New England Skills Academy 

March 18, 2023

With the high school season coming to a close, AAU season is officially upon us and what better way to start it than with a little spring training. 

A handful of New England’s up-and-coming stars were on hand for the second annual New England Skills Academy. 

Olivia Fleming wasted no time, making her presence known. Fleming has been on an incredible 9 month run dating back to last June when I evaluated her at Harvard’s Elite Camp. This class of 2026 Lady rivals stand out plays with a change of pace that is uncommon amongst her contemporaries. She is a consummate floor general and uses the ball screen, almost to perfection. She utilized her creative gifts to set up her teammates and occasionally rejected the ball screen, to bury a 25ft three-pointer during live play. 

Up Next 

Lauren Fitzgerald ‘26 of the Bay State Jaguars showed tremendous upside. Fitzgerald is a 6ft G/F with lots of versatility and a developing skill set. Though she just a frosh she has already seen sporadic minutes at the Varsity level for a state title runner up Bishop Feehan program. 

Kaitlyn Jones ‘26 ran the for like a gazelle and finished well around the basket with both hands. This 6’1 Forward is also a member of the Bay State Jags/Bishop Feehan programs. I will certainly be monitoring her progression closely over the next 12 months as she continues to build her strength. 

Future Fire

 At 5’8 Marielle Nassiff’27 of the MT Elite demonstrated the ability to convert tough layups in traffic with either hand At 5’8 this young Guard has the size and skill set to bring herself to prominence as she continues to develop on the grassroots circuit.

Angelys Alvarez’27 continues to improve with each evaluation. Her playmaking ability and decision making has reached new heights and can be directly correlated to the fact that she played varsity basketball this past season as an eighth grader. This sharp shooter will give the Lady Rivals program help stretching the floor in the years to come.