Big Men Impress at St. Mark’s
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The gym looked like it was the middle of July, as opposed to the end of September. Exactly a third of the ACC’s head coaches were there, as were a couple of Big East head coaches. UCLA head coach Ben Howland was the first head coach there, arriving at least an hour early. Billy Donovan and two assistants showed up a little later. A fair share of mid-major coaches also showed up to see the talent on hand.
The setting was the Michel Faculty Athletic Center at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., a suburb about 30 miles west of Boston. Sunday was the only open gym workout on a day where visitors were approved by the school, so it was the day to be there. It doesn’t hurt that Dave Lubick’s squad includes two excellent frontcourt prospects and another whose recruitment appears set to pick up.
The two biggest reasons for the turnout are junior Erik Murphy and sophomore Nate Lubick. Both are getting plenty of high-major attention, with Murphy having visited Florida recently and Lubick getting more high-major offers seemingly by the minute.
The 6’10” Murphy is the son of former Boston College star Jay Murphy, who spent some time in the NBA after his career at The Heights. He missed about three months of action this spring and summer with a right knee injury, but has been going full speed for about a month and a half now. On this day, he buried several three-pointers and showed an ever-improving face-up game, which looks to form a lot of his offense.
While Murphy was out of action, Lubick was on a tear as there may not have been a better high school player in New England during that stretch. The athletic and skilled 6’8″ forward played well on Sunday, shooting the ball very well from mid-range and also attacking the basket. He also didn’t leak out as much as he has in the past, instead getting his share of defensive rebounds and being in position to get others.
Peter Kaasila, an excellent student, looks noticeably improved from the spring. The 6’9″ post player has a big body and barely missed a shot all day, doing plenty of work inside and knocking down a couple of mid-range jumpers. Add him in to Murphy and Lubick, and you have as good a frontcourt as you’ll find in New England and especially since his inside play complements the others’ liking for facing the basket.
Another frontcourt prospect to watch is intriguing sophomore Melsahn Basabe, a 6’6″ forward from Long Island. He runs the floor well and has some physical maturing to do, and he showed a hint of ball skills. It was very apparent that he’s raw, as he didn’t show a great feel for his passes and shots on the day, but he has time to improve there and will benefit from not being the first option.
Someone has to get the big men the ball, and for a couple of months that could be a real concern. Newcomer Dave Johnson, a 5’9″ junior guard from Jackson, New Jersey, looks to be the incumbent at the point, but he broke his wrist on one of the first possessions of the day. That’s an injury that normally has well over a month of recovery time involved, which means his return may not be until after the season starts. The lefty point guard is quick and figures to run the show upon his return.
In Johnson’s absence, they will likely use some combination of Jay Freeman (5’10” Jr. PG, Dorchester, Mass.) and Colin Keane (5’10” So. PG, Hopkinton, Mass.) to run the team. Freeman had his moments on the day, as the lefty made a couple of nice passes and knocked down a couple of shots. Neither gives them what Johnson can, although Freeman looks like he will be a capable backup and might be the incumbent in the interim. Keane looks like a capable passer while lacking the quickness of Johnson and Freeman.
The top prospect on the wing is junior Russell Braithwaite, a 6’3″ athlete who is a good football player. The Brooklyn native looks the part as he’s strong and well-built, and on a few occasions he got to the basket for a dunk. He will likely be recruited higher in football than basketball, as reportedly he has visited Boston College unofficially. Sophomore Brian Grossman will see time as well to show off his good stroke from long range, and the wing is also the position of New York native Cody Booth, the team’s only senior.
Two years ago, St. Mark’s quietly ran the table in a perfect season, and last year got to the NEPSAC Class C finals before bowing out to Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy. This year’s team has the post players to get there again, so if the guards can come through, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them walk away one step further this time around.
