NEBL Regular Season Finale: Honorable Mentions

This weekend, the New England Basketball League held its regular season finale at the New Balance facility, Newman's home court, in Brighton, MA. All eight teams played 2 games—one on Saturday and one on Sunday—and there was some intense and high-level basketball played all around.   Over the next few days, I'll be covering some players that stood out.   Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/nebl-regular-season-finale-first-team/">NEBL Regular Season Finale: First Team</a>   Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/nebl-regular-season-finale-second-team/">NEBL Regular Season Finale: Second Team</a>   To finish off my coverage, let's look at my honorable mentions from the weekend.    Besides Caspian Jones, Council was probably CATS' best and most important player this past weekend. The 6-foot guard really impressed me with his ability to elevate above the defense and get shots off from both the mid range and three, and he had some electric finishes at the rim against both New Hampton and Cushing. I would like to see Council improve his feel for the game and facilitating capability, but the junior has some time to figure out that part of his game.     Taggart is awesome. The 6-foot-4 guard had two good shooting performances this weekend, but we already knew he had that in his game. What impressed me most was his ability to drive closeouts and finish athletically at the rim against a very good Newman team on Sunday. The 6-foot-4 guard has ridiculously long arms and is far better with the rock in his hands than people think. I was also incredibly floored by his ability to defend ALL positions with strength and toughness. He had one possession against [player_tooltip player_id='1440697' first='Atticus' last='Richmond'] than made my jaw drop. Taggart is stronger than he looks, and I'm very high on him.     A year ago, I wrote about Hynes as a high level D3 prospect. I'll take the L on that one, because the Bentley commit has come to Cushing and been able to compete against high level scholarship players on a consistent basis. The 6-foot-6 wing is strong and sturdy, so he's a solid post defender and rebounder for his size and athleticism (which has improved, for what it's worth). Offensively, Hynes is a wonderful ball connector and can drive closeouts, score at the rim, and make shots from long range. He doesn't give up much on either end, and he's additive in every way. Hynes is an awesome player who can fit in anywhere.     Christopher showed off his two-way ability in Darrow's win against Brimmer on Saturday. The 6-foot-3 guard is a freak athlete and has blaring speed, quickness and leaping ability. He combines those physical tools with good footwork, creativity and handle to become a very solid on-ball player. I was also impressed by his ability to play off the ball as a result of his spot-up shooting ability and cutting instincts, which I hadn't seen before. Also, when he's committed on the defensive end, he's incredibly disruptive and fun to watch. Will be very curious to see where Christopher ends up after next season.     Robinson is a player who just feels like he's waiting to break out. The 6-foot-7 forward had a huge second half in a loss against Darrow in which he showcased his motor and athleticism on the boards and in the paint on both ends. He had some rim-rocking dunks, and he has a pretty special second-jump in terms of attacking the ball on misses offensively. Robinson is still a little raw and isn't consistent from the perimeter with the ball, but I could see him improving from there and putting on some weight, two things that would make him a much more interesting prospect. This spring with the Middlesex Magic should be super helpful for his development.     I hadn't seen Townsend play before this weekend, but he had some really nice minutes in South Kent's win against Darrow. The 6-foot-3 wing is a really talented shooter and made some shots from the outside, but he also showcased his ability to be a ball mover and nice closeout attacker when the defense started overplaying him on the perimeter. He's a good passer, he's an under-control offensive player, and he's a heady player on the defensive end. Very curious what Townsend's recruitment looks like, because he is definitely a college player.     I don't know how much weight Cook has lost since last year, but he's a lot lighter on his feet and looks quicker, more athletic, and faster. The 6-foot-8 forward has special body control and finishing touch near the hoop, and I'm always surprised by his ability to be a consistent low-post scorer, even against bigger and stronger players like the CATS' front line. Cook can pass it and handle it, and I wouldn't be surprised if he continues to showcase some more outside shooting as the season goes on. He'll be a very interesting player to watch next season at Richmond, and I could see him having a pretty significant role.

This weekend, the New England Basketball League held its regular season finale at the New Balance facility, Newman's home court, in Brighton, MA. All eight teams played 2 games—one on Saturday and one on Sunday—and there was some intense and high-level basketball played all around.