Guards’ Play the Story at St. Mark’s Open Gym
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. – St. Mark’s has become known for its size of late. With four players who stand 6’8″ or taller and another at 6’6″, the Lions will tower over many of their opponents. But while the trees were the primary reason a number of college coaches were in town for their open gym on Sunday, it was the guards whose play was noteworthy.
Last season, the play of point guard Dave Johnson (5’9″ Sr. PG, Jackson (NJ)) was a major reason the Lions went from losing in the NEPSAC Class C title game to a much-smaller Lawrence team the year before to winning the title game. His job was to get the ball to the star frontcourt players, and he generally did that after breaking his wrist at this same workout last year. On Sunday, the tiny floor leader had a good shooting day, knocking down several jump shots including three-pointers. If he does that consistently, this team is even tougher to guard.
Johnson will primarily be backed up by Jay Freeman (5’10” Sr. PG, Dorchester (MA)), who had a nice day of his own offensively while being a little up and down guarding Johnson. The lefty ran the team well, generally taking care of the ball while making a few nice passes on the move and driving effectively and hitting a couple of jumpers. He made some good plays defensively and at times very ably guarded Johnson, but also lost him on a couple of occasions when he nailed a jumper. Don’t be surprised if Freeman and Johnson also play together from time to time.
Russell Braithwaite (6’3″ Sr. SG-SF, Brooklyn (NY)), who is also a good football player, struggled to finish and also didn’t shoot well, though he’s not known for his shooting. He finishes better than he showed on Sunday and is also a very capable defender, thanks in part to his athleticism and excellent body.
The best of the big men is Florida commit Eric Murphy (6’10” Sr. PF-C, Wakefield (RI)). The fundamentally sound post player finished well and was solid without shining, and he had one noteworthy play when he stole the ball from younger brother Alex Murphy (6’8″ Fr. SF-PF, Wakefield (RI)), who seemingly fell asleep on the play, and got a free layup.
For his part, the younger Murphy, who is a re-classified freshman, might have the highest ceiling of anyone on this team. He’s very much a baby physically, but is loaded with potential as he already possesses an excellent perimeter game. His development has been the opposite of his big brother, who had the post game first, but there’s no reason to think Alex won’t become a good post player as well.
Nate Lubick (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Southborough (MA)), the son of head coach Dave Lubick, continued to play well without putting up huge scoring numbers. That’s something he’s been doing of late, and here he was aggressive driving to the basket and made a couple of nice passes as well. At the defensive end, he managed a couple of help-side blocked shots.
Peter Kaasila (6’9″ Sr. PF, Plaistow (NH)) played well at last year’s open gym, but didn’t repeat it this time around. The wide-bodied post player didn’t keep the ball high inside and struggled to score, as he looks less quick than before (he wasn’t the quickest to begin with) and nearly traveled with the ball often, almost never dribbling even when he had to if he was to make a scoring move.
Melsahn Basabe (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, Long Island (NY)) has made a steady improvement. Last year, he looked raw but with potential, and he’s clearly making strides as he shot the ball better and looked more comfortable with the ball. He’s also more mature physically, with a stronger lower body, and still hasn’t peaked there yet. His game clearly has room for growth, and if his progress in the last year is any indication, that will come.
The Lions will get plenty of tests outside the NEPSAC, as they will play in three in-season tournaments or showcases, including the National Prep Showcase to open the season in November where they will take on a strong Henderson (NV) Findlay College Prep team and Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy.
St. Mark’s looks to be the favorite in Class C this year, with most of last season’s team back and the runners-up losing their best player. But if the guards play like they did on Sunday, the Lions can be labeled a prohibitive favorite, and another championship would look all but certain.
