WORCESTER, Mass. — The first NEPSAC Boys Scholastic Showcase came at an interesting time this year.
The weekend came a little bit earlier than usual, and it came at a great moment for the Class of 2028. June 15 marked the beginning of the contact period for prospects who just finished their sophomore year, meaning that Division 1 coaches can directly communicate with them.
That meant the June 12-14 showcase at Worcester Academy gave coaches a perfect opportunity to get fresh eyes on those recruits and further inform who they want to reach out to. And there were plenty for them to sink their teeth into.
The 2028 class in New England is continuing to take shape with a lot of exciting prospects who are gaining recruiting steam. Here are 10 standouts from the opening NEPSAC showcase.
SCHOLASTIC STANDOUTS: JUNE 12-14 — 2027 backcourt | 2027 frontcourt
Luca Balducci, Loomis Chaffee
6-0 guard
Hometown: Monroe, N.Y.
I was actually surprised to look through the roster and realize that Balducci is a 2028, because he was that good throughout the weekend. He had at least 25 points in my viewing of Loomis Chaffee’s game vs. Phillips Andover as he scored from all three levels, using sharp crossovers, strong ball-handling and quick burst to get into the paint at will. I think he has a really polished offensive package and even had some good moments of playmaking, too. He averaged 13.4 points per game as a sophomore at Loomis and it looks like he’s ready to have even more responsibility as a junior.
Josh Charlot, Cushing
5-10 guard
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.
My early impression is that Cushing will be just fine in the backcourt after the graduation of Ryan Moesch and Brady O’Connell. Sam Brigham was terrific in his debut and Charlot brought steadiness, energy and leadership as the point guard throughout the weekend. He was really good at getting to the rim and finishing through contact in my viewings – including a wild lefty off-balanced three-point play finish – and he caused havoc defensively. Charlot grabbed offers from UAB, Wagner and Texas Rio Grande Valley following the weekend.
Owen Earle, Wilbraham & Monson
6-3 guard
Hometown: Hadley, Mass.
The rise is real for Earle, who also made my standouts at last weekend’s Zero Gravity Boys National Finals. Finally fully healthy, he’s showing New England what he can do again. He scored 13 of Wilbraham & Monson’s first 16 points against CATS Academy and he was all over the place. He was drilling from 3-point range, blowing up passing lanes defensively and making physical drives to the hoop. He grabbed offers from Wagner and Division 2 Georgia Southwestern coming out of the weekend, and he’s also hearing from Brown and Holy Cross upon the start of the contact period.
Cole McClure, Phillips Exeter
6-3 guard
Hometown: Stratham, N.H.
Consistency is the word that comes to mind whenever I watch McClure, who always produces in the scoring column. He had 21 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, to beat Deerfield on Saturday night and added 15 points with a balanced floor game in a victory over Belmont Hill. He’s patient with the ball, scores from every level and gets to his spots. He’s crafty and smart with pump fakes and other ways to create advantages.
Damian Mojica, Masters (NY)
6-8 forward
Hometown: Yonkers, N.Y.
It’s technically happening outside New England, since he’s a member of the PSA Cardinals on the grassroots circuit, but Mojica is having one of the top stock-rising springs in the northeast. He brought it to Worcester, where he had one of the best individual performances I saw this weekend in Masters’ Friday win over Kingswood-Oxford. At 6-foot-8, Mojica has evolved into a matchup nightmare with his combination of athleticism, fluidity, footwork, ball-handling ability and shooting touch. I noted a loud one-handed dunk in transition, several spin move finishes and a really impressive turnaround baseline fadeaway jumper off a back down in the post. He even threw a full-court pass that found a teammate perfectly in stride that had the referee shaking his head.
Mojica is one of the most unique prospects in NEPSAC and his recruiting is picking up major steam. Offers from Arkansas Little Rock, East Carolina and Kennesaw State came in on Monday and he’s reportedly hearing from high-major schools including Notre Dame, Syracuse and Stanford.
Will Nunes, Austin Prep
6-3 guard
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.
The momentum from Nunes’ breakout sophomore season is continuing for an exciting Austin Prep squad that should be among the best next season. My viewings of them included consistent impact from Nunes, who I saw hit at least four 3-pointers vs. St. Paul’s as he created open looks for himself with pump fakes and sharp dribble pull-ups. I even saw one crafty behind-the-back pull-up from deep. He was also getting dirty for hustle plays, including attacking the defensive glass and diving on the floor for a steal.
Michael Parris, South Kent
6-5 guard
Hometown: Lakeville, Conn.
Parris was one of the best underclassmen in Class AAA last season and it looks like he’s ready to pick up where he left off as one of South Kent’s lead guards with a real nose for scoring the ball. My viewing of their game against CATS also included some strong playmaking instincts out of pick-and-roll actions and a great play where he backed down a defender in the post before making an impressive turnaround finish. Parris came out of the weekend with his first Division 1 offer from Wagner.
Jah Reaves, Albany Academy
6-1 guard
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
A former standout at Frederick Gunn, Reaves had an impressive debut for Albany Academy. I thought he was really impactful and active on the defensive glass, and he turned those into offensive opportunities, including one play where he made a nifty behind-the-back move in transition into a silky floater. He was also a nuisance forcing turnovers and I noted a perfect pass between defenders that led to a transition bucket. Reaves is a dynamic and smart guard who impacts winning on both ends of the floor.
Kingsley Rogers, Williston Northampton
6-6 guard
Hometown: Bay Shore, N.Y.
The breakout is on for Rogers, who was one of the best overall players at Worcester Academy with his shooting and three-level scoring ability. He hit at least eight 3-pointers vs. Hotchkiss in an early game on Friday and continued to terrorize defenses all weekend with his athleticism and ability to get to the rim, where he had some explosive finishes. I also noted some hustle on the offensive glass, and he found teammates in the right situations off his drives. Rogers has nabbed offers from Hofstra, Arkansas Little Rock and Albany since the weekend.
Will White, Dexter Southfield
5-10 guard
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
I only caught a brief viewing of Dexter this weekend, but I was impressed with how White set the tone to start a game vs. Salisbury, scoring five points and recording an assist in the opening minute. He has elite 3-point shooting ability, plays fast, takes advantage of opportunities created and hustles on both ends – he’s a perfect compliment for point guard Malik Adamson.
Quick shouts: I’ve given a lot of ink to Rhode Island guards Malachi Odugbela (Providence, R.I.) and Kyle Delves (Providence, R.I.), but both had impressive weekends. Delves, from Mount St. Charles, was flying in transition all weekend to create opportunities for himself and others, and I saw him throw down an absurd one-handed dunk. Odugbela, the 6-foot-6 St. Andrew’s guard, has heard from Providence, Syracuse, Stanford, Boston College, Hofstra, Marquette, Saint Louis and Utah since the contact period opened. …
I liked what I saw from Tilton’s 6-foot-10 big man Salim Diaby, who was dominant on the offensive glass, had good touch around the basket and moved well at his size. He snagged offers from Albany and Wagner.
