The grassroots basketball season is firmly behind us, which means we now have three months to pass the time and generate hype for the upcoming scholastic season.
I've already brainstormed a way-too-early NEPSAC Girls Top 10, and through our summer coverage, we have a good idea of the stars who will lead headlines in prep school. But what do the coaches think?
We're back with our second annual NEPSAC coaches' survey. I sent the survey to approximately 40 coaches, asking several questions about the players, teams and discussion topics that define the next year of New England prep basketball. Eleven coaches opted to participate. Their responses are kept anonymous so that coaches could more freely express their opinions.
Here's Part 1 of our survey results highlighting top players.
Who is the best overall player in NEPSAC?
To the NEPSAC coaches who responded, there's a clear elite four.
Starting with the senior class, Tabor forward Corinne Lomax (Watertown, Conn.), Hoosac guard Anna Moser (Clifton Park, N.Y.) and Tilton wing Bella Owumi (Lynn, Mass.) have proven themselves as stars. One responder wrote any of the trio could be the best on a given day.
Moser earned Class AAA Player of the Year last season for her leadership as Hoosac captured a milestone AAA championship. Coaches called the Florida commit "unguardable" and praised how she sees the floor. One coach described the 74th-ranked senior by ESPN as "equal to having a coach on the floor."
"She can disrupt game plans with her playmaking for herself and others, and possesses deadly end-of-shot clock moves that can bail out empty possessions (not that Hoosac has many of those!)," said another coach.
Lomax logged a massive breakout junior season at Tabor last year, averaging 15.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals. She's now ranked No. 65 in ESPN's 2027 class and second in our 2027 Best of New England rankings.
"She is the most versatile and dominant player. Hard to guard because she has speed like a guard, but strength like a post," said a coach.
Then there's Owumi, atop our Best of New England list and 29th in ESPN's rankings. Owumi made an immediate impact with her 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.4 steals at Tilton last season.
"She plays hard, affects the game in so many ways, and is physical enough that she can rebound and score inside but can also defend and attack from the outside," one coach said.
Lomax received the most votes of the three, although multiple coaches mentioned multiple names in their answers. She tied with Ella Peper (Newton, Mass.), Dexter Southfield's superstar 2028 wing, for the most votes in this section.
Peper has long been a top college prospect, but she took a huge leap in high school production as a sophomore, averaging 25.4 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks per game. Coaches recognize that her combination of 6-foot-4 size, elite shooting and overall two-way impact is special.
"She's the total package," said a coach. "Size, strength, skill, can score at all three levels. Defends well, blocks shots, she does it all."
Who is the best guard in NEPSAC?
Moser ran away with the most votes in this section, with one coach adding that she's "the best player on the floor every time she steps on it." Owumi also garnered multiple shout-outs and Lomax received a vote here as well.
Two coaches voted for Alannah Morantus. The North Attleboro, Mass., native is second in our 2028 class rankings and earned an All-Class AAA Second Team nod last winter in her first season at Nobles.
"She can score from all levels, defend and create for her teammates better than anyone," the coach said. "Her size at her position is a major asset."
New Hampton 2029 guard Saige DeJesus (Brockton, Mass.) also earned a mention.
Who is the best wing/forward in NEPSAC?
This section was dominated by Peper and Lomax, who tied for the most votes from coaches.
"Her improvement is unreal!" one coach said of Lomax.
Owumi also received votes here, as did Morantus. Position designations are obviously up for debate, which is why we see some crossover in these names between the guard and wing/forward spots.
Coaches brought up two new names here. St. Luke's senior guard Kendra Foy (Bethel, Conn.) earned a vote after shining in Class B Large last season. Foy is fifth in our 2027 rankings and is one of the top uncommitted seniors. She has official visits scheduled with East Carolina, Delaware, UMass and Tulane.
Newman 2028 wing Ayla Keefe received a mention as well. Already committed to Davidson, Keefe is fifth in our 2028 class Top 50 and is one of the most versatile wings in the region. She made the All-Class AAA second team after putting up 12.2 points and four rebounds per game.
"Committed to an A10 school and gets no love from the NEPSAC. Best wing defender," the coach said.
Who is the best post player in NEPSAC?
Again, we got some votes in this section for Lomax and Peper. But the post player question brought out the most new answers.
The leading vote-getter, following a breakout past year, was Newman junior Hillary Simo. The 6-foot-5 center has been on a fast track since the winter, when she averaged close to a double-double, and has piqued the interest of a handful of high-major colleges.
"She has improved so much and is tough to score on inside," said one coach. "She rebounds well and gets early post position which is tough to guard."
Outside of Simo, Dexter Southfield's Avery Bollin (Raynham, Mass.), Darrow's DD Harcourt and Berkshire's Pearl Dickson each garnered a shout-out. One coach believes that there's a relative scarcity of true post talent in NEPSAC right now.
"I'm stumped on this one. Not many teams have a traditional big besides Ava Bryant (Tilton) and the big from Newman," they said. "I'd say Lomax is more of a small forward, but she certainly should be in the conversation."
Who is the most underrated player in NEPSAC (not on your team?)
This question expectedly opened up the pool of quality candidates.
Guard selections included Ashley Fontanella (Ethel Walker/Higganum, Conn.), Dior Dobere (Darrow), Madison Greenaway (Berkshire), Shannon Welburn (Newman/Wellesley, Mass.) and Lily Davis (Tabor/Waterford, Conn.) — or "Lily the Jet" as one coach referred to her nickname.
"She can take over a game and Lomax takes a lot of the spotlight," the coach said of Davis.
New Hampton forward Shannon O'Leary (Marshfield, Mass.) got a shout-out, and so did Suffield wing Charlotte Theriault (Palmer, Mass).
Two teams actually had multiple players nominated by opposing coaches. Jules Stevenson (Beverly, Mass.) and Emma Moore (Reading, Mass.) are two of the leaders on Phillips Andover, who should contend again in Class A this winter.
"She impacts the game on both ends and is a beast on the boards. She is like Tim Duncan, the big fundamental," a coach said of Moore.
"Every time she shoots the ball you think it’s going in," added another about Stevenson.
Lawrence Academy looks to avenge its overtime loss in the Class B Large championship game. To get there, the Spartans will lean on point guard Kiera Paradis (Goffstown, N.H.) and stretch forward Kendall Sullivan (Tyngsboro, Mass.), who both got recognized.
"New to NEPSAC midway last season, 6-2 wing that can step out and shoot it as well as mix it inside," was how a coach described Sullivan.
"She is always in attack mode, works extremely hard and can make something happen out of broken plays," a coach said of Paradis.
