New England 2021 Rankings Announced

Tuesday, November 6th, 2018

The fall season gave us a good look at some of the top underclassmen in New England, first with the Elite 75 Frosh/Soph and then with the Zero Gravity Path to the Belt, and what is now abundantly clear is that the class of 2021 has a chance to be a special one in New England. 

It obviously begins with Terance Clarke, the first year Brewster Academy guard who is one of the top sophomores anywhere in the country. He's silky smooth with great perimeter size, a high basketball I.Q. and a rapidly developing skill set. His list of early suitors is already lengthy but almost equally irrelavant as he's going to have his choice of suitors at the end of the day if he continues to make good decisions, work hard, and improve. 

Clarke's talent and upside though was hardly a secret coming into the fall, but what we now have a much greater appreciation for is the significant depth that exists in the class. 

Milton Academy's Casey Simmons, Loomis Chaffee's Nate Santos, Brooks' Tyler Whitney-Sidney, and Suffield Academy's Micawber Etienne could all make a legitimiate claim for the number two spot and ultimately join Clarke to constitute the top five ranked prospects in the class. Simmons may not yet have a national rep, but it's only a matter of time as he's ascending rapidly and absolutely loaded with upside. Whitney-Sidney was arguably the best guard at the Elite 75 and has really come on athletically in recent months. Santos and Etienne lead an incoming wave of prep products who are in their first season in New England. 

One of the hardest things to negotiate when ranking or evaluating talent this young is how you weigh current production versus long-term potential. You won't find many more impactful guys right now than Bensley Joseph while Gus Larson is just getting started but absolutely loaded with long-term potential. Alexis Reyes, another Cushing Academy product, is a special talent with a very bright future. Deerfield Academy big man Bennett Pitcher, who is already the subject of ACC and Big Ten recruiting interest, and Acton-Boxborough big man Shea Doherty round out the top ten. 

Again though, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the class of 2021. NMH's Jack Molloy, Brimmer & May's Gianni Thompson, Manchester Central's Sheer Akot, Thayer Academy's Aaron Cooley, NMH's Jake Tavroff, St. Thomas More's Jai Smith, Farmington's Bube Momah, and Trinity Catholic's Akim Joseph are all worthy of top ten honors in any other class, but couldn't fit given the sheer depth of this class. 

Similarly, it was our intent to rank just 25 prospects, but we were forced to extend that list to 40 because of the amount of qualified candidates. As always, the specific order of the list is always debatable, especially at this early stage. But inclusion on the list, regardless of the number, indicates a real chance for future success. 

Click here for complete 2021 New England rankings.