James Towers (New Canaan, Conn.) needed a clean slate.
He had just completed his sophomore year at New Canaan High. But something wasn’t quite right.
“I sort of needed a fresh start academically, socially, athletically,” Towers said, “and I just took a chance.”
That chance was prep school. Towers needed more structure. And when he reclassified at Avon Old Farms — he enrolled the summer ahead of what would have been his junior year at New Canaan — it was exactly what he got.
“We had mandatory morning meetings. Then we had two classes, then we had lunch,” Towers said, describing what a given day at Avon looked like. “Then we had two classes and sports after school. Then we had extra help for an hour and study hall. All the structure and support from my teachers, my advisors, being in smaller classes, there were a lot more people looking over me.”
Towers’ process of landing in prep was more unconventional. It was never necessarily his plan. But he entered Avon as a sophomore and eventually became an All-Founders League selection as a senior. Towers now plays at Brown, where he’ll embark on his debut season this spring.
The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) is one of the premier prep school leagues in the country. And similar to the college recruiting process, no two players’ paths to prep are the same. It can be intimidating, confusing and overwhelming. It is a big decision with sizeable implications for any player’s future.
