This episode is Cory Heitz’s 2025 Prep School Basketball State of the Union, recorded after a December New England trip packed with campus visits, coach meetings, and real conversations about what’s changing right now in prep school basketball. Cory also opens with a heartfelt tribute to Whit Lesure, a true prep school legend whose impact on Bridgton Academy and college placement can’t be overstated. From there, Cory gets practical. Why college placement is taking longer, what the transfer portal changed, and why families need to stop expecting old timelines. He talks NIL resources some prep programs are offering, the real truth about playing time, and how to communicate when things aren’t clear. He also shares key updates on girls prep opportunities, visa pressure for international families, rolling admissions advantages, and why NEPSAC rules feel outdated in today’s prep basketball landscape. If you’re a parent trying to choose the right prep fit, a player navigating exposure and development, or a coach advising a family, this is a straight, useful listen.

💡Key Topics:
📌 Prep school basketball state of the union 2025 and what changed since last year
📌 College basketball recruiting timeline shifts, transfer portal impact, patience in placement
📌 NIL at the prep school level: financial advisors, lawyers, and what families should know
📌 Playing time expectations, communication with coaches, and realistic development pathways
📌 Prep school fit vs location, girls prep opportunities, and student visa constraints
📌 Rolling admissions, March decision timelines, and NEPSAC rule limitations

🏀 About Cory Heitz:
Cory Heitz is the founder of PREP Athletics and has helped basketball families worldwide find the right prep school fit for both development and college placement. He brings a coach’s perspective, a placement-first mindset, and a no-hype approach to navigating the prep-to-college basketball pipeline.

🔗 Connect with Cory:

Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic

Dr. Jeff Quebec has lived this world from the inside. He has worked in prep school admissions and leadership for decades, spent years at Eaglebrook, and now advises families as an educational consultant. In this episode, Jeff breaks down the stuff parents usually learn too late.

💡Key Topics:
📌 Prep school admissions process, decision timelines, yield strategy
📌 Interview prep, campus visits, first impressions, student driven narrative
📌 Junior boarding school pathway, secondary school counseling, reclass timing
📌 Financial aid strategy, net tuition revenue, committee decision factors
📌 Academics vs brand names, hidden gem schools, right fit selection
📌 Athlete recruiting context, coach turnover, program stability, long term fit

🏀 About Dr. Jeff Quebec:
Dr. Jeff Quebec is a longtime prep school admissions leader and educational consultant with decades in independent schools. He also runs the Pre-Prep Showcase and hosts the Why Boarding School podcast focused on school fit and the boarding school experience.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Jeff Quebec:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/whyboardingschool
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/PrePrepShowcase
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WhyBoardingSchool
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/preprepshowcase/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-boarding-school
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrquebec/
Twitter | https://x.com/whyboarding
Twitter | https://x.com/PrePrepShowcase
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@whyboardingschool
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@whyboardingschool
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/PrePrepShowcase
Email | info@WhyBoardingSchool.com
Website | https://quebec-consulting.com/
Website | https://preprepshowcase.com/
Website | https://preprepshowcase.com/

🔗 Connect with Cory:

Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic

St. George’s head coach and admissions officer Dwayne Pina joins Cory to walk through one of the most complete prep school basketball journeys you will ever hear.

Coach Pina shares exactly what he looks for in recruits, how he developed Tyler Kolek into an NBA guard, what changed when St. George’s moved from Class B to NEPSAC AA, and why physical tools now separate many Division I guards from the pack. If you are weighing AA vs single-A vs public school and care about both college placement and life after hoops, this conversation is a must-listen.

💡Key Topics:

📌 Boston College walk-on to scholarship guard and how that shapes his advice to under-recruited players
📌 Coaching under Max Good, learning accountability, and five-second decision making
📌 Ivy League basketball reality vs perception and aligning recruiting expectations with the market
📌 St. George’s School identity: small ISL boarding school, ocean-side campus, elite signature programs, and wellness resources
📌 Player development system: strength and conditioning, pool work, skill trainers, captain’s runs, and mandated shooting volume
📌 Recruiting profile at St. George’s: high-character underclassmen, impact juniors like Tyler Kolek, and no post-grads
📌 NEPSAC AA transition, schedule difficulty, and what it takes to be a Division I guard in today’s game
📌 Admissions process, inquiry importance, and how families should approach prep applications

🏀 About Dwayne Pina:

Dwayne Pina is the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach and an Admissions Officer at St. George’s School in Rhode Island. A New Bedford native, he played at Boston College, starting as a walk-on before earning a scholarship, then coached at Rhode Island College, Bryant under Max Good, and Brown University. He now leads St. George’s in the NEPSAC AA ranks, developing high-academic, college-bound players and guiding families through the prep school and recruiting process.

🔗 Connect with Dwayne Pina:

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwayne-pina-38a13147/
Website | https://www.stgeorges.edu/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dpina5/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sgboyshoops/
Twitter | https://x.com/dpina5
Twitter | https://x.com/sgboyshoops

🔗 Connect with Cory:

Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic