NEBL Opening Weekend: Darrow School Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last weekend, the New England Basketball League held its first session of this season at the New Balance Facility in Brighton, MA. Eight teams—Newman, Brimmer and May, South Kent, Darrow, Cushing, Putnam Science, CATS, and New Hampton—were in attendance, and I'll have standouts from each of those squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To continue, let's look at some standouts from Darrow Academy. They lost close ones to both Newman and Cushing last weekend, but they project to be an incredibly competitive NEBL team moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/11/nebl-opening-weekend-newman-standouts/">NEBL Opening Weekend: Newman Standouts</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/11/nebl-opening-weekend-brimmer-and-may-standouts/">NEBL Opening Weekend: Brimmer and May Standouts</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/11/nebl-opening-weekend-south-kent-standouts/">NEBL Opening Weekend: South Kent Standouts</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2892160"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6924b65e51399"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mayben is the straw that stirs the drink for Darrow. The 6-foot-1 point guard runs the offensive show with a great head on his shoulders; he looks to get his teammates involved and comfortable offensively but also knows when to attack and search for his own shots. He's super quick off the dribble, incredibly strong in the lane, and can make shots from both the mid range and three. He also threw some incredibly impressive passes against a stout Cushing defense. Defensively, he's a dog who communicates very well and is always playing hard. Mayben is a coach's dream and will make an impact at the division 1 level because of his toughness, physicality, and IQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2610674"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6924b65e513fa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Te Ratana looks a lot different for Darrow than he does for BABC. The 6-foot-5 wing is a little-things guy for BABC, but he takes on a larger offensive role for Darrow and shows some more of what he can do on the offensive end of the floor. He looks more advanced off the dribble than he did in the past; he's able to make multiple dribble moves in small spaces and can use his quickness, agility, and athleticism to get by other wings. He always understands how to move without the ball and how to get his feet set for a shot, and he has one of the more pretty releases in the entire NEBL. Te Ratana is committed to Mercyhurst and should make an immediate impact for them next season.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2194345"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6924b65e51442"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It's incredible what Allen is able to do on a court given his lack of size. On a court full of division 1 prospects, the 6-foot-1 guard (and that might be generous) is able to rebound and defend super effectively. He has phenomenal timing, toughness, and instincts, so he goes after every rebound quite aggressively, and he gets a ton of them. He also guards his position quite well, and he is a total dog when it comes to sliding his feet and using his hands. He won't wow you with pinpoint shooting or incredible offensive creation, but he moves the ball well and can do anything you need of him on the court. He's a winner. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2951416"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6924b65e5148b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Martinez has a super well-rounded game and is going to be a key player for Darrow this season. The 6-foot-2 combo-guard gets solid elevation on his jumper and can hit shots from the outside, but he also gets into the lane quite effectively and loves the pull-up jumper. He has a super strong body, so he doesn't get moved on drives to the rim and is able to take contact quite effectively in the air. Defensively, he has awesome hands and slides his feet very well, and his big body allows him to defend multiple positions pretty well. Martinez should be getting scholarship looks and I would imagine he'll improve a lot this season as a result of playing with and against great players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jack Seiders","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Darrow School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6924b65e51530"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Seiders is only listed at 6-foot-8, but he has a big body and long arms, which makes him appear a lot bigger on the court. The senior forward's superpower is his shooting ability, though; he has an incredibly quick release, good footwork, and a great understanding of off-ball movement and relocation. Even when he's backpedaling and doesn't have much room to get his shot off, he can knock it down with range. His size, combined with his shooting ability, is going to be enough to earn him some scholarship looks. I'll be curious to continue watching Seiders this season with Darrow—will he keep growing the other parts of his offensive game?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->