New England Early AAU Season 2025 Eyecatchers

Joson Sanon 6’5 Wing (BABC/Vermont Academy): Sanon is a consistent floor-spacer from beyond the arc. Has a quick release on his shot. Makes three-pointers at a solid rate when spotting up. If an opponent closes out sharply to challenge his shot, he can put the ball on the floor and slash to the rim. Sanon scores effectively around the basket with his comfort using either hand to finish. When opponents take away his driving lanes to the hoop, he shows flashes of hitting floaters or pull-ups. Defensively, Sanon has good fundamentals when closing out. He makes short, choppy steps and uses his lateral quickness to limit opponents from driving by him. Also regularly closes out with his hands high, making it difficult for the opposition to rise over him after realizing they cannot get dribble penetration.

Matt Gaffney 5’11 Combo Guard (Mass Rivals/Malden Catholic): Gaffney is a smooth shooter from long distance. Has fluid mechanics on his shot. Hits treys at a good volume on standstill attempts. Shows in spurts the ability to make three-pointers when pulling up. Gaffney gets into the paint well when attacking closeouts to create for himself or others. Has a soft teardrop if a bigger defender collapses on him. He knows the right times when to kick the ball out to teammates for open treys. Also is a solid transition passer, finding streaking teammates with precise hit-aheads for layups. Defensively, Gaffney generates steals well. Has good reflexes knowing the right times when to shoot the gap in a passing lane.

Barrett Loer 6’4 Shooting Guard (Expressions Elite/St. George’s): Loer is an impressive shooter from deep. Has solid form and rotation on his attempts. Makes three-pointers when spotting up. Gets to the rim well with his ability to put the ball on the floor when attacking closeouts. Uses good body control and leaping ability to finish crafty layups against bigger opponents. Shows he is capable in flashes of hitting high arching floaters over help-side defenders. Loer understands how to move without the ball. When an opponent is overplaying him on the perimeter or falls asleep from the weak side, he makes quick cuts to the basket for high percentage finishing opportunities. Also does a nice job moving to open spots in transition, creating additional good looks for himself from three-point range.

Drew Kahn 6’1 Shooting Guard (Middlesex Magic/Noble & Greenough School): Kahn cannot be left open on the perimeter as he can get hot in a hurry. Has deep range, needing very little time and space to get his attempts off. Hits treys at a good volume off movement or on standstill attempts. Also shows in spurts the ability to make fifteen-foot jumpers when attacking closeouts or three-pointers on pull-ups. He does a nice job of letting his offense come to him, leading to his solid efficiency from deep. Fits best in an offense with constant ball movement and unselfish passing. Defensively, Kahn has a good understanding of where to be when rotating. Rarely is responsible for an opponent scoring from being out of position.

Connor Swider 6’4 Wing (BCRI/St. Andrew’s School): Swider is a sniper from beyond the arc. Defenders cannot leave him much room with how quick he gets his shots off. Excels at making three-pointers on catch and shoot attempts. Shows flashes of hitting treys when pulling up. Swider is more than just a shooter. Can take opponents off the dribble and use a spin move to create better scoring angles for himself in the mid-range. Gets to a soft floater in the lane well when creating separation on his spin move. Swider is part of a basketball family with his brother Cole a current NBA Draft prospect, sister Kylie competing on the Villanova women’s team, and other sister Courtney being a D1 prospect in the 2023 class.

Dean Hogans 6’4 Shooting Guard (PSA Cardinals/Hotchkiss School): Hogans is a reliable floor-spacer from long distance. Has compact form with deep range on his shot. Hits treys at a good rate on the move or when spotting up. Hogans complements his proficiency from outside with a smooth mid-range game. He can put the ball on the floor when attacking closeouts. Stops on a dime to get to his foul-line area pull-up, or uses a floater to score over bigger defenders closer to the hoop. Also does a nice job creating second chance possessions from his high motor on the offensive glass. Hogans has some upside as a pick-and-roll playmaker. Shows in spurts the ability to hit rolling teammates for layups.

Jayden Reid 6’8 Center (Team Spartans/Westminster School): Reid scores the ball well when catching it at the dunker spot. He can take a dribble and jump-stop to create better scoring angles, in addition to having soft touch off the glass. Has good hands to catch passes from different angles. Generates high percentage second chance layup opportunities for himself with his constant aggression on the offensive glass. Reid shows flashes of getting by opposing big men in the mid-post with straight-line drives for layups. Defensively, he is a solid rim protector. Uses his good mobility and long arms to block or alter opponents’ shots as a weak-side rotator.

Dawson Townsend 6’3 Shooting Guard (Maine United/Nokomis HS): Townsend is a terrific three-point shooter. Has textbook form with no wasted motion on his attempts. Makes treys off movement, on standstill attempts, or when pulling up out of ball screens. Plays well within the flow of his team’s offense, rarely taking ill-advised shots. Townsend gets into the paint effectively when attacking closeouts. Has a soft mid-range pull-up if a bigger opponent collapses on him. Also shows in spurts an ability to hit runners high off the glass. Has good instincts when moving without the ball. Townsend makes quick weak-side cuts to the basket for layups if he catches an opponent not playing with their head on a swivel.