SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Some of the top high school talents and teams in the country descended to Springfield College for the annual Hoophall Classic last weekend. But they weren’t the only show in town.
Just down the road at American International College, the Hoophall Prep Showcase – hosted by New England Recruiting Report – served as a sister event to the national showcase. For four days from Friday to Monday, the two courts at Henry A. Butova Gymnasium were busy as prep teams from around the country played in the event, including some of the best squads from New England and NEPSAC.
While the Hoophall Classic gets most of the buzz during this weekend every year – and for good reason – the Hoophall Prep Showcase not only offered another exposure opportunity for some of the best talents coming out of New England and beyond, but allowed some of the top NEPSAC teams a valuable chance to test themselves against strong teams from outside the region.
I was in attendance for the Hoophall Prep Showcase from Saturday to its ending on Monday, and came away with several observations. Here are a handful of takeaways and a list of unsigned standouts from the weekend, focusing on New England teams and recruits.
A culture win for Worcester Academy
I got to AIC on Saturday just in time to watch Worcester Academy’s big 67-63 victory over Blair Academy (N.J.), which is annually one of the best prep teams in the country coming out of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL). The Hilltoppers jumped on them early, leading by 23 at halftime before holding on after Blair’s late rally.
This was as impressive of a performance as there was over the weekend. Sure, Blair was missing star center Ramon Soyoye, but Worcester was also shorthanded, without Jake Blackburn, Anthony DeJohn and Connor Swider as head coach Jamie Sullivan played just seven guys. Amir Jenkins (more on him this week) out-played Deron Rippey Jr., one of the best guards in the country, and Payton Kamin was terrific, too.
This is the kind of win that should stamp Worcester Academy – which is first in NEPSAC Class AA with a 7-1 record – as a serious threat to win a class championship in a crowded group of strong contenders. No matter who’s available on a given day and night, the Hilltoppers seem bought in and connected. Sullivan lauded his team’s commitment and togetherness, a testament to the program’s culture.
“That’s what wins, is culture,” Sullivan said.
Cushing’s belief pays off
At the same time that Worcester Academy was beating Blair, Cushing was also putting the finishing touches on one of the best wins of the weekend, a 67-50 decision over Mount Zion Prep – another top out-of-region squad – that showed why the Penguins are one of the best defensive teams in New England.
Head coach James Cormier praised his group’s buy-in to committing to a 2-3 matchup zone defense instead of their usual man-to-man defense. A day prior, Cushing lost to Massanutten in a game where their opponent made some tough shots. But the Penguins stuck with it, believing better results would come.
“It’s easy for a team when that happens to look over to the coach, especially a good man to man defensive team, to be like, ‘What are we doing?’ and lose trust in that,” Cormier said. “But we got guys who believe in me and believe in what our staff wants to do in terms of executing a game plan, and we did a great job buying in and mixing up defenses and sticking with our principles.”
A week after beating Newman at TD Garden, Cushing’s win over Mount Zion showed how dangerous it can be, too.
“It shows that we can certainly play with anybody and come the end of the year, if we can continue to progress, stick together, we should have a good run at the end,” Cormier said.
Williston refuses to lose
The most thrilling finish of the weekend came on Sunday, when Williston Northampton overcame a nine-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining to beat Academy of New Church, 70-69. Ashton Reynolds’ go-ahead 3-pointer – which came off an offensive rebound – with nine seconds remaining was the difference.
This was an important test for the Wildcats, who have not faced much adversity throughout their 9-0 start. The game felt like it was slipping away from them as the deficit reached nine, but they fought. They sped up the game with a full-court press, forced some turnovers, and Reynolds made some big plays down the stretch.
“They refuse to lose,” head coach Ben Farmer said. “Their character was tested and they came together and we found a way to get it done. … It was a great game for us because we haven’t been in that situation very much this year, so to go through those things as a team I think is really important.”
A great showing for NEPSAC Class AA
The weekend showed the great strength and depth of Class AA, which might be the most competitive class in New England. In addition to Cushing and Worcester’s huge wins, Northfield Mount Hermon earned yet another signature win over Hargrave Military Academy, and CATS went 2-1 – including a 47-point blowout over Winston Salem Prep led by star Jaylen Harrell’s 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Kimball Union and Winchendon also picked up strong wins over MacDuffie and Hoosac, respectively. It’s a while away, but the Class AA playoffs are going to be fantastic.
Top unsigned 2025 prospects
Ashton Reynolds remains uncommitted in the 2025 class, and there should be even more interest picking up for him after Sunday’s performance, when he scored 12 points of his 24 points over the final 3:30 to rescue Williston to a victory. Reynolds got in foul trouble, including picking up his fourth early in the second half while suffering a minor ankle injury. But he fought through that for his heroics, which included a highlight dunk and the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute to complete the comeback.
“He’s cheering on his teammates the whole time, he’s not in his feelings and that’s a testament to him and what he’s about as a teammate, as a player, as a competitor,” Farmer said. “To do what he did in those moments was, you can’t teach it. That’s what I tell these college coaches when I talk to them.
Reynolds also demonstrated his improving outside shot, which included going 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the victory.
“He’s earned the right to make those shots, he’s earned the right to make those plays,” Farmer said.” It’s a testament to him and what he’s about and his character.” …
Loomis Chaffee forward Charlie O’Sullivan had an impressive showing in Sunday’s 85-72 win over St. Andrews. He had 26 points, including six 3-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds. … Northfield Mount Hermon’s Greg Brooks scored 23 points in the win over Hargrave. … Payton Kamin had 27 points, including the game-sealing free throws, in Worcester’s win over Blair. … David Dix had 23 points in Canterbury’s win over West Nottingham. … St. Andrew’s guard Kyle Benjamin scored 28 points with 12 rebounds in a loss to Loomis Chaffee, then had 27 points, eight boards and five assists in a win over New York Military Academy.
Top 2026 and 2027 performances
The weekend was full of big performances from the region’s next wave of stars.
From the 2026 class:
* Amir Jenkins put up 31 points and five assists in Worcester Academy’s win over Blair before receiving an offer from San Diego after the game.
* Jamell Hatchell had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in just 19 minutes as he continued his strong season for Putnam Science in its win over Vermont Academy.
* Chase Geremia scored 30 points, including six 3-pointers, in Newman’s win over Perkiomen.
* Ryan Moesch scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, in Cushing’s win over Mount Zion as the guard continues to improve as an outside shooter.
* Desmond Bellot scored 23 points, including five triples, in CATS’ win over Academy of Central Florida, then picked up a scholarship offer from San Diego.
From the 2027 class:
* Anthony Vick scored a career-high 37 points, which included seven 3-pointers, in Tilton’s overtime win over Cheshire.
* Kamsi Awaka had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in Cheshire’s overtime loss to Tilton.
* Milton Academy’s Reece Ayala scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting with five boards and three assists in a loss to Loomis Chaffee.
* Greyson Pierce had 28 points, including nine points and the game-sealing free throws in the final minutes to lead Loomis Chaffee’s win over Milton.
