A Few Notable 2028’s in the NEPSAC

Elias Benaka | Friday, February 21st, 2025

This year we have seen a lot of freshmen have very strong seasons for good prep schools. There have been new names, as well as names that we have known since their middle school days that are continuing to see success on the floor. This article is going to highlight ten freshman standouts in the prep school landscape.

Adriel Cantave has been a solid guard for a 20-2 St.Georges team this season. In a dominant win against Masters at the Scholar Roundball Classic, he finished with 20 points and 4 assists while also adding 5 steals, showing glimpses of his upside. At 6’2, he is a super crafty point guard that is very good at facilitating an offense. His consistent jumpshot also makes him a threat from out beyond the arc.

Athleticism is another part of Cantave’s game to take notice of. On the offensive end he uses it to spring to the rim when driving downhill. On defense, he is a very good perimeter defender and makes opponents work hard to get by him.

At the Frederick Gunn School, Jahmez Reaves has carved out a strong role averaging 8 points and 5 boards. Reaves is a smart combo guard that makes smart decisions on the fly. This is driven by the fact that he has tremendous playmaking ability as well as court vision. He pushes the ball in transition well and it leads to easy buckets for his team.

On the defensive end, Reaves plays with an extremely high motor. His versatility grants him the ability to shift the momentum of his team. He is averaging 1 steal but the energy that he brings to his teams defense lead to turnovers and others buying in. Good defense leads to strong offense, and Reaves emulates that in full.

Patrick Costello is another young name to remember out of the Rivers School. Against St.Marks he finished with 10 points and 3 assists. His ability to drive downhill and finish at the rim is very strong. As a sizable wing/forward, Costello’s accuracy on three-pointers has provided a nice spark for Rivers this season.

On the defensive end he is very active and always communicating with teammates for switches and traps the whole game. He is very good at talking teammates through screens and when to switch. His ability to change assignments on the fly is another strong asset of his. He has a very good understanding and IQ on defense and he uses it to exploit his opponents.

This 6’8 forward from Kent Hill’s has been a notable name in the post all season long. In a game against Brewster Academy, Lincoln Malcore finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. His rebounding ability is very strong on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He is a threat in the post on defense, having many pinned shots as well as guarding the rim tenaciously. He can also guard on the perimeter, blocking shots and not allowing opponents to take him to the rim.

On the offensive end he is a very efficient scorer. He has nice touch around the rim and can finish well through contact. He gets many putback lay-ups due to his tenacious defense and if the putback is not there he kicks the ball back out to set up the offense.

Sage Kennedy out of Macduffie has shown a blossoming skillset while playing limited minutes as a freshman. In a game against a good Worcester Academy team he finished with 11 points. His IQ is something that stood out with his ability to make smart passes and move without the ball very efficiently. He is good at reading a defense and making the right plays to help his team.

To complement his IQ is a smooth jump shot. He shoots with a ton of confidence and knocks down shots. He can shoot off the dribble just as well as he can shoot off the catch, making him a threat with or without the ball.

Mount Saint Charles has a pair of freshmen that have been having strong seasons. Kyle Delves and Isaac Olaniba are both threats on the offensive sides of the floor and have put up big numbers to help lead their team throughout the season.

Delves recently had a game winner in their win against Macduffie. His athleticism is one key factor that sets him apart from his competition. He gets dowhill easily and then looks to take the ball right to the rim. He can also finish very well with both hands which makes him a threat to make tough finishes over defenders. In a game against Wilbraham & Monson earlier in the season he finished with 24 points.

Olaniba has size and athleticism that he loves to use in order to score. At the Scholar Roundball he finished with 14 points against St.Andrews and also had 15 points and 11 boards against a big CATS Team. He's a lengthy player that can rack up rebounds as well as finish at a high rate at the rim. On the defensive end he causes havoc often blocking shots and kicking the ball out into transition.  

Malachi Odugbela at St.Andrews has shown glimpses of his upside as a freshman. He is a big guard that can knock down shots as well as finish consistently at the rim. Odugbela is a good playmaker that looks to get all of his teammates involved as well as find easy buckets for his team. He’s already 6’5 with guard skills in his bag, and as he continues to mature and fill out his frame his potential is evident.

At the Brooks School, Jayden Gibson has been making huge strides in his game. He is a guard with a stronger body which he uses to his advantage on both ends of the floor. He is adept at making reads in the pick and roll and looks to find easy babucketssets for his teammates. On the defensive end he uses his body to play strong defense and his lateral quickness is very underrated. It allows him to guard at all five positions and he can do it effectively.

Northfield Mount Hermon's Maxxwell Thorpe has been making huge strides as a freshman. He is an extremely hard worker and it shows on the court. He stands at 6’8 and can rebound very well. On both ends of the floor he rebounds with a ton of aggressiveness and moves the ball well in transition. On defense, he blocks shots in the post and brings energy to the floor which gives his team great momentum.