HoopWise from New England Basketball Journal
HoopWise, from New England Basketball Journal, covers all levels of amateur basketball around the region, including the prep school and AAU circuit. Its hosts will bring listeners advice and insight from basketball influencers and leaders at all levels.
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Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Ethan and Steve explain how they created their new player rankings, aiming for transparency about evaluation and projection. They discuss the difficulty of ranking high school and prep prospects amid variables like role, opportunity, team context, and competition level, noting clearer top tiers but thin margins in the middle of lists. HoopWise released top-50 rankings for 2026 and 2027, will use watch lists for younger classes, and plans semi-regular updates (while 2026 is final). Their approach weighs translatable skills, outlier physical traits, versatility, consistency, winning impact, leadership, and input from college coaches, while acknowledging the transfer portal’s impact on high school recruiting. They cite examples and emphasize rankings differ from awards and that many strong players fall outside the top 50.
Topics
01:05 Why Ranking Is Hard
04:52 Rankings Format and Updates
07:23 Steve Evaluation Priorities
12:03 Prospects vs Best Players
14:52 Success Stories and Translation
18:41 Girls Guard Skills and Defense
25:01 Prep vs Public Balancing
29:29 Portal Era and Competition
31:56 Rankings Perspective and Wrap
Tuesday Mar 24, 2026
Tuesday Mar 24, 2026
Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt recap MIAA championship weekend at the Tsongas Center, praising the crowds and environment. They highlight Salem’s Division 3 boys title (first since 1995). On the girls side, Bishop Fenwick beat Pittsfield 49-44. Division 2 boys St. Mary’s edged Masco in a back-and-forth finish to extend St. Mary’s 19-year title streak; Medfield dominated St. Mary’s 72-38 in Division 2 girls. Division 1 boys saw 14-seed Bishop Feehan win, while Wachusett repeated in Division 1 girls.
Topics01:14 SGA Weekend Vibes03:29 Rapid-Fire Format03:53 Salem's D3 Title04:24 Clutch Defensive Stop06:18 Salem Legends Call08:24 Fenwick Girls D311:05 St. Marys vs. Masco12:19 The Poster Dunk14:29 Final Possession Drama17:52 Medfield 3-Point Barrage19:07 Medfield Dominance20:45 Records and Returning Stars25:14 Cinderella Run Breakdown26:58 Legendary Run Debate29:04 D1 Questions Answered30:35 D1 Girls Title Game35:27 Weekend Shoutouts and Wrap
Thursday Mar 12, 2026
Thursday Mar 12, 2026
Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller recap NEPSAC girls basketball Super Sunday at Nobles with guest Chloe Patel, covering multiple championship games and key takeaways. In Class A, Sacred Heart beat four-time defending champion Loomis Chaffee 53-46 for its first title. In AA, Darrow won its first AA championship in its second season at the level, defeating defending champ Worcester Academy 55-40 behind an early lead and aggressive guard play. They also discuss Hamden Hall’s 55-47 win over top-seed KUA in Class B Small, Berkshire’s dramatic Class B Large overtime win over Lawrence Academy (61-57), and Hoosac’s 39-37 AAA title over New Hampton.
Topics
02:31 Class A Sacred Heart Upset
06:01 Class AA Darrow Breakthrough
10:40 NEPSAC vs. MIAA Takeaways
12:43 Class B Hamden Hall Stunner
16:05 Hamden Hall Repeat
16:32 Berkshire Comeback Classic
18:03 Overtime Heroes and Injury Scare
18:56 Trust Your Teammate
20:36 Lawrence Academy Future
21:56 Berkshire Title Drought Ends
22:18 AAA Rock Fight Finale
23:38 Unsung Stars Step Up
25:50 Changing of the Guard
28:39 Super Sunday Community
30:03 Season Wrap and Next Stops
Wednesday Mar 11, 2026
Wednesday Mar 11, 2026
Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt recap the NEPSAC boys postseason with guest Matt Doherty. They discuss B Small champion Holderness’ 74–52 win over top-seeded Kingswood Oxford and St. Mark’s 70–58 title over Canterbury. Hotchkiss beat Phillips Andover 66–54 after a late spurt. In AA, unbeaten Cushing won 64–55 over Cheshire, while Newman dominated AAA with a 101–68 win over Hoosac, and the hosts note broader postseason and national tournament implications.
Topics
02:03 NEPSAC Postseason Overview
02:26 B Small Final Holderness Wins
03:57 Holderness Keys and Standouts
09:14 B Large Final St Marks Rally
10:54 St Marks Run and MVP
15:38 Class A Final Hotchkiss Surge
18:11 Breakout Players to Watch
21:01 Why NEPSAC Pops
23:45 Cushing vs Cheshire Classic
27:32 Undefeated AA Legacy
31:38 Newman AAA Blowout
32:53 Three-Point Barrage
36:55 National Title Mindset
38:36 John Carroll Coaching Tree
39:39 Weekend Wrap
Thursday Mar 05, 2026
Thursday Mar 05, 2026
Steve Hewitt joins Ethan Fuller with takeaways from the quarterfinal round of the NEPSAC boys basketball playoffs on Wednesday, March 4.
Wednesday Mar 04, 2026
Wednesday Mar 04, 2026
Ethan Fuller joins Steve Hewitt with takeaways from the quarterfinal round of the NEPSAC girls basketball playoffs on Wednesday, March 4.
Monday Mar 02, 2026
Monday Mar 02, 2026
This episode is hosted by Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt and includes a rapid-fire breakdown of the NEPSAC girls' basketball brackets released on Sunday night. Steve and Ethan examine Class AAA, AA, A, B large and B small.
Sunday Mar 01, 2026
Sunday Mar 01, 2026
This episode is hosted by Ethan Fuller and Steve Hewitt and includes a rapid-fire breakdown of the NEPSAC boys' basketball brackets released on a Sunday night. Steve and Ethan examine Class AAA, AA, A, B large and B small.
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
than Fuller and Steve Hewitt review the 2026 MIAA boys basketball tournament brackets with guest Mukala Kabongo, who attended games daily all season. They break down all five divisions, discussing top seeds, key players, matchups, sleepers, and predicting the final fours and champions.
Topics
03:20 Division 5 Breakdown
09:41 Division 4 Contenders
17:43 Division 3 "Team of Destiny"
28:55 Division 2 Heavyweights
38:02 Mansfield vs. Holland Tech
39:19 Final Four Predictions
39:59 Dangerous Lower Seeds
41:13 Division 1 Seed Rundown
43:11 Newton North Dark Horse
46:56 Attleboro and Brockton Watch
48:00 Central vs. Andover Breakdown
50:45 Bracket Sleepers and Matchups
01:01:03 Panel Wrap and Bracket Talk
01:03:32 "Full-Court Press" Segment
01:04:00 Favorite Broadcasters
01:07:02 Next NBA Franchise City
01:10:47 Most Memorable Dunks
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller are joined by Trevor Hass of the Boston Globe to preview the MIAA girls state tournament, division-by-division from D-5 to D-1, discussing bracket takeaways, seeding/power ranking impacts, favorites, and upset picks. They name “players to watch,” then finish with fun "Full-Court Press" questions.
Topics
01:50 Tournament Preview Setup
03:39 Big-Picture Takeaways
06:23 Division 5 Breakdown
10:10 Division 4 Upsets
14:59 Division 3 Chaos
23:58 Division 2 Loaded Field
32:23 Medfield Shooting Story
34:12 How Medfield Could Lose
37:12 Division 1 Seeds
38:00 Early Upsets and Matchups
39:00 Final Four Picks
42:47 Wachusett Star Breakdown
45:23 Worcester South Defense
48:43 Natick's Tough Draw
49:30 Ten Players to Watch
52:37 Full-Court Press Q and A
01:06:58 Final Wrap and Farewell