25 men's and women's college basketball players with local ties to watch for this season

Remember Carl Pierre? How about Brianna Herlihy? Or Asiah Dingle?

The college men’s and women’s basketball landscape this season is littered with players from the area as they make their mark for their respective teams both at local schools and across the country. 

It’s happening at all three levels of college basketball as well with former high school stars still shining brightly during the next stage of their careers.

More:Four Super Bowl champs plus a Voke title: South Shore high school football top 10 rankings

Here are 25 college basketball players regardless of division to keep an eye out for with the season in full swing:

Travis Evee (Randolph/BC High)

Rice University

Since leaving BC High, Evee has continued to soar, this time with the Owls. Evee, a Randolph native, took home Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors last season and the standout play from the 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore guard comes as no surprise this year. Evee leads the Owls in scoring this season with 14.8 points per game and notched a season-high 24 points, which included a 6-for-10 showing from downtown, in a win over Pepperdine. 

Carl Pierre (BC High)

Rice University 

Evee isn’t the only former BC High product starring for Rice as he has a former high school teammate in Pierre by his side. Pierre spent his first four collegiate seasons at UMass, where he was a two-year captain for the Minutemen and is second all-time in program history for 3-pointers made with 286. The 6-foot-4 graduate transfer forward is making good use of his extra year of eligibility with Rice, averaging 14.7 points and shooting a blistering 45 percent from beyond the arc. 

Azar Swain (Brockton)

Yale

A prolific scorer even before he got to Yale, the Brockton native just keeps dropping in shots for the Bulldogs. Swain, who netted 2,185 points at Rivers -- ranking 28th all-time in state history -- before his high school career concluded in 2017, crossed the 1,000-point milestone at Yale in the middle of November and is closing in on becoming the program’s record holder for most 3-pointers made in a career. This season, the 6-foot-1 senior guard is pouring in a team-high 17.9 points per game.

Marcus Santos-Silva (Bridgewater-Raynham)

Texas Tech

Santos-Silva played just one season for Doug Alves at Bridgewater-Raynham during the 2014-15 season and the 6-foot-7, 250-pound forward from Taunton has gone on to have a successful collegiate career. The fifth-year senior spent the first three years of college at Virginia Commonwealth University and has become a key cog for the Red Raiders since transferring. He led Texas Tech in rebounds and blocks last season and is averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench this year.

Nate Amado (Whitman-Hanson)

Babson

It was only a year ago that Amado played a critical factor in extending Whitman-Hanson’s winning streak to 35 games heading into the upcoming campaign, and now the 6-foot-2 guard has carved out a role for himself as a freshman with the Beavers.

More:HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL: Forget the 35-game streak, this is a new Whitman-Hanson team

Amado, who also was a catalyst for the Panthers’ Div. 2 co-state title in 2020, is second on Babson in scoring with 11.7 points per game as the 2017 Div. III national champions are off to a 6-4 start. 

Keyth Key 

Bridgewater State

Despite Bridgewater State’s dreadful start -- BSU lost its first eight games -- the 6-foot-6, 205-pound sophomore forward has been of the the few bright spots for the Bears. Key is averaging 10.3 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range. The Springfield Central product sparked BSU to its first win of the season by exploding for 24 points and earned Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week honors for his effort.

Jordan Minor (Kingston)

Merrimack

Look at several statistical categories for the Warriors and there’s a good chance Minor, a Kingston native, will be at the top of the list. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior forward leads Merrimack in points (13.9), rebounds (7.0) and free-throw percentage (78.6%). But Minor’s most eye-popping stat might come from the 22 blocks he recorded in the team’s first nine games. 

Andrews Sims

Stonehill

The 6-foot-6 senior forward has made a vital impact on the floor for the Skyhawks during their 7-2 start. Sims, who is from Mount Laurel, N.J., leads Stonehill with 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Sims keyed a Northeast-10 Conference win over Bentley on Nov. 23 by notching a season-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. 

Marcus Azor (Brockton)

UMass-Dartmouth

The wiry 6-foot-2 senior guard and Brockton native is the floor general for a high-powered Corsairs offense. Azor not only leads the team in points with 17.4 point per game, but he is totaling 8.4 assists per contest, which is good for second-best in all of Div. III. Azor had a performance to remember against Tufts when he posted a triple-double of 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. For that effort, he was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week.

More:Brockon's Azor remains ready if his basketball season happens

Mikey Spencer (Abington/Cardinal Spellman)

Salve Regina

Once a star at Cardinal Spellman, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior forward and Abington native hasn’t lost that label with the Seahawks. The 2018-19 Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year is tallying a team-high 18.1 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds this season. Spencer is coming off an impressive 32-point, 7-rebound performance in a win over Endicott, but it was still 11 points shy of his career-best as he netted 43 points as a sophomore to set a new program record.

Nicolas Timberlake (Braintree)

Towson

The Tigers can certainly count on the steady production delivered by the 6-foot-4, 200-pound junior redshirt guard from Braintree. Timberlake was named the Colonial Athletic Association Sixth Man of the Year for the 2019-20 season and is now in a starting role, contributing with 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Timberlake was the only Tiger to start in all 18 games last season and played all 40 minutes, scoring a season-high 25 points in a win over New Mexico on Nov. 26.

EJ Dambreville (Bridgewater-Raynham)

Florida Southern

Dambreville traveled to Lakeland, Fla. to be a premier player for Div. II Florida Southern. The athletic 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior redshirt guard, who played in high school at Bridgewater-Raynham, is averaging a double-double with 12.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Dambreville also averaged a double-double last season en route to an All-Conference First Team selection. 

John Lowther (Hingham)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

The former Hingham standout has put his superb talents to good use at WPI. The 6-foot-5 junior forward is tallying a team-high 16.6 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds on the season. Lowther’s best outing of the young season came in a win over Brandeis as he dominated to the tune of 27 points, including a 5-for-5 showing from 3-point range, and hauled in seven rebounds. 

Women’s Basketball

Asiah Dingle (Archbishop Williams)

Fordham

Dingle has proven it doesn’t matter where she is playing, she will produce. The scrappy 5-foot-4 senior guard is on her third collegiate team after spending two seasons at Kent State and a year at Stony Brook.

More:At Stony Brook, Asiah Dingle plays through the heartache of losing her father

Now at Fordham, the Archbishop Williams product is scoring 14.9 points per game while leading the Rams in rebounds (6.3) -- hard to believe given her size -- and steals (3.0). In her debut with Fordham, Dingle notched a career-high 34 points and six steals.

Caroline Ducharme (Milton)

UConn

The No. 5 recruit in her class, the 6-foot-2 freshman guard from Milton is starting to carve out a role with the second-ranked Huskies after a slow start. In a key win over Notre Dame Sunday, Ducharme netted 14 points in 14 minutes off the bench.

More:Milton's Caroline Ducharme carries chip on her shoulder to UConn women's basketball team

The highly-skilled Ducharme, who was a two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year at Nobles, could be in line for more playing time for powerhouse UConn due to injuries to Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. 

Adriana Timberlake (Braintree)

Southern New Hampshire

A sharpshooter during her days at Braintree, Timberlake continues to showcase a stellar offensive skillset. The 5-foot-7 junior guard is second on the team with 14.9 points per game and spearheads the Penmen with a team-high 3.3 assists. Timberlake notched a career-high 26 points to go along with six assists and four steals in a season-opening win over Bridgeport. Timberlake, who is the younger sister of Nicolas Timberlake, isn’t the only former local star at SNHU with Jenna Roche (Braintree) and Jess Knight (Archbishop Williams) also playing key roles.

Kenzie Matulonis (Bridgewater-Raynham)

University of New Hampshire

In her freshman season with the Wildcats, the 5-foot-7 guard is a defensive disruptor just like she was at Bridgewater-Raynham. Matulonis, who is a spark plug off the bench, is third on the team in steals and notched five thefts in a win over Fisher. That game she also flirted with a triple-double by recording 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

More:Playing for hometown team the right choice for Bridgewater-Raynham's Bollin and Matulonis

Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater)

Bridgewater State

The 5-foot-6 junior guard is the only member of the Bears averaging double figures in scoring. Bridgewater State, which got off to a 7-3 start, has leaned on the East Bridgewater native to generate offense and she has delivered with 15.6 points per game. In a recent win over Wheaton, Bradbury turned in 21 points as she hit 10-of-11 free throws.

Sam Hourihan (Bridgewater)

Springfield College

A major reason why the Pride are off to its best start since the 1981-82 season is due to the play of Hourihan, a 6-foot junior forward. The Bridgewater native, who played her high school ball at Coyle and Cassidy, can do nearly everything needed on the court. Just take a look at this stat line for example from Hourihan in a win over Westfield State: 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and three steals. Hourihan is averaging nearly a double-double and 2.4 blocks per game.

Kayla Raymond (Oliver Ames)

Stonehill

Battling through an early-season injury, the 5-foot-11 senior forward is the top player for the local Skyhawks. Raymond, who played for Laney Clement-Holbrook at Oliver Ames, is looking to follow up on a sensational sophomore season in which she was named to the All-Northeast-10 Conference First Team and D2CCA All-East Region Second Team. Raymond has scored in double figures in her first three games this season while also averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.

Brianna Herlihy (Braintree)

Villanova

The former Braintree star stuck around Villanova a little longer as the graduate 6-foot senior forward is still a critical piece in the Wildcats rotation. Herlihy offers a diverse offensive skillset as she is second on the team in points (11.6) and rebounds (7.3) while leading Villanova with three assists per game. Herlihy had one of her better outings against Providence recently, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds. 

More:The Herlihy sisters, former Braintree High stars, still hooping it up at Villanova

Keelah Dixon (Braintree)

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Yet another Braintree product having success at the collegiate level. The 5-foot-4 junior guard spent four seasons at Colgate -- two of those years were derailed due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic -- before transferring to UMBC. With the Retrievers, Dixon is solidifying herself in the starting rotation by averaging 8.6 points, which is good for third on the team, to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. 

Meg Dixon (Hanover)

UMass-Boston

After not having played since the 2018-19 season, the 5-foot-10 senior guard from Hanover is having an immense impact for UMass-Boston. Dixon leads the Beacons with 15.9 points and 9.1  rebounds per game. Dixon, who rarely comes off the court, has notched three games of at least 20 points, including pouring in a career-high 28 points earlier this season against Mitchell College.

Monica Spain (Braintree/Archbishop Williams)

Assumption

Contributing in several areas is Spain’s specialty. The 5-foot-11 junior forward, who played at Archbishop Williams, is recording 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season. Against Mercy College on Nov. 28, Spain showcased her efficiency, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting -- she also went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line -- to go along with five rebounds and three assists. 

Katie Galligan (Pembroke) 

Roger Williams

Galligan, who is the all-time leading scorer at Pembroke, had to wait a little longer for her first collegiate season due to the pandemic, but has become a central figure this year in the Hawks’ undefeated start.

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The 5-foot-8 sophomore guard is contributing steadily with 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Rockland’s Caroline Elie is also having a productive season for the Hawks alongside Galligan.