NEPrepBasketball.net Guide to the Founders League 2026-27
The Founders League is one of New England's prominent prep school athletic conferences. Founded in 1984 and recognized by the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), the league is widely respected for high-level athletic competition, storied rivalries and a strong academic philosophy. Its nine boys basketball programs come from eight Connecticut schools and one New York school.
Founders League basketball pairs demanding academics with a demanding schedule. Every league night puts college-aspirational players against opponents who are just as talented, just as driven and chasing the same goal, and that competition is what makes them better. For college coaches, especially at high-academic D1 and D3 programs, the league offers a concentrated pool of prospects who can handle both the classroom and the court. The league prides itself on being a natural launching pad for the Ivy League, Patriot League and New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) bound players.
Seven of its programs compete to earn a bid in the NEPSAC Class A postseason tournament and two in Class B.
For each program's full roster of prospects, click its Link to Player Profiles below. In the meantime, here are some of the players drawing notice. Seven seniors have already committed: Hotchkiss' Alonzo Archbold (2027), a 6'8 forward ranked No. 7 in Connecticut by NERR, to Pepperdine; Westminster point guard Julien Wiggins (2027), a 2025-26 All NEPSAC pick, to Bellarmine; Avon Old Farms' Michael Hoffman (2027) to RIT; Choate's Timmy Dennis (2027) to Wesleyan and Jack Stevens (2027) to Washington University in St. Louis; Kingswood Oxford's Matt Lysik (2027) to Wheaton; and Taft's Jacob Seyfried (2027) to WPI. Avon's Noa Eteuati-Edwards (2027) holds offers from Southeast Missouri and Western Illinois. Among the 2028s, Westminster's Elliot Goldberg holds a Tusculum offer and Kingswood Oxford's Liam Peck was a 2025-26 CIAC All State pick. The league also has an international flavor: Kent's Kemet Edoa (2028), who holds a Le Moyne offer, was the youngest player at the FIBA 19u World Cup with Cameroon, Taft's Jack Ronndahl (2028) has played for Sweden's national team and Loomis Chaffee's Luca Balducci (2028) played for Mexico's 16u national team.
All of the league's nine head coaches were college athletes. Choate's Drew Dawson was the point guard on Lafayette's 1999 Patriot League champions, and Loomis Chaffee's Rock Battistoni was a member of George Washington's 2005 Atlantic 10 title team before playing professionally in Europe. Hotchkiss' Joe Busacca was MAC Freedom Player of the Year at Misericordia, Taft's Shavar Bernier holds Connecticut College's career record for three-pointers, Trinity-Pawling's Tarik Smith ran the point for Tufts teams that reached the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen, Kent's Tim McCarthy was a captain at Amherst, Avon's Matt Mihalich played at John Carroll and Kingswood Oxford's Brad Seaman started three seasons at Suffolk. Four have also coached in college: Mihalich (George Mason, Hartford), Dawson (Lafayette, Hartford), Busacca (Manhattanville, Amherst and head coach at Curry) and Bernier (St. Michael's), while Battistoni worked with Westfield State and the NBA's Washington Wizards. The hardware follows: Dawson (2025) and Seaman (2026) are the two most recent Founders League Coaches of the Year, and Dawson (2018) and Battistoni (2020) have each won a NEPSAC Class A tournament title.
The 2026-27 Founders League programs are listed below.
Avon Old Farms School from Avon (CT)
Head Coach: Matt Mihalich (716) 807-2317
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Choate Rosemary Hall from Wallingford (CT)
Head Coach: Drew Dawson (717) 574-6212
Link to Player Profiles [Updates to come]
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Hotchkiss School from Lakeville (CT)
Head Coach: Joe Busacca (718) 564-0004
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Kent School from Kent (CT)
Head Coach: Tim McCarthy (508) 377-2552
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Kingswood Oxford School from West Hartford (CT)
Head Coach: Brad Seaman (860) 798-9546
Link to Player Profiles [Updates to come]
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Loomis Chaffee School from Windsor (CT)
Head Coach: Rock Battistoni (860) 919-9442
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Taft School from Watertown (CT)
Head Coach: Shavar Bernier (603) 953-3634
Link to Player Profiles [Updates to come]
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Trinity-Pawling School from Pawling (NY)
Head Coach: Tarik Smith (646) 593-3116
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Westminster School from Simsbury (CT)
Head Coach: David Pringle (203) 606-5917
Link to the 2026-27 Game Schedule and Results
Founders League 2026-27 standings can be found by clicking here
Founders League league-wide schedule and results can be found by clicking here