2025 Bridgton Prep Profile
Bridgton Academy has been home to longtime prep school coach Whit Lesure since 1997. Over the course of that time, Lesure’s Wolverine squads have won multiple championships while numerous players have gone on to play collegiate and even professional basketball.
Home to mostly postgraduates, the turnover rate at Bridgton is one of the highest in the region, as the squad has to be almost always completely reloaded on a year-to-year basis.
The Returners
Cheick Sylla and Nabiyoulahi Diakite are the two sole returners to the squad from Mali are back for postgraduate years.
Sylla is in the running for one of the best big men across the prep ranks this season as the 6’10 postgrad recently committed to UMass. His physical, forceful play in the post will be a focal point of the Bridgton offense as he can really make things happen as a scorer. Sylla brings some soft touch to his shot, and the potential to continue to stretch his game outside of the paint.
Diakite is an intriguing forward prospect with size at 6’7”. While he spent the last season adjusting to a new environment and game in the states, he is expected to make a good jump. The southpaw can make things happen with his game-changing length and downhill slashing ability.
The Newcomers
Mentioned earlier, Bridgton has basically a completely redone roster as compared to last year, so this section will have some length to it.
Let’s start with some familiar faces who will be playing in Maine this season for the Wolverines: Nafees Padgett, Khai Francis, Duke Derima, Windsor Muzoora, and Claydan Jean-Baptiste were all in the New England ranks last season at different spots.
Padgett, a Maine native, makes the move over from the Tilton School. His big guard skills will be crucial for Bridgton as he can really fill it up as a scorer off the bounce. He’s spent a lot of time refining his physique at the prep level already and should have some options to play in college coming his way.
Francis will showcase his muli-level scoring throughout the season as both an outside shooting threat and finisher in the paint, while Jean-Baptiste offers legit lead guard skills to facilitate the offense and get his own buckets as well.
Derima may need some time to adjust to a position switch, but his shooting and high motor will surely factor in for Bridgton. Muzoora brings strength and toughness to the team and will serve as a rotational wing/guard throughout the season.
New names from out of the New England region joining Bridgton include: Colton Crowdis, Oliver Allersted, Ngor Agu, Tobias Cloninger, Karim Keita, Giel Klerks, Matt Kollins, and Maks Mazzoni.
Colton Crowdis made himself known this past June in the Scholastic Live Periods as the Canadian native will likely be a big part of the Wolverines gameplan this season. Crowdis stands at 6’4” with a knack for getting to his spots for pull-ups while also serving as a top playmaker.
Karim Keita adds depth to the Bridgton frontcourt from the country of Mali as well. At 6’9” the big forward has some defensive versatility to his game and physicality to compete at a high level.
Oliver Allersted will be a defensive weapon for Bridgton while also serving as a stout slasher to the cup. Ngor Agu brings good athleticism to the backcourt, scoring the ball well off the bounce as well as pace and transition scoring.
Cloninger, a Swiss postgrad, continues the trend of size for the Wolverines as the 6’8” forward will add spacing as another shooting threat for the squad. Kollins is a high-academic guard prospect expected to play a strong role this season.
Mazzoni, a 6’8” forward from Slovenia, has some inside/out game to him to score it at multiple levels, play tough defense and rebound.
Defining Characteristics
International talent is in abundance this season for Whit Lesure’s program, as well as a stockpile of size and skill. With a handful of big shooters and traditional bigs, Bridgton will match up well with other top prep programs both in New England and at the national level.
The guard play for the squad will be essential, but there too lies some good size. The opportunity to roll out lineups of five guys 6’4” and higher is present this season for Bridgton, an asset against some of the top competition they will see.
The Bottom Line
Bridgton is always expected to be a tough matchup and looks to continue that notion. On paper, this year’s team appears to be very talented and has the potential to be one of the best teams they’ve had in recent years.

