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10 prospects to watch at the HoopHall Classic, including Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa
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The HoopHall Classic returns to Springfield this weekend as some of the country’s best high school players square off in the birthplace of basketball.
The lineup for this weekend includes most of the top boys’ basketball recruits in both the Class of 2025 and 2026, as well as a handful of top players from the girls’ classes as well.
The showcase will be headlined by Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa, the top boys’ high school player in the country, as he returns to Massachusetts to face off against some of the nation’s best.
Here are 10 players to watch at HoopHall, and see the full game schedule here.
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Boys
AJ Dybantsa, Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah): The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 per ESPN, Brockton’s Dybantsa has long been tipped for greatness and will be the center of attention in Springfield. A BYU commit, Dybantsa was named Massachusetts Gatorade player of the year as a freshman at Saint Sebastian’s in Needham before transferring to Prolific Prep in California, then choosing to finish out his high school career in Utah.
Dybantsa is coming off a hot weekend at the Iverson Classic, where he scored 31 and 41 points in back-to-back games on consecutive days.
Dybantsa’s Utah Prep squad is slated to face Montverde Academy, the third-ranked team in the country, at 7 p.m. on Sunday on ESPN2.
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Cameron Boozer, Christopher Columbus HS (Miami): The No. 2 player in the class of 2025 and the 2023 Gatorade national player of the year, Boozer is the star of the second-ranked team in the country at Christopher Columbus alongside his brother, Cayden, another 5-star recruit.
Boozer is committed to Duke — the alma mater of his father, two-time NBA All-Star Carlos — and is considered the most polished player at the top of his class, even if he doesn’t have the superstar ceiling of Dybantsa.
Darryn Peterson, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.): An electric scoring guard, Peterson is considered the best backcourt player in the country and the No. 3 player in the class of 2025 as ranked by ESPN. The Kansas commit averaged 31 points and 9.8 rebounds as a sophomore at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Ohio before moving onto the prep circuit.
Peterson was the first high school athlete to sign an NIL deal with Adidas, inking an endorsement contract with the shoe giant when he was a junior.
Nate Ament, Highland School (Warrenton, Va.): The No. 4 prospect in the class of 2025 and the top uncommitted player on the market, Ament will have plenty of college basketball’s elite watching this weekend in Springfield as they chase his talents.
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A wiry 6-foot-9 forward, Ament is considered one of the highest-upside prospects in the class and a star in the future if he can put his immense tools together.
Caleb Wilson, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Atlanta): Rounding out the class of 2025’s top five, Wilson is the other unsigned player to watch with his college commitment still undecided.
Boasting a similar profile to Ament as another wiry 6-foot-9 forward, Wilson is one of the most versatile and dominant defenders in the class along with his offensive upside.
Tyran Stokes, Notre Dame High School (Los Angeles): The top-ranked player in the class of 2026 after Dybantsa reclassified to 2025, Stokes is the most impressive athlete in his class and dominates as a scorer with his strength and craft at 6-foot-7. Scouts have been keeping an eye on his outside shot will develop as the main downside for a player with plenty of other tools.
Girls
Grace Knox, Etiwanda High School (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.): At No. 6, Knox is the highest-ranked player in the class of 2025 who will be in Springfield this weekend. The 6-foot-2 forward with elite athleticism committed to LSU for next season. Knox averaged 17.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game for Etiwanda after transferring ahead of her junior season, establishing herself as one of the best prep players in the country.
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Olivia Vukosa, Christ the King School (New York): The No. 5 player in the Class of 2026, Vukosa is a 6-foot-5 big with a dominant inside game that has made her one of the most sought-after players in her class. Vukosa represents Croatia at international level and turned heads at the summer’s FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 19.4 points and 15.6 rebounds per game.
Deniya Prawl, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.): A skilled and versatile scoring wing, Prawl, a Toronto native, is committed to play at Tennessee next fall. She has inside-out potential on either end, where her size (6-foot-1) and skillset make her one of the most well-rounded players in the class.
Mia Pauldo, Morris Catholic High School (Denville, N.J.): Another Tennessee commit, Pauldo is set to join Prawl in Knoxville next fall alongside her twin sister, Mya, another top-50 recruit in the Class of 2025. Mia Pauldo is one of the nation’s premier point guards, who despite her 5-foot-6 stature has become a top recruit thanks to her quickness, ballhandling, and scoring ability.
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