Best High School Boys Basketball Player in Every State 2022: Northeast

These are the best boys high school basketball players in the northeastern region of the U.S.

Here it is … the final group in Stadium Talk’s preseason list of the best boys basketball player in every state headed into the 2022-23 season with the northeast regions of the United States, including Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The thinking behind picking the players for the list is pretty simple — you want to start your team with the No.1 pick of players in a given state. Who do you take?

Here’s a look at the best boys high school basketball players in the Northeast.

Connecticut: Elmarko Jackson

Inside The U / YouTube

High School: South Kent School (South Kent, Connecticut)

Position: Point Guard

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds

College: Kansas

Bottom Line: Kansas signee Elmarko Jackson is in his first season at South Kent after he averaged 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior for Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

Jackson, a New Jersey native, signed with Kansas in the early signing period in November 2022 and is only in his third year of playing organized basketball. It’s fitting that he signed to play for the Jayhawks because he gives us some serious Mario Chalmers vibes.

Delaware: Dean Shepherd

dshhep / Twitter

High School: Tower Hill School (Wilmington, Delaware)

Position: Guard

Graduation Year: 2023

Height: 6-foot-3, 175 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: Dean Shepherd made history for Tower Hill High as a junior in 2021-22, helping lead his school to the first DIAA state championship in school history after they entered the state tournament as the No. 3 seed before rolling to the title and with a 36-point win over No. 1 seed Salesianum in the finals.

Shepherd’s twin brother, Dylan, also plays for Tower Hill. Both players are considered two of the top recruits in Delaware and will try to repeat as state champions this year. Dean Shepherd was one of two juniors named to the DIAA All-State team in 2022 after he averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.

We like to think there’s a Division I college out there that needs a scrappy, 6-foot-3 guard (or two) who loves to play defense.

District of Columbia: Donnie Freeman

St. John's College High Forward Donnie Freeman

ColbyGHoops / Twitter

High School: St. John’s College High School (Washington, D.C.)

Position: Forward

Graduation Year: 2024

Height/Weight: 6-foot-8, 190 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: St. John’s College High star Donnie Freeman is a Top 50 recruit from the Class of 2024 who should only continue to see his stock rise over the next two seasons.

Freeman was named All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American in 2021-22 after he averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds — numbers that should take a significant leap this year, as should St. John’s win total after they went 15-13 last season.

Maine: Teigan Pelletier

Oxford Hills High Forward Teigan Pelletier

SunJournal Sports / YouTube

High School: Oxford Hills High School (Oxford Hills, Maine)

Position: Forward

Graduation Year: 2024

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: Teegan Pelletier is one of the more intriguing prospects in the northeast region headed into the 2022-23 season after the 6-foot-6 small forward led Oxford Hills High to the Class AA North championship.

Pelletier averaged 17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 3.1 assists as a sophomore for Oxford Hills and was named Varsity Maine All-State. Maybe more important than anything else, Pelletier has already shown a knack for hitting big-time shots as evidenced by his game-winner against Edward Little High in overtime of the Class AA North championship game — one of two game-winners he hit in the postseason.

We’re also not totally sure if Pelletier will choose to have a future in football — we’re guessing he’s a lock to be an All-State pick in football in 2022 after the wide receiver/tight end racked up 809 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 37 receptions despite missing two games.

Maryland: Cameron Ward

Largo High School Athletics

High School: Largo High School (Largo, Maryland)

Position: Guard

Graduation Year: 2025

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 185 pounds

College: 2025

Bottom Line: There weren’t many freshmen in the entire nation better than Largo High’s Cam Ward last season after he averaged 27.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals on the way to being the only freshman on the Washington Post All-Metro team.

Ward guard, was also named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American and currently has offers from Georgetown and George Mason.

Massachusetts: TJ Power

RecruitingHM / Twitter

High School: Worcester Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Position: Forward

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot-9, 210 pounds

College: Duke

Bottom Line: You won’t come across many athletes as unique as Worcester Academy’s TJ Power, the reigning Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year — who’s also a left-handed pitcher in baseball who plays basketball right-handed.

Power averaged 13.1 points. 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals as a junior as he led Worcester to the NEPSAC Class AA state championship. He was at his best in the state championship game with 26 points and 11 rebounds in an 85-83 win over Bradford Christian Academy.

New Hampshire: Solomon Ball

OurHuskies / Twitter

High School: Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)

Position: Shooting Guard

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds

College: Connecticut

Bottom Line: Brewster Academy star and UConn signee Solomon Ball is a shooting guard in the mold of NBA players like Jaiden Ivey and Ja Morant — 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds with a reported 6-foot-10 wingspan and 40-inch vertical leap. Ball also turned heads this summer when he averaged 16 points in Nike EYBL play against the nation’s best competition.

Ball is rated as a top-five recruit at his position and played last season for St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland, before transferring to Brewster Academy for his final year.

New York: Ian Jackson

SCNext / Twitter

High School: Cardinal Hayes High School (Bronx, New York)

Position: Shooting Guard

Graduation Year: 2024

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: Cardinal Hayes star Ian Jackson was named MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year in 2022 after he averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and led his school to the CHSAA AA state championship.

Jackson is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2024 headed into his junior year — the kind of player NBA teams would gladly spend a lottery pick on right out of high school. Spectacular talent. My goodness.

New Jersey: D.J. Wagner

BallerTV / Twitter

High School: Camden High School (Camden, New Jersey)

Position: Guard

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 170 pounds

College: Kentucky

Bottom Line: Camden High’s D.J. Wagner has been the No. 1 player in the Class of 2023 since before he started high school and has remained there — quite a feat for the two-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year.

Wagner averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.5 steals as a junior as his team went 29-2 and finished as the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions state runner-up. You don’t have to be a genius to see Wagner’s path seems destined for the NBA. If he’s able to reach that goal, it will mark a significant moment in sports history — he’d be the first third-generation NBA player following his grandfather, Milt Wagner, and his father, Dajuan Wagner.

Pennsylvania: Justin Edwards

TheHoopGroup / Twitter

High School: Imhotep Institute Charter High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Position: Small Forward

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 180 pounds

College: Kentucky

Bottom Line: Imhotep Charter star and Kentucky signee Justin Edwards led his school to a Class 5A state championship as a junior in 2022, averaging 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on the way to being named a MaxPreps Junior All-American.

Ranked as the No. 3 player in the Class of 2023, Edwards seems like an NBA-ready small forward who is really indistinguishable from a shooting guard. Watching the talented lefty play has led us to decide on the only acceptable nickname for Edwards: Baby Harden.

Rhode Island: Eze Wali

HendrickenHawks / Twitter

High School: Bishop Hendricken High School (Warwick, Rhode Island)

Position: Guard

Graduation Year: 2023

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 180 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: Bishop Hendricken guard Eze Wali made The Providence Journal All-State team as a junior in 2022 after he led his school to the RIIL state championship. It was the second consecutive state title for Bishop Hendricken and Wali, who came off the bench as a sophomore.

Wali averaged 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds last season and, like a lot of players on this list, has already shown he has ice in his veins. He hit two game-wining three-pointers in 2021-22, including a buzzer-beater to beat LaSalle in the state semifinals. One day later, he dropped 30 points in a 71-68 overtime win over Classical in the state championship game.

Wali, who immigrated from Nigeria with his family as a boy, also gave one of the greatest quotes we’ve ever seen from a high school athlete in a feature article by Yurview.com’s Deb Weinrich: “Coming here was a big adjustment,” Wali said. “I didn’t know how to fit in with the kids. It was hard. I made friends through baseball. A lot of people don’t know I played baseball. Through baseball, I found kids who came from other countries like the Dominican Republic, and I bonded with them. Through sports, I found my friends.”

Sports, man.

Vermont: Joson Sanon

TonyMcNiff2 / Twitter

High School: Vermont Academy (Saxtons River, Vermont)

Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Graduation Year: 2025

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 180 pounds

College: Uncommitted

Bottom Line: Vermont Academy’s Joson Sanon is one of many sophomores to make Stadium Talk’s list — the Class of 2025 is super talented and deep. Sanon is a long guard/forward who has already shown his desire to become a lockdown perimeter defender — which warms our hearts a little bit.

Colleges are starting to catch on about Sanon, who transferred to Vermont Academy from Durfee (Mass.) High and already has offers from Boston College, Marquette and Providence.

The Entire List of Boys High School Basketball Players by State

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To read the entire list of best boys high school basketball players, check out our coverage of the other regions in the U.S. for the 2022-23 season: