Eyeing the Top Returning Talent in Connecticut

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few weeks ago, the 2023 updated rankings were released. Yesterday, we at Prep Hoops New England took a look at the top returning talent in the state of New Hampshire. Today, we're going to be talking about the best players that are heading back to Connecticut. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://prephoops.com/new-england/rankings/2023-rankings/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prephoops.com/new-england/rankings/2023-rankings/">Click here for the full, complete 2023 New England rankings.</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1081855' first='Gavin' last='Griffiths'] headlines the state. He's a wing that plays at Kingswood-Oxford. Committed to Rutgers, Griffiths projects to be one of the best 3-point shooters at the next level next season, which warranted the third overall ranking. A few spots behind Griffiths is [player_tooltip player_id='1203898' first='Papa' last='Kante'], who I had the opportunity to watch live in-person. Kante clocks in at tenth due to his interior scoring and physical rebounding abilities. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A spot above Kante is [player_tooltip player_id='1125334' first='Mouhamed' last='Dioubate'] at ninth. The Putnam Science Academy wing offers great positional rebounding skills and has a great motor. He's coming along well offensively, as well. Another prospect to highlight is [player_tooltip player_id='1468247' first='Cam' last='Estevez'], who came in a sixteenth. The Canterbury School product had an amazing summer that saw his stock rise. The URI-bound Estevez is a great passer and is a developing 3-point shooter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Behind Estevez, and coming in at twenty-first, is Darryl Simmons who's another Putnam Science Academy player. Simmons has a great combination of motor, passing, and on-ball defense. Two spots behind Simmons is [player_tooltip player_id='1203910' first='Brandon' last='McCreesh'], a Hotchkiss School prospect. McCreesh is a great 3-point shooter and he's flashed upside as a half-court playmaker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading all the way down to the seventy-seventh spot, [player_tooltip player_id='1477868' first='Jason' last='James'] from Westminster School is a physically-gifted guard who is difficult to guard when driving downhill. The last player we'll talk about is Loomis Chaffee's [player_tooltip player_id='1477788' first='Justas' last='Bardauskas'] who's skilled as a lengthy finisher and aggressive rebounder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there are much more players in the region that are talented, the players listed have attracted a lot of attention with their skillset. We'll have more state breakdowns coming in the next few days at Prep Hoops New England.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->