HoopWise from New England Basketball Journal

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller recap the 2026 NEPSAC Girls Scholastic Showcase at Worcester Academy, widely praised by prep and college coaches for smooth logistics, three adjacent courts, competitive games, and time efficiency. A tornado warning on Thursday forced everyone into the lobby for about an hour and led to shortened games (running clock) before the schedule largely recovered. Fuller shares weekend vignettes, including pho...

Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt preview the upcoming NEPSAC/NESA Scholastic Showcases in June, with two boys weekends and a girls showcase in between, all at Worcester Academy. They discuss why June and July form a crucial stretch for recruiting, chemistry-building and early looks at new prep rosters amid heavy turnover and the evolving college coaching calendar, noting limited 2027 commitments. Hewitt explains how he evaluates showc...

Ethan and Steve interview Worcester Academy girls coach Dan Sullivan, a two-time NEPSAC Class AA Girls Coach of the Year who won a Class AA title in his first season and reached the final again despite injuries and limited depth. Sullivan explains his transition after 11 years as a Worcester boys assistant, what he learned from Jamie Sullivan, and how his style adapts to roster strengths, including faster, guard-heavy play and effe...

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller recap the Atlantic City Showcase during the May live period, discussing heavy college coach attendance, why May recruiting is picking up amid transfer-portal effects and coaching-staff turnover, and how Ethan covered the event after taking a 10-hour bus from Boston. Ethan explains his approach to large showcases — building a detailed schedule, watching full games when possible, taking notes in re...

Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt talk with with Medfield High girls coach Mark Nickerson and longtime Andover boys coach Dave Fazio to discuss the evolving MIAA public school vs. NEPSAC prep dynamic, focusing on player retention, recruiting and program impact rather than specific teams. Nickerson describes losing top players to Nobles despite efforts like the Eastern New England Showcase, which he fears has become a scouting tool for ...

Ethan and Steve welcome Newman School coach Jackson Johnson after Newman’s second straight NEPSAC AAA title and its first National Prep School championship, plus an NEBL title, with 11 college commits (nine Division I) on the roster. Johnson reflects on how connected and resilient the championship group was, the difficulty of turning from the AAA playoffs into the National Prep Tournament, and how more intentional January rec...

Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt recap their first AAU weekend coverage at the New England Spring Showdown and the NERR Northeast Hoops Festival, discussing how AAU evaluation differs from high school through roles, pace, exposure, intangibles and the relationship between winning and recruiting visibility. They highlight players poised for big spring/summer leaps, plus underclass standouts. The episode ends with producer David Yas hos...

Ethan and Steve explain how they created their new player rankings, aiming for transparency about evaluation and projection. They discuss the difficulty of ranking high school and prep prospects amid variables like role, opportunity, team context, and competition level, noting clearer top tiers but thin margins in the middle of lists. HoopWise released top-50 rankings for 2026 and 2027, will use watch lists for younger classes, and...

Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt recap MIAA championship weekend at the Tsongas Center, praising the crowds and environment. They highlight Salem’s Division 3 boys title (first since 1995). On the girls side, Bishop Fenwick beat Pittsfield 49-44. Division 2 boys St. Mary’s edged Masco in a back-and-forth finish to extend St. Mary’s 19-year title streak; Medfield dominated St. Mary’s 72-38 in Division 2 girls. D...

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller recap NEPSAC girls basketball Super Sunday at Nobles with guest Chloe Patel, covering multiple championship games and key takeaways. In Class A, Sacred Heart beat four-time defending champion Loomis Chaffee 53-46 for its first title. In AA, Darrow won its first AA championship in its second season at the level, defeating defending champ Worcester Academy 55-40 behind an early lead and aggressive guard ...

Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt recap the NEPSAC boys postseason with guest Matt Doherty. They discuss B Small champion Holderness’ 74–52 win over top-seeded Kingswood Oxford and St. Mark’s 70–58 title over Canterbury. Hotchkiss beat Phillips Andover 66–54 after a late spurt. In AA, unbeaten Cushing won 64–55 over Cheshire, while Newman dominated AAA with a 101–68 win over Hoosac, and the hos...

than Fuller and Steve Hewitt review the 2026 MIAA boys basketball tournament brackets with guest Mukala Kabongo, who attended games daily all season. They break down all five divisions, discussing top seeds, key players, matchups, sleepers, and predicting the final fours and champions. 

Topics

03:20 Division 5 Breakdown

09:41 Division 4 Contenders

17:43 Division 3 "Team of Destiny"

28:55 Division 2 Heavyweights

38:02 Mansfiel...

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller are joined by Trevor Hass of the Boston Globe to preview the MIAA girls state tournament, division-by-division from D-5 to D-1, discussing bracket takeaways, seeding/power ranking impacts, favorites, and upset picks. They name “players to watch,” then finish with fun "Full-Court Press" questions.

Topics

01:50 Tournament Preview Setup

03:39 Big-Picture Takeaways

06:23 Division 5 Breakdown

1...

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller sit down with Cary Herer, the head coach and director of basketball operations at CATS Academy Boston. They discuss the excitement around the upcoming EYBL Scholastic Boston Showcase, set to take place from Feb. 13-15 at Curry College, featuring top national high school programs. Coach Herer shares insights on CATS Academy’s transition to the EYBL Scholastic circuit, the rigorous travel and prepa...

Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller dive into the current New England Prep School Athletic Council playoff races across various classes for both boys and girls basketball. They discuss key teams, players and recent developments affecting the standings and playoff scenarios. Following the basketball updates, the hosts participate in a thrilling trivia contest focused on New England Patriots Super Bowl heroes, covering memorable moments an...