National Prep Championships Second Team

This week, I attended the National Prep Championships at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. 16 of the best teams from all over the country attended, and the Newman School came out on top. I'll have a first team, second team, and honorable mentions from the event over the next few days.   Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/03/national-prep-championships-first-team/" id="https://prephoops.com/2026/03/national-prep-championships-first-team/">National Prep Championships First Team</a>   To continue, let's look at my second team.    Costello was pretty excellent all weekend. There wasn't a single team who could effectively guard Newman's off-ball actions, and the 6-foot-10 big man was the center of those difficulties. He does an excellent job setting the defender up for screens—whether they're elevators, flares, or curls—and he's virtually impossible to get a contest on when he has any amount of space because of the combination of his quick release and size. Defensively, Costello impressed against Putnam's powerful front line and Central Florida and Blair Academy's size and athleticism. His physical tools and shooting ability were pivotal to Newman's run this week, and he'll have a good chance to impact right away at Michigan next year.     Colyer is the archetype of what you look for in a modern-day wing. The 6-foot-6 senior is strong-bodied and athletic, so he can guard his position and larger or smaller players. Offensively, he has a beautiful shot for his size and does a good job coming off screens and setting his feet before quickly letting it go—he shot it incredibly well this weekend and looks like his shot will translate to the next level. When the defense started overplaying him, Colyer showcased his handle and feel on closeout attacks and finishes in the paint and in transition. Colyer seems like a high-major player to me, and he hasn't even come close to reaching his full potential.     It's really tough to pick a single guy from Putnam to make this team, because you could legitimately make an argument for 3-4 of them as a result of their incredible depth and talent. But to me, Skyers is the guy that really stirs the drink for them. The 6-foot-2 guard is an unbelievable athlete in the open floor and has a super tight handle even when he's going full speed. The senior also elevates with the best of them and can finish with lots of contact, but he can make really nice dump down passes to his bigs, too. His vision is underrated, and his recruitment is not nearly where it should be—likely because he plays fewer minutes and has a smaller role than he would have on the vast majority of teams around the country.      Chatman is an awesome player. For a super talented Blair Academy team that has Deron Rippey Jr. at the helm of their offense, the 6-foot-2 guard still finds a way to play an effective role. He can run pick and roll with the ball in his hands; he does a good job putting defender's in jail and making patient, decisive reads in the paint. But he can also cut and move off the ball and will force the defense to tilt to him because of his shooting ability. He also just seems like a winner—Blair struggled without him in the second half of the championship game, because Chatman seems to plug all their holes on both ends. He'll be at Rhode Island next season, and I would anticipate him playing right away.     Though the box score might not indicate that Wade should be on the second team, his impact goes well beyond what you can see on a sheet of paper. Against Newman—and every opponent his Academy of Central Florida squad played—the 6-foot-10 forward was a super effective rim protector. He has a ridiculously long wing span and big time size, but it's his willingness to wall up and be disciplined at the rim that really makes him uniquely good at blocking shots. Guys consistently challenged him at the hoop, but he was there for it all week. Wade also hit some outside shots and was a lob threat offensively. Bright future ahead for him.

This week, I attended the National Prep Championships at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. 16 of the best teams from all over the country attended, and the Newman School came out on top. I'll have a first team, second team, and honorable mentions from the event over the next few days.