2025 Prep Profile: St. George’s

Shay Pipe | Tuesday, November 18th, 2025

On the heels of a bittersweet end to the ‘24-’25 season, St. George’s is looking to reload this year and make an impact in NEPSAC AA play. The reigning ISL champs fell to Worcester Academy in the quarterfinals of the AA tournament last season. With four of six alternating starters graduating and moving on to play at the college level, the Dragons could be facing a tough rebuilding year.

Leading the charge for this young team will be senior Dywane Chess, returning for his third year. The Marist commit is coming off a dominant summer season for the Middlesex Magic, where he received 10+ Division One offers, including the likes of Albany, Holy Cross, Rhode Island, Bryan, and many more. 

The 6’3 wing has the high motor and physicality that is going to make him a star in the NEPSAC this season. Chess has a deep bag of moves that get him to the basket, where you can count on him to finish consistently. While the SG offense is sure to center around him this winter, Wane’s most significant impact comes on the defensive end. He knows how to use his size to his advantage and is always working to improve his quickness. 

Chess is joined by fellow 2026 Casey Bazzano, a Rhode Island native who plays AAU for BCRI. As one of two seniors, the 5’11 shooting guard is sure to make an impact on the stat line this year as Head Coach Dwayne Pina relies on him for points beyond the arc. During his years with the Dragons, Bazzano has consistently been called on to make a clutch three down the stretch.

The class of 2027 holds an even number of returners and newcomers for this squad. Ethan Njenga has been a consistent impact player for St. George’s since his freshman year. After a strong summer with BABC, expect him to have a huge junior year. Njenga is poised to be the starting PG this season, and his high IQ and court vision, combined with an elite handle and ability to score at all levels, make him a player college coaches should be on the lookout for.

Kenny Benedict, Otis Crosby, and Jelani Middleton round out the junior class for the Dragons. Benedict is returning for his second season with SG, and the 6’6 small forward is great in transition and uses his length to get downhill and finish at the rim. Crosby and Middleton are the new junior duo, and both add much-needed size to this roster. Middleton is long and agile, consistently turning his defense into offense. 

Adriel Cantave, the star of the sophomore class at St. George’s, is already on the radar of many high-level programs. Coming off an unofficial visit with Maryland, this young talent is set up for a breakout season. At 6’2 and still growing, Cantave uses his crazy athleticism to get downhill and make plays out of the paint. The shifty guard can pull up from anywhere, making him very hard to defend. 

Although Chance Finlayson is only a freshman, and a true freshman at that, he has quickly proved to be one of the best 2029 prospects in New England. 

Finlayson is already 6’6 and very strong. He knows how to use his physicality and has an IQ that is beyond impressive for his age and experience. Every team St. George’s comes across this season will come to know the freshman. Finlayson can score proficiently from all three levels and is developing into a nasty shot blocker. This all-around threat is going to be a massive part of the Dragons' success this season.

This St. George’s team may be young, but they have a lot of talent, and if teams let them get on a roll early, they may be hard to stop come playoff time. With a good mix of experienced upperclassmen and transfers across multiple age groups, expect St. George’s to be competitive in ISL and AA matchups throughout the season.