Class AA Preseason Power Rankings
A preview and ranking of Maine Class AA teams for 2023–24.
AA North: Portland, Cheverus, Oxford Hills, Lewiston, Edward Little, Windham, Bangor.
AA South: South Portland, Thornton Academy, Gorham, Bonny Eagle, Scarborough, Sanford, Deering.
First, let’s look at the new classifications. These are effective through 2025. Nobody is taking the challenge and moving up, but Noble and Massabesic decided to move down to A South. For Noble, I don’t love the move. Jamier Rose and Bryce Guitard are about to take a big step and their supporting cast is strong. I would liked to have seen what kind of noise they might have made in AA South. As for Massabesic, they went winless last year. It’s probably a good thing that they dropped down, at least they’ll have a better chance against some smaller schools. In the North, Hampden Academy dropped to A, making it an even seven teams in both divisions. Deering made the in-class move from North to South to make it seven teams on both sides. That’s all for the changes, so we’re down to 14 programs in Class AA.
Now for the rankings.
1. Portland Bulldogs, AA North
Coming off a 2022–23 State championship appearance, the Bulldogs returned a good amount of talent despite the losses of Remijo Wani and Pitia Donato. Pepito Girumugisha, Jeissy Khamis, and Kevin Rugibirwa all had strong junior seasons where they contributed in their own ways. Khamis was a force in the paint down the stretch, Rugibirwa’s shooting was key, and Girumugisha played excellent defense off the bench. Sophomore Cordell Jones, who transferred from Gorham this summer, has the athleticism to provide assistance immediately. Portland should make another run this season.
2. Thornton Academy Golden Trojans, AA South
Some might think that since they’re losing 2022–23 Mr. Maine Basketball (Will Davies), Braeden Camire, and Aleesio Marcus from last year they’re going to fall off. Despite the losses, Thornton is always ready to reload. Juniors Wyatt Benoit and Trey Eldred specifically will try to pick up the bulk of the scoring, and people around Thornton like senior forward Josh Ney to breakout both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor. You can never count Thornton out, they’re a perennial contender.
3. Gorham Rams, AA South
With 2+ years of varsity experience for Ashton Leclerc, Caden Smith, and Gabe Michaud, there are no more excuses. A pair of first round exits in the last two years were less than ideal, but there was always their senior season to really make a run. With a core of these three seniors, junior big man Griffin Gammon, and shooters all over the place, this should be the year. Former Gray-New Gloucester head coach Ryan Deschenes will replace Mark Karter on the sidelines, so a change in the voice telling them what to do might be the piece that pushes this squad over the top. They have quality regular season wins, but they’ve got to get over the postseason hump this year.
4. South Portland Red Riots, AA South
The defending Class AA state champions should probably be a little bit higher on this list, but I don’t trust the returning players on this roster compared to what they lost. From last year’s starting lineup, the only player coming back is senior big man Gabe Galarraga. They lost Jaelen Jackson and Ben Smith to graduation, while Jayden Kim and Nafees Padget transferred to private schools. Coach Kevin Millington is going to have to lean on Galarraga and incoming junior guard Manny Hidalgo to try and three-peat.
5. Scarborough Red Storm, AA South
The Storm entered last season’s playoffs with a 6–12 record and as a heavy underdog to third seeded Gorham, but upset the Rams in the quarterfinals at their home court. The architect of that victory, D’Angelo Alston, has graduated, but his predecessors remain. Nate Glidden, the hero at the end of that game, will look to keep that momentum into his senior season alongside the star Liam Garriepy. And to go along with those two, 6’9 sophomore center Spencer Booth will provide a similar presence that Alston did last season. Don’t be surprised when Scarborough starts hot this season.
6. Cheverus Stags, AA North
Cheverus is another team with its own three headed monster in the backcourt. Leo Mcnabbe, Sammy Nzeyimana, and Gio St. Onge all do their own specific things well (score, facilitate, defend in that order). Last year the three sort of took a backseat to the 25.6 PPG one man show that was Silvano Ismail. If the guards can pick up the scoring slack, Maddik Weisburg will look to build on his 5 rebounds per game his junior year. They also transferred in forward Rocco Depatsy from Falmouth who is looking to break out down low. As a Stags fan the biggest thing you need to see is if the backcourt can produce as much as they’re projected to.
7. Deering Rams, AA South
Headlined by junior guard Evan Legassey, these aren’t the Rams that you saw in 2022-’23. Legassey will be the leader in the scorebook for Deering but the whole team likes to get out in transition, score quickly, and play full court press most of the game. With a plethora of fast guards that rotate well together, they won’t get tired. Justin Jamal and Trip Marston both scored north of 8 points per game last year, and 6’4’’ David Otti should be good inside. Deering won’t be an easy game for anybody in AA.
8. Lewiston Blue Devils, AA North
Lewiston’s offseason was headlined by the departure of 2025 guard Yusuf Dakane as he transferred to Pomfret School in Connecticut. He leaves Caden Boone, a fellow combo guard, along with multiple other athletes who can create off the dribble. The Blue Devils lack a pure big man, which will prove to be a problem against Cheverus or Portland who have the size advantage.
9. Windham Eagles, AA North
Windham retained a talented back court with athletic players such as AJ Moody, Creighty Dickson, and Quinton Lindsay from last year, where all three got a ton of varsity run. If teams don’t have three guards that can stay in front of these guys, one will take advantage. Windham’s offense won’t be an issue, but there are questions about their interior defense. When they faced South Portland in a preseason matchup, they struggled to contain Gabe Galarraga inside. They just don’t hold the size advantage against many teams.
10. Edward Little Red Eddies, AA North
The Red Eddies return a dynamic duo in the backcourt of Eli St. Lauren (14.5 PPG)and Marshall Adams (12.1 PPG), both of whom were top 10 in scoring in AA North last season. St. Laurent was fourth in all of AA with 4.5 assists per night, with Adams not far behind with 3.6 APG. I’m not worried about the stars because Edward Little has a great duo, but the returning depth worries me. Landon Cougle and Tudum Monday graduated last year after leading the team in rebounds per game, so there’s a void to fill down low for Edward Little. If they can replace those two, the Red Eddies have a solid roster to be competitive in AA South.
11. Sanford Spartans, AA South
The Spartans will go as far as their two top seniors Tanner McCann and Makai Bougie go. Bougie finished his junior season at 14.1 PPG, while McCann had 8.8. McCann’s strength is behind the arc, at 38% from distance last season. Bougie isn’t scared to rebound down low, as he was tied for 4th in AA South last season with 6.8 rebounds per game. The two will have to do a majority of the work, but if they step up and handle the workload, Sanford could pose a problem in AA South.
12. Oxford Hills Vikings, AA North
Oxford Hills was a win away from the State Championship last year, but lost almost every contributor to that team in the offseason. Seniors Cole Pulkkinen, Tanner Bickford, Elias Soehren, and Holden Shaw made up a little over 80% of the Vikings points per game last season. To add insult to injury, class of ’24 forward and Mr. Maine Basketball candidate Teigan Pellitier transferred to a private school over the summer. After that, it’s Jake Carson (2.7 PPG) and a bunch of newcomers to Varsity basketball. I have a tough time seeing success for Oxford Hills this season.
13. Bonny Eagle Scots, AA South
The Scots lost one of the strongest senior classes in the state after last season, one that included Elliot Bouchard (13.4 PPG, 13 RPG), Hayden Campbell, and Dom Gordon. Another hit they took was losing junior CJ Cooper to a knee injury he suffered during the football season that most likely keeps him sidelined for the entire ‘23-’24 campaign. Terrell Edwards will have to have a Silvano Ismail type season to keep Bonny Eagle in contention this season.
14. Bangor Rams, AA North
Bangor ended last year with a record of 2–17. Their -376 point differential was second to last in AA, only in front of winless Massabesic. I don’t project Bangor to breakout this season and make a run in the AA tournament, but with a year of losing behind them I would expect a short bound to four or five wins.