Brewster Joins National Interscholastic Basketball Conference

Brewster Academy has been invited to participate in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), an athletic association of the most competitive basketball programs from across the country. This momentous announcement, made today by the NIBC and Brewster, represents another step into the national spotlight for the Boys’ Basketball Program, continuing its unprecedented success under Coach Jason Smith that has produced NBA players and brought notoriety to the school. 

The decision to accept the invitation was made following careful analysis of the benefits to the school, program, and players. Ultimately, Coach Smith, Head of School Kristy Kerin, Athletics Director Connor Wells, and Brewster’s Senior Leadership Team decided this is an outstanding move for the players and school, and an incredible affirmation of how the program has grown in the past two decades. 

“We are extremely excited to be joining the premier high school basketball league in the nation, the NIBC!” says Coach Smith. “We are very grateful for this opportunity and humbled to be included with this selective group of elite programs and institutions!” The conference currently comprises member schools from nine states across the country.

 

Brewster will field a team to participate in the conference, which is currently comprised of member schools from 9 states across the country, and whose eligibility criteria stipulate that all players must be enrolled in grades 9-12. Brewster also plans to continue to compete in the NEPSAC Conference, recruiting a AAA Prep team that will include the school’s top postgraduate talent and others. 

The decision to join the NIBC will give Brewster players the opportunity to compete against top talent across the country and go head to head with some of the most competitive teams in the sport. The NIBC will bring Brewster into the national spotlight with a slate of nationally televised games—last season, the NIBC had 54 games shown on various ESPN platforms (ESPNU, ESPN+, etc.). Brewster will also have the opportunity to play host to games throughout the year, something that will draw more eyes to the school as well as the beautiful town of Wolfeboro. The move also gives the Bobcats a shot at participating in the nationally televised Geico High School Nationals Tournament (last year five of the eight participating teams were NIBC member schools).

 

 

The Bobcats are certainly up to the task of being part of the elite NIBC group, having won seven National Prep Championships and seven NEPSAC Tournament Championships since 2010. The team has averaged 30 wins a season for the past 15 years, a track record that has attracted the attention of NCAA coaches, more than 100 of whom make the journey to Wolfeboro to meet with players each fall. Coach Smith’s players have gone on to excel at the highest levels, with more than 180 going on to play for NCAA Division I schools, 20 alumni having played in the NBA, 12 selected in the NBA draft (seven first round picks), and more than 75 having played professional basketball in leagues around the globe.

For more information about the NIBC, visit nibchoops.com, and for more information about Brewster Athletics, visit brewsteracademy.org/athletics.