We at New England Basketball Journal pride ourselves on covering the entire region of basketball talent in-depth. But inevitably, as elite talents gravitate to the top of rankings and lead headlines, other impactful players can feel underrated.
So I'm out to get some hype back on track.
Our "Under the Radar" series aims to highlight who I feel deserve more acclaim for how they compete and produce. This has a few meanings. Maybe I believe local high school fans and supporters don't realize these talents are out there. This is especially true at some of the state association schools, with several such stars appearing on this list. Maybe I'm higher then the college recruiting consensus on someone as a prospect. Or, in some cases, I want to shout out a player who I have overlooked myself.
Here are 10 guards in the new senior class flying under the radar in various respects. Four still appear throughout our Best of New England prospect rankings and six are unranked.
Kamiya Balcombe, St. Luke's
5-5 guard
Hometown: Norwalk, Conn.
The Storm have a dynamic lead guard in Kendra Foy and a versatile rising wing talent in Kayla Mouzon. I think Balcombe's steadiness at the point deserves more recognition. She's a tough driver who can score through contact and she does a nice job spreading the ball around. Balcombe is also steady shooting 3s off the catch, which helps her stay impactful next to St. Luke's other ball-dominant players. The Storm made the Class B Large quarterfinals last year, and I expect them to be even more involved in the championship race with Balcombe as a key piece.
Note: I originally wrote that St. Luke's had missed the playoffs — apologies! That has been corrected.
Gracyn Barnes, Worcester Academy
5-6 guard
Hometown: Grafton, Mass.
NCAA: Stony Brook
Barnes is No. 12 in our Best of New England rankings and anyone who has seen her play in the past understands her talent. But it's been a while since we've watched her consistently. Injuries nagged Barnes during the previous winter and she did not play at all this spring and summer. This is a reminder that she is one of New England's best point guards, an explosive attacking scorer who can heat up in the mid-range and shake defenders with flair. Barnes is relentless guarding the ball and a consistent high-effort leader. She's a frontrunner for our 2027 AA Player of the Year award.
Lia Calderon, North Haven
5-9 guard
Hometown: North Haven, Conn.
Calderon has generated notable Div. 3 buzz this summer and will be among the CIAC's top seniors this high school season. Her 14.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.7 steals during junior year point to clear effort beyond just scoring. She has good size for her position as a lead guard at this level. Calderon is a comfortable spot-up shooter and even managed a 35-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double during one win last year. She'll likely put up some more monster stat lines.
Aly Dorman, Mount Mansfield
5-6 guard
Hometown: Jericho, Vt.
NCAA: Vermont
The state of Vermont will always be slept-on in the larger regional basketball picture, so even though Vermont high school basketball followers probably know Dorman well, the rest of New England should remember her name too. She's already announced a Division 1 commitment to Vermont as a walk-on. Interestingly, as Dorman explained to NBC 5, she views the emergence of UVM guard Catherine Gilwee, a former walk-on and Vermont native herself, as a role model. I'm very intrigued by that path.
But first, Dorman will lead Mount Mansfield on a repeat championship attempt as a senior. She's a tough point guard who can get buckets in the mid-range and will likely be a Gatorade Player of the Year candidate.
Alaysia Drummonds, Foxboro
5-6 guard
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Drummonds logged a massive AAU summer with the Boston Showstoppers, emerging as a premier 3-point shooter who can also attack a closeout and score a tough bucket at the rim. She's been a key rotation player at Foxboro for multiple years alongside a handful of standout lead guards. As a senior, it's Drummonds' turn to lead the way for a perennial state championship contender.
Shea Kalin, North Kingstown
5-9 guard
Hometown: North Kingstown, R.I.
I watched a good amount of BCRI's top AAU team this spring and summer, and Kalin might be one of my favorite players who I never quite got to writing about. She's a stellar 3-point shooter with good size and toughness who's picking up some solid Div. 3 interest. Kalin averaged 13.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season with a blistering 41 percent clip behind the arc. She'll be a top player in RIIL competition.
Teegan Lanpher, Wachusett
5-3 guard
Hometown: Holden, Mass.
Lanpher beat me to this post having just received her first Division 1 offer from Merrimack. Still, she deserves more hype as a contender for next winter's MIAA Player of the Year award. She was Wachusett's top performer in the playoffs, averaged 17.3 points in totality last season and has successfully taken the torch in the prominent Lanpher family (which also includes former Central Connecticut star Belle Lanpher). Despite her size, Lanpher can consistently separate off the dribble and hound opponents as a point-of-attack defender. Her floater game is polished and her 3-point shot has come a long way.
Lanpher shined on Mass Rivals' second team in Adidas 3S Gold play. She is our 34th-ranked 2027 prospect. Small guards like Lanpher always have a higher bar to clear as college prospects, but it seems she's finally breaking through to a new level of interest.
Synaa Waters, Fitch
5-7 guard
Hometown: Groton, Conn.
NCAA: Central Connecticut
Waters is ranked No. 42 in our 2027 list, and like Calderon, she'll be one of the CIAC's premier seniors. She is a pure bucket-getting guard with serious skills as a pull-up scorer who landed on Gametime CT's All-State team. Her stats were crazy as a junior — 24.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.6 steals, 3.8 assists and 1.4 blocks — and she logged 20 double-doubles in 22 games. I'll be hard-pressed to track this, but there's a world where Waters leads all New England public high school players in scoring this winter.
Shannon Welburn, Newman
5-9 guard
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.
NCAA: Denison
Welburn is well-known in NEPSAC circles, but I think it goes understated how important she is to Newman's overall team success. In fact, she's the only person here who I also put on our "Under the Radar" series last fall.
There were several games last year in which Welburn was the Cardinals' most impactful player even with more highly-touted prospects around her. She just pressures defenses so consistently with her speed as a driver and decision-maker. As I've written many times, Welburn's rebounding effort at her position is special. She averaged 11.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game last season.
Welburn is the highest-ranked Division 3 commit in my 2027 hierarchy at No. 22 overall. Denison, the reigning national champion, will have another gem on the roster in time.
Annie Whitmore, South Portland
5-7 guard
Hometown: Portland, Maine
NCAA: Bentley
Whitmore is widely-respected among Maine's current talent pool. Her junior year stats look solid on paper — 12.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game — but the awards she's garnered speak to how significantly her leadership and winning impact transcend the numbers.
Whitmore sees the game at a very high level, makes her teammates better with her passing and cutting, and can hit a big 3 or make a timely driving score when called upon. Bentley surely had an inside track in recruiting because of Whitmore's older sister Maggie, a former WBCA All-American with the Falcons. But Whitmore is an underrated steal in her own right and one of Maine's most accomplished high school stars in recent years.
