Cushing’s Successful Regular Season

Kam Hickey | Friday, February 28th, 2025

Cushing Academy has put a strong foot on the Northeast and the prep scene this year. Boasting a record of 23 wins with only 4 losses on the season. They kicked off the year with amazing wins against some top national prep programs (Brewster, South Kent, CATS). 

Cushing also has close wins against great teams like New Hampton and the Newman School. The almost 30 point massacre of prep power Mt. Zion, and recent 14 point win over Worcester should have every team in the March field very wary of the New England academy heading into playoff time.

Toting an NBA-sized frontcourt, Cushing is a very intimidating prep school. Their guard play is very impressive as well though as they boast one of the best PGs in the Northeast , 6’0 Ryan Moesch (26’). Moesch has been consistent all year and even had a signature performance against Mt. Zion, and 4-star Maryland commit Christian Jeffrey. The upstate New York native has poured in numerous big time performances this season at the head of the offense.

The perimeter also possesses a D1 commit, 6’5 Jay Jones (25’ Penn). Jones averaged 10 points ,shot 83% from 3pt, 60% from 2pt, 93% FT (95 FTr), had averaged nearly 5 Ast (2.0 TO), and 1.3 stls+blks in his first Under Armour session with Middlesex Magic. 6’3 Ryan Ward (25’) also starts for Cushing and is a D3 commit (UChicago). The depth doesn’t stop either as they have Hamilton-commit David Melson, two very solid 6’6 wings in Elliot Erickson (27’) and David Flores John (26’), and junior guard Brady O’Connell out of Bedford, New Hampshire.

Now the Frontcourt is filled with D1 talent at all levels. The more depth pieces are 6’7 athletic forward John Price (25’) and 7’0 Coley Mark (27’). Coley is a very intriguing big man for his size and age on top of his prior production at Noble & Greenough School. Coley in a few high-level prep games last year averaged 16 points, 41% from 3 on 8 attempts, 6 Rebs, 2 Ast (3 TOs), 1.3 Blks (1 PF).

6’8 Power Forward Jacob Davis (25’) has been very stout for them down low as well, he averages 12 Rebs. a game per 40 mins for his career. He’s an important piece for his play on the court, as well as his leadership as one of the longest tenured players on the team.

Cushing has yet another Power Forward on the roster and that is 6’9 Frederik Jellum (25’) from Denmark. Jellum averaged 10 points in 10 mins in the U18 Nordic Championships. He shot 50% from 3pt in that league. In Denmark’s first division pro league he shot 30% from 3pt on 3.3 attempts and 84% from FT on top of 1 stls+blks (stocks).

The last frontcourt piece is the hottest right now on the recruiting trail and that is 7’0 Theo Edema (27’). He is a physical specimen possessing a High-Major D1 frame and length. Edema is a very strong play finisher and rim protector right now and will be feared in March by teams with less size.

Cushing might be some experts’ dark horse with the combination of reliable perimeter threats and absurd NBA-caliber size in the frontcourt. The team also possesses plenty of athleticism in the frontcourt too. I can see them being champions at the very end. What could derail them is a team with comparable size but better athletes and similar shooters on the opposing perimeter. Behind the skillsets of Ryan Moesch, Jay Jones, Jacob Davis, and Theo Edema I think they will surprise the national scene and wake a lot of 4-year schools up.