More than ever before, the second half of the grassroots basketball season is when we start to see recruiting pick up.
Three live period weekends, including the NEPSAC Girls Scholastic Showcase, provided ample opportunity for prospects to flash their skills in front of college coaches at all levels. The 2027 class is well-established at this point. Instead, we saw some of the most significant buzz coming in the 2028, 2029 and even 2030 classes.
This list reflects players who have boosted their profiles primarily in the eyes of college coaches, supplemented by some of my thoughts from watching them during the last two months. Though the region's best continued to stack offers and interest, I'm here to note some players who have begun receiving their first handfuls of offers, or others who appear to be reaching a new tier of hype in college circles. We'll still see some offers and news fly in the weeks following the last live period, so keep an eye out.
Below are 10 stock-risers from the second half of grassroots action.
Naya Annigeri, Bay State Jaguars
Class of 2028, 5-8 guard
Nobles/Medfield, Mass.
Annigeri finally broke through on the recruiting front following the first July live period, which included a 30-point explosion for her Jags team. She landed her first three Division 1 offers from UNH, Marist and Bryant after that weekend. Annigeri also impressed me at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase and will be an immediate impact player at Nobles.
Kaylynn Bennett, Mass Rivals
Class of 2030, 6-0 guard
East Catholic/Windsor, Conn.
Bennett has very quickly established herself as a top regional prospect in her class. She showed she belonged playing up on Rivals' top 17U 3SSB team and tallied 12 points and eight rebounds in a single play-in victory during the past championship weekend. But colleges have been noticing since the Atlantic City Showcase in May. During the last two months, Bennett has added offers from Pitt, Illinois, Boston College and Harvard.
Saige DeJesus, Mass Rivals
Class of 2029, 5-8 guard
New Hampton/Brockton, Mass.
DeJesus scored her first Division 1 offers just before the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase, then shined at the event to keep up momentum. She's picked up five in total since June, from Dartmouth, UMBC, Boston University, Iona and Harvard. DeJesus reclassified to 2029 during the grassroots season and played well, now up a year, on Rivals' 16U 3SSB team.
Sophie Dupeyron, New England Storm
Class of 2028, 6-1 forward
Kimball Union/Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dupeyron has added interest from a handful of New England mid-majors — Holy Cross, Vermont, UNH, and UMass Lowell — in addition to NJIT. It makes sense that colleges value the skill she brings as a frontcourt player. Dupeyron can handle the ball, face up and drive, and her mid-range game is a weapon.
Sysy Mcausland Emmanuel, MCW Starz
Class of 2029, 5-9 guard
St. Mary's/Melrose, Mass.
Playing up a year on MCW's Power 24 16U team, Emmanuel is still able to create separation off the dribble with relative ease. She's a creative ball-handler and pull-up scorer who's starting to read the floor at a higher level. Since the Atlantic City Showcase, Emmanuel has added offers from UCF, Providence, BC and UMass.
Itansan Eugene-Ajayi, iDream
Class of 2028, 6-1 (estimate) center
Loomis Chaffee/Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Radford is the first school to offer Eugene-Ajayi, who seems primed for a breakout as the new go-to post player at Loomis Chaffee. She looked capable with her prep team at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase and has also been one of iDream's top talents on the New Balance Lady P32 circuit. Eugene-Ajayi is consistent as a post scorer and rebounder.
Olivia Macklin, MCW Starz
Class of 2029, 5-7 guard
Wilbraham & Monson/Waterbury, Conn.
Macklin's toughness and tenacity driving the ball are her signature attributes. She impressed for Wilbraham & Monson at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase and has since picked up her first Div. 1 offers from Howard and Central Connecticut. I expect Macklin to be a key piece for WMA's title-contending squad in Class AA.
Maya Ocana-Saunders, iBelieve Elite
Class of 2030, 5-6 guard
MacDuffie/Springfield, Mass.
Ocana-Saunders first stuck out to me at the Atlantic City Showcase (she plays up on iBelieve's Power 24 16U team), and then she logged another strong effort at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase for MacDuffie. Her finishing at the basket is super impressive and her poise running offense exceeds her class. That's resulted in Ocana-Saunders' first two Div. 1 offers from Stony Brook and Fairfield.
Mollie Puffer, Bay State Jaguars
Class of 2029, 5-10 guard
Phillips Exeter/Sanford, Maine
Puffer's three offers since June from BU, Providence and UNH only underscore the statement season she's had since reclassifying. She was among my favorite players to watch regardless of class at the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase, showing an easy ability to get to her spots on the floor, hit 3s and finish through contact. Puffer also played well on the Jags' UA Rise Gold 17U team.
Hillary Simo, Bay State Jaguars
Class of 2028, 6-4 center
Newman/Hockley, Cameroon
After battling some injuries early in the spring, Simo delivered on the hype I placed on her for a likely summer breakout. Since late May, she's collected seven offers from Buffalo, Harvard, Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State, Northeastern and Texas State. Simo is tapping into that ACC/Big Ten level of interest, where her size and improving skill in the paint will make a difference.
