2026 Frosh/Soph #E75 Recap - The Bigs

Monday, September 14th, 2026

This year’s Frosh/Soph Elite 75 was one of our largest events to date, bringing underclassmen from across the region together to compete against their peers and earn exposure on the NERR platform.

We have plenty to unpack over the next couple of weeks, but we’ll begin with the most unique group in the gym: the big men.

Cannon Combs, Brewster: Combs comes into New England this season with a budding reputation in the class of 2029, and it was easy to see why yesterday in Hamden. He stands at about 6'10" but brings the ability to really run the floor and score at all three levels. Combs is a threat to pick and pop or shoot off the catch, while also attacking closeouts off the bounce and getting to the basket. He plays more like a forward than big though, and will likely step right into a big role in AAA this season.

Marcus Fraser, Loomis Chaffee: Fraser has size and the foundation to be an impactful big man down the line standing at 6'9". He moves well up and down the floor while doing a nice job of holding down his spot inside to alter shots and provide rebounding. His offensive development will be the next steps for him to take, but there's a lot to like about his potential in Class A.

Xavier McCall, Macduffie: McCall missed a lot of time with injury, but stepped right in this Friday and seemingly looks right back to 100%. The 6'8" sophomore has done a lot to his body to put on muscle and get tougher, and it showed in his outing as he was able to get physical around the basket and make defenders pay. He's a strong rebounder with athleticism to block shots or throw down dunks on the other end, and looks to continue to build on the flashes he's shown over the years.

Anthony Daniels, Tilton: We've been evaluating Daniels since his days at Milford High School, and his development has really come along nicely. Up there for the tallest in the field for the entire weekend at 7'1", Daniels brings the unique ability to impact the game inside and outside of the paint. He's got a smooth release to knock down the long ball from three, while becoming more impactful as a post scorer as well. He once again has a big role in sight as the anchor for Tilton as a sophomore, and has a lot of potential to keep channeling. 

Pernell Banks, Thayer: Since our last evaluation of Banks at the Junior Elite 75 this past March, he's come along very well with steady improvement. He's got good size to him as a 6'8" big man, and has continued to learn how to use his size to be more impactful on the block. It looks like he spent the summer working hard on his conditioning and footwork, and with a young Thayer squad, is in a great spot to continue to grow as a player entering his freshman year. 

Will Biney, Springfield Commonwealth: Biney may take the gold medal for tallest player in the field as he actually stands at about 7'2" in shoes. His ability to impose his will on defenders in the paint was felt in his outing yesterday as he towered over the competition to contest shots and make a couple around the basket. There's work to do on his touch in the paint, but only entering his freshman season this year, he has plenty of time to develop and become a coveted player.

Ayual Ayual, Holland Tech: While standing at 6'10" entering his sophomore year in the MIAA, Ayual has pretty good hands for a big man, which is a huge asset to have for the position at his age. He's able to use this to his advantage to become an impactful rebounder in and out of his area, while getting his post-scoring going as well off entry passes. As noted before, he moves extremely well for his size and continues to get better.

Ben Lee, Dexter Southfield: Lee is a mobile big man that can really space the floor as a 6'9" shooting threat. He does a good job of getting open on the perimeter and letting them fly, while he continues to work on his physicality to get into defenders and score in the post. He has the length to make an impact in the paint on the defensive end as well.