NEPrepBasketball.net’s 2026-27 Guide to the New England Basketball League
The New England Basketball League (NEBL) tips off its 2026-27 season this fall, and NEPrepBasketball.net will cover it from the opening tip. This season’s league has 10 programs from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Hampshire, ranging from long-established boarding schools to some of the newest programs in the region.
The NEBL is built for college prospects. Its members put players in front of college coaches night after night, against a schedule as demanding as any in prep basketball.
The numbers back that up. In last season’s national prep computer rankings, NEBL members averaged a ranking of about 38, essentially even with the Elite Prep League. This season Overtime Elite joins the rankings in full and should land right alongside those other two. That keeps the NEBL in any debate over America’s toughest prep league, and Hellstar, which plays in both the NEBL and Overtime Elite, will give the rankings a direct data point measuring stick between the NEBL and Overtime Elite. Newman School (MA) is the defending league champion after a 38-3 season that ended with a National Prep title and a No. 1 national ranking, Cushing Academy (MA) finished No. 5 nationally and Darrow School (NY) finished No. 14 nationally.
The coaching is just as strong. Three NEBL head coaches or program directors have won National Prep championships: John Carroll (2013, 2026), Tom Espinosa (four of the last five at Putnam Science Academy) and Marcus O’Neil (2009). They’re joined by former NBA guard Antonio Anderson at Darrow and former Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe at Masters Academy International (MA). The coaching storyline to watch is Carroll himself, who serves as program director at both the defending champion Newman, where Justin Perron takes over as head coach, and league newcomer MAI. When those two meet, Carroll’s own programs will be on opposite benches.
The player talent matches the coaches' résumés. For the full picture on each team's 2026-27 talent, click on a given team’s "Link to player profiles" below. Here are some excerpts: Cushing Academy’s frontcourt is led by a pair of 7-footers: St. John’s commit Theo Edema, who also held offers from Kansas, Tennessee and Stanford, and Navy commit Coleman Mark. Defending champion Newman returns three Division I commits in Philipe NDong (Marquette), Jack Donohue (Syracuse) and Preston Bollin (Princeton). Hellstar’s 2028 backcourt features Antoine Caughman Jr., with offers from Maryland, Indiana and UCLA, and Kyle Delves, offered by Wake Forest, Providence and Rutgers. Darrow’s Abraham Taiwo (2028) holds offers from Kansas State and Illinois, and Ty Lewis (2027) has one from Georgia Tech. At Tilton, Sam Owusu-Aduomi has committed to Dartmouth and 6'10 Salim Diaby (2028) holds an offer from Utah. Newcomer MAI brings Miami (Ohio) commit A’Mire Gill, UC Santa Barbara offeree Aidan Dayco Green, Iona offeree Benton Welker, 2025-26 All-NYSAIS honorable mention Quentin Walker, and Tayden Langdon, son of Detroit Pistons president and former Duke star Trajan Langdon. MAI also has one of the region’s top young prospects in 2029 forward Aidan McGrath, Prep Hoops’ No. 5 prospect in New England and a member of Ireland’s U19 national team. CATS Academy’s Sonny Batchelor (2027) holds offers from FIU, East Carolina, Fairfield, Quinnipiac and La Salle, and Donovan Clement (2027), the 2026 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class B-Large Tournament MVP, has offers from Holy Cross, Boston University and UMass Lowell. Brimmer & May point guard Ladanion Payne (2027) has been offered by Albany, Boston University and Stonehill, and South Kent’s Devin Sone (2027) and Michael Parris (2029) hold offers from Hampton and Wagner.
The 10 programs in this season’s NEBL are listed below.
Brimmer & May School, from Chestnut Hill, MA
Head Coach: Tom Nelson (323) 351 3076
2026-27 game schedule and results
CATS Academy Prep, from Braintree, MA
Head Coach: Thomas Garrick Jr. (401) 633 4474
2026-27 game schedule and results
Cushing Academy, from Ashburnham, MA
Head Coach: James Cormier (203) 767 9882
2026-27 game schedule and results
Darrow School, from New Lebanon, NY
Head Coach: Antonio Anderson (781) 866 1263
2026-27 game schedule and results
Hellstar (Woodstock Academy), from Woodstock, CT
Head Coach: Tom Espinosa (860) 933 0117
2026-27 game schedule and results
Hoosac School, from Hoosick, NY
Head Coach: Aleks Miljenovic (518) 693 2374
2026-27 game schedule and results
Masters Academy International Prep, from Stow, MA
Head Coach: Naadir Tharpe (508) 963 4061
2026-27 game schedule and results
Newman School National, from Boston, MA
Head Coach: Justin Perron (508) 212 4986
2026-27 game schedule and results
South Kent School Prep, from South Kent, CT
Head Coach: Craig Carter (732) 207 2745
2026-27 game schedule and results
Tilton School, from Tilton, NH
Head Coach: Marcus O’Neil (603) 867 3204
2026-27 game schedule and results
The NEBL league play season tips off in a multi-game event at the New Balance' The Track on November 14-15
The league’s 2026-27 standings can be found here.