As the month of August and the quietest period of the year for amateur basketball continues, I’m finding myself looking ahead to the new NEPSAC boys basketball season and thinking about some of the championship races we might be watching this winter.
Among my early expectations: Class AAA will be more competitive, and somehow, I think Class AA will be even better from top to bottom than it was a season ago. Across the entire landscape, there’s been a plethora of newcomers and coaching changes that will make this season absolutely fascinating.
These way-too-early Top 10 rankings will likely change when we release our preseason rankings in November. Open gyms and learning more about rosters over the coming months will help clarify the early NEPSAC hierarchy. But after two NEPSAC Showcase weekends in June and a barrage of transfer announcements since then, there’s enough to make some early assessments.
I feel confident that these boys teams will be among the best in NEPSAC this season.
1. Newman
Last season: Won Class AAA championship
The Cardinals went wire to wire last season as our No. 1 as they won the Class AAA and national prep championships; they were far and away the best team in NEPSAC. Since then, they’ve experienced significant turnover. Key stars Lucas Morillo, Quinn Costello and Louis O’Keefe graduated, and head coach Jackson Johnson left for IMG Academy.
But new coach Justin Perron, a reigning Class B Large champion with St. Mark’s, still assumes an extremely talented roster – which includes five players in the top 25 of our latest 2027 rankings – headlined by Philipe Ndong and returning guard Jaylen Hunter-Coleman (Boston, Mass.), who are ready to take a leap in bigger roles. This was a hard decision, but for now, Newman keeps the throne until someone knocks them off.
BEST OF NEW ENGLAND: 2027 rankings | 2028 rankings | 2029 watch list
2. St. Thomas More
Last season: Lost to Hoosac in Class AAA first round
On paper, the Chancellors look like they should be the most talented team in the class with four players – Patrick Otey (Westwood, Mass.), Declan Griffiths (Simsbury, Conn.), DJ Hawkins (Farmington, Conn.) and Greyson Pierce (West Hartford, Conn.) – inside the Top 10 of our 2027 rankings. I still want to see how that group looks together at full strength since Otey missed the showcases, but there’s strong continuity here with Dillon Callahan also part of the starting lineup.
There’s really good depth coming off the bench, too, with 6-foot-9 forward Josh Okoduwa providing rim protection and newcomer Jayden Johnson, a starting-caliber guard who’s getting Division 1 looks.
3. Cushing
Last season: Won Class AA championship
The turnover is difficult to dismiss with championship starters Ryan Moesch, Brady O’Connell and Theo Edema off to college. But the Penguins will be just fine and still project to be the favorites in Class AA, with Nate Blenman – voted by NEPSAC coaches as the best big in the league – back and fully healthy alongside several key returners Anthony Vick (Boston, Mass.), Coley Mark (Brookline, Mass.) and Mikey Chiara. Sam Brigham (Springfield, Mass.) and Josh Charlot (Fairfield, Conn.) were impressive in their NEPSAC debuts at the June showcases and should be impactful in a new-look backcourt.
The X-factor? It could be Elliot Erickson (Gardner, Mass.), who missed most of last season with an injury. Cushing has strong belief he’ll re-establish himself as a Division 1-caliber wing.
4. New Hampton
Last season: Lost to Newman in Class AAA semifinals
The Huskies were busy on the recruiting trail this offseason with the additions of 2028 Derek Swartz (Portsmouth, N.H.) and 2029s Finn McCauley (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Luke O’Connell (Bedford, N.H.) – a trio that was crucial in Mass Rivals’ run to the Adidas 3SSB championship game – that should make up a great core for years to come. But this team should remain one of the best in the short-term, too, especially with 2027 guard Stetson Merritt coming off a terrific grassroots season and June live periods.
5. Brewster
Last season: Competed in Nike EYBL Scholastic
It’s a new era at Brewster, where longtime head coach Jason Smith left the program he built into a national powerhouse to take the job at Masters Academy International. But one thing won’t change: There will still be loads of national talent in Wolfeboro, N.H. New head coach Luke Rosinski has assembled a roster that includes several nationally-ranked recruits, including 2028 Kelvin Anderson, 2028 Maxx Tjongondjoza and 2027 James Minlend, in addition to 2027 Alex Pace, who was the Under Armour Association circuit MVP this summer. There will certainly be a “prove-it” period for this group – which we didn’t see in June – but there’s enough here for Brewster to compete at a high level in its return to Class AAA.
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6. Darrow
Last season: Lost to Vermont Academy in Class AAA first round
The Ducks lost significant production following the departures of Hunter Te Ratana and Haisi Mayben to college, and several others left the program. But there remains Division 1-level talent throughout this roster, headlined by stock-rising 2027 guard Nalajah Christopher (Worcester, Mass.), who was one of the best performers I saw at June’s showcases and should assume lead guard responsibilities for head coach Antonio Anderson. I like the size and length of this roster, too, with 2027 Will Carty (Watertown, Mass.) continuously improving, 2028 addition Marc Etienne Ilboudo and 2028 returner Cooper Te Ratana. Braylon Washington (Easton, Mass.) is a 2028 backcourt addition to keep an eye on, too – he can impact the game on both ends.
7. Tilton
Last season: Missed Class AA playoffs
Marcus O’Neil knew success wouldn’t likely come overnight in his return to Tilton last season, but I’m putting the Rams out there as my early breakout candidate pick this season. After missing the playoffs, O’Neil returns a strong core that includes guard/wing Samuel Owusu-Aduomi, who missed significant time last season due to injury and who I view as one of the most underrated players in NEPSAC. Jakare Innocent (Taunton, Mass.) is one of the best defensive guards in the region, while returning 2028s Wiji Dak (Bedford, N.H.) and Salim Diaby are continuing to improve. I believe Alex Weaver (Windsor, Conn.) will be one of the best newcomers in NEPSAC and he’ll be a backcourt cornerstone for Tilton for years to come as a 2029 guard. This is a very strong roster that should compete for a high seed in Class AA.
8. Winchendon
Last season: Lost to Kimball Union in Class AA first round
June results should only matter to a degree, but Winchendon’s strong team showing at the NEPSAC Showcases speaks to the culture Alex Popp is continuing to build in Year 2. Now, Albany commit Treddy Faison is back in the fold after a brief June spell with Woodstock Academy to make up one of the best backcourts in Class AA alongside Tavin Penix and Jayce Johnson. With balance in the frontcourt that includes 6-foot-7 Wyatt Klein and 6-foot-10 Jack Burley, Winchendon has plenty of pieces to build on its top-four campaign from a season ago.
9. St. George’s
Last season: Won ISL championship, lost to Cheshire in Class AA semifinals
With significant roster turnover last year, the Dragons responded by winning 27 games and another ISL title. They’ll have to overcome some more turnover again after the graduation of star Dywane Chess and Casey Bazzano in addition to the departure of Kenny Benedict to MAI, but coach Dwayne Pina still brings back five returners. Brown commit Jelani Middleton looked impressive in June, the backcourt of Ethan Njenga (Lowell, Mass.) and Adriel Cantave (Carver, Mass.) is dynamic, Otis Crosby (Barrington, R.I.) brings shooting and winning intangibles, and Chance Finlayson (Newport, R.I.) is arguably the best 2029 in New England. Pina is one of the best coaches in NEPSAC and his winning culture should remain intact.
10. Kimball Union
Last season: Lost to Cushing in Class AA semifinals
Coach Cory McClure said goodbye to a terrific graduating class that included Brandon Arnold, Zach Romich, Hudson Scroggins and Merrick Smith, but I’m impressed with the reloaded roster he’s putting together. Adam Anwar, a 2027 forward, was dominant at June’s showcases as a three-level scorer, while 2027 newcomer Charlie Pomis and 2028 additions Ian VanWagner and Jackson Perri (West Roxbury, Mass.) should give this group plenty of reliability and options in the backcourt. There isn’t a load of continuity at the top, but McClure always seems to get the most out of his teams and they should be right in the Class AA mix again.
More potential contenders
Class AAA: Bridgton, South Kent, Vermont Academy – Paris Horne and Connor Merrill take over as new head coaches at Bridgton and Vermont Academy, respectively, and they have exciting pieces to build around. I was impressed with South Kent in June; true 2028 guard Michael Parris and newcomer Kareem Hopkins are two names to watch.
Class AA: Cheshire, MacDuffie, Mount St. Charles, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Andrew’s, Worcester Academy – I could see any one of these teams cracking the top 10 at some point. Cheshire returns Chase Leonardo and Christian Zarzycki from its Class AA runner-up team, while St. Andrew’s has the core back from a team that took St. George’s to the wire in the playoffs. I thought Mount St. Charles was one of the best team performers at the NEPSAC Showcases; the Mounties are due for a big leap this winter.
MacDuffie, led by Keyshon Joyner (Worcester, Mass.) and several strong additions and returners, look poised to end its playoff drought this season. I like what I saw from NMH in June; Will Bryson will be an impact newcomer in the backcourt and the Hoggers are excited about incoming big Páll Einarsson from Iceland. Don’t sleep on Worcester Academy; they’re due for a bounce back season led by Cole Blackburn and newcomer Kai Johnson.
Class A: Hotchkiss, Milton Academy, Nobles, Phillips Exeter – Class A is going to be incredibly deep again and I expect these four teams to be in the playoff mix at least. Alonzo Archbold will lead defending champ Hotchkiss. The return of Reece Ayala (Lawrence, Mass.) will be huge for Milton Academy. Nobles brings back most of the roster that finished as the No. 1 seed. Cole McClure (Stratham, N.H.) and Christian Chartier (Hampton, N.H.) are back for Exeter and Rowan Hoffman could sneakily be one of the best additions in the class.
Class B Large: Austin Prep, Governor’s, Rivers, St. Mark’s – With John Zall in as the new head coach and two of the best players in the class in CJ Farrell (Milford, Mass.) and Luca Palermo (Andover, Mass.), St. Mark’s is well positioned for another championship pursuit. Austin Prep and Governor’s each boast a ton of continuity and Rivers – led by new head coach Jacob Werrick – has a strong enough roster to compete
Class B Small: Beaver Country Day, Hamden Hall, Holderness, St. Luke’s – Defending champ Holderness returns star Jayvian Cruz (Methuen, Mass.) and newcomer Jordan Torres (Manchester, N.H.), while St. Luke’s – with two players in our Class of 2027 Top 50 in Division 1 commits Tyler Newsom (Monroe, Conn.) and Peter Uzgiris (New Canaan, Conn.) – have the talent to compete for a title here. Beaver Country Day went undefeated at the NEPSAC Showcases, while Hamden Hall has two promising 2029s in Massa Toure (New Haven, Conn.) and TJ Holt (Branford, Conn.).
