Midcoast 8th grader gets basketball offer from Boston College

Olivia Breen of South Thomaston has all the hallmarks of a budding basketball star.

The 13-year-old is already 6 feet tall and received an offer last month to play Division I basketball at Boston College — she hasn’t even started her eighth grade year at Oceanside Middle School yet.

For reference, Cooper Flagg received his first Division I college offer from Bryant University in Rhode Island prior to his freshman season at Nokomis, and the Bulldogs have only qualified for March Madness once, in 2022. The Lady Eagles, meanwhile, have reached the Sweet 16 on three separate occasions.

While the Flagg comparisons are a bit premature, Breen undoubtedly has the size, versatility and dedication to make a big splash in the high school girls basketball ecosystem in Maine.

Moreover, Olivia comes from a basketball family, just like Flagg.

Her older sister Bailey is a 6-foot-3 three-time BDN All-Mainer through three years at Oceanside High School, with 26 college offers from mid-major schools around the country. Her father Matt was a 1,000-point scorer for the defunct Rockland High School Tigers, who went on to play at Husson University and joined Oceanside’s coaching staff 20 years ago.

Together, Bailey and Matt have guided the Mariners to undefeated seasons in 2022 and 2024 , taking two gold balls back to Rockland.

“They grew up in the gym, behind the bench with me,” Matt said. “I’ve always been big on fundamentals. Bailey paved the way with her work ethic, and Olivia followed.”

Despite being just 13 years old, Olivia is already excelling as a guard-forward for the Bay State Jaguars’ 15U team out of Boston. Bailey plays for the Jaguars’ 17U team, and the duo travel all around the East Coast and Midwest during the spring and summers, playing against top competition in the Under Armour AAU circuit.

Olivia is equally as confident posting up as she is driving to the rim, and frequently plays with girls two years older than her.

She received the offer from Boston College’s coaching staff on June 22, one day after completing their elite youth summer basketball camp.

“When I heard about the offer, I thought, ‘Oh my god, really?’” Olivia said. “It’s a great opportunity — I like the places basketball has taken me. I find it really cool how each state has a different culture.”

The most intriguing aspect of it all is Olivia’s disinterest in basketball at a young age.

“I would always hang out at the concession stands instead [of watching],” Breen said. “I hated it. I thought I wanted to be a dancer.”

Over time, however, Breen gradually warmed up to the game.

A 5-inch growth spurt from the end of fifth grade to the start of seventh grade also helped change her mind about basketball.

“I fell in love with the game and started getting serious about it in fifth grade,” Breen said. “I started to realize I had potential at the same time. I’m excited to see how I progress.”