point guard."
Hart expects Sipkin to play major minutes right away. Ava Curto, a senior who recently committed to Trinity, is on breakout watch after thriving as the sixth player for Sacred Heart last season. Hart wanted Curto's spark to keep balance in the rotation, but now she's elevating that presence.
"She didn't start last year, and it was a purposeful decision on our part — not because she wasn't one of the top five players, but because she was the biggest impact player coming off the bench," Hart said. "Every time she came in the game, literally, she changed the game around, not just because she's a phenomenal defender, but she can get to the rim, she can shoot the three (and) she can shoot the mid-range."
With Curto now a projected starter, that opens up opportunities for someone else to grab the high-impact bench role. Adrian Allegretti's shooting potential makes her another freshman worth monitoring.
Watch out for a Lucianna Parrotta leap
It's been a busy spring and summer for one of our 2027 watch list members. In between her AAU season, Parrotta suited up with the Puerto Rico national team for the FIBA U16 Americup. Hart watched Parrotta's games and noticed her poise skyrocket compared to when she first joined the national team as a 15-year-old.
"She just played with a lot more confidence and a sense of belonging," Hart said. "Even at (our) open gym last week, Eva and Ava couldn't make it, and so Luc was there, and she was the one kind of leading with Emma. And that was nice to see, because she's not the most vocal kid. So I think that's been the biggest growth I've seen, is just her confidence as well as her physicality."
Parrotta is the ceiling-raiser for Sacred Heart. She added Manhattan and Fordham to her list of Div. 1 offers and might the craftiest scorer on the roster, in addition to her length and defensive impact.
"She's truly a guard, but she's 6-1," Hart said. "So to have someone with that size and her ball-handling ability and her ability to knock down the 3, but who can still post up smaller guards and defend the post? I think her versatility is gonna be invaluable for us this year."
