NEBL Regular Season Finale: Second Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next few days, I'll be covering some players that stood out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/nebl-regular-season-finale-first-team/">NEBL Regular Season Finale: First Team</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To continue on, let's look at my second team from the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2960053"],"_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-6983b9cbb074b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ibrahim had a phenomenal weekend for a South Kent team that was missing [player_tooltip player_id='1358460' first='Christopher' last='Birden'] and therefore needed a scoring punch from someone else. The 6-foot-4 wing showed off the ability to score at all three levels; he has a nice-looking shot from the mid range and three, but he also does a good job using his burst and length on drives to the rim. The junior also has a knack for getting to the free throw line and converting from there, and he held his own on the boards and defensively all weekend, especially in a nice win against a talented Darrow team. Ibrahim should be on the cusp of getting some scholarship looks once the time comes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2553499"],"_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-6983b9cbb07b5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tambedou is relatively raw offensively—there's no way around it. But the 6-foot-7 forward is ridiculously athletic, physical, and hardworking, which makes up for his offensive limitations. Putnam's incredible defensive pressure and switching mentality is only possible with bigs like him who are able to slide their feet with guards on the perimeter but are also more than strong enough to compete with bigs in the paint—he guarded both [player_tooltip player_id='2470882' first='Theo' last='Edema'] in the paint and [player_tooltip player_id='2553689' first='Louis' last='O'Keefe'] on the perimeter this weekend, and he didn't look out of place. He's unbelievably strong and gifted physically, and he has a very special motor for his size and length. Tambedou is going to be a really interesting piece for Maryland next season, and if he's able to get more comfortable offensively (which he shows flashes of), </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2470946"],"_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-6983b9cbb07fc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Payne continues to get better every single time I watch him. Though Brimmer went 0-2 this weekend, the 6-foot-2 combo-guard showcased that he can do everything offensively, both on and off the ball—it would've been a lot worse if he wasn't playing. He's a way better passer than people realize, but he also can shoot it more consistently from the paint and the perimeter than he has been able to in the past. Defensively, Payne always gives his best effort and is going to do what it takes to win. He continues to be one of the most under-recruited players in the region, and I think it's because people don't understand his work ethic and dedication to his craft—he will just keep getting better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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-6983b9cbb083b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mayben was, in my opinion, Darrow's best player this weekend in their 1-1 showing. The 6-foot-2 guard showed an awesome ability to control the game in a win against Brimmer. He has excellent vision and is under-control at all time—one no-look pass he threw for an easy layup impressed me quite a lot—but his shot also looks more compact and consistent than it ever has. He shot the ball well from three this weekend, and that'll certainly help his recruitment if he keeps it up. The senior guard is also phenomenal defensively and has some pretty excellent conditioning as evidenced by his effort level on both ends and his minutes/load.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1532640"],"_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-6983b9cbb0878"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Costello is a highly touted prospect who just made the McDonald's game roster—but that doesn't mean he's invincible. The 6-foot-10 forward is definitely on the skinnier side, so he may have some trouble with stronger and sturdier bigs at the next level. But Sunday's matchup against Putnam's incredibly physical and athletic front line gave me some confidence in the Michigan commit's ability to be tough and strong in the paint when he needs to. He defended the post well and did a solid job on the defensive glass, and his three-point marksmanship forced PSA to guard him beyond the three-point line. Costello is so unique and will have a role ne</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->