Photo Credit: NewEnglandPrepStars.com

Alan Stein, the well-known strength and conditioning coach at national powerhouse DeMatha Catholic (Md.), posted on his Stronger Team Blog recently about how specialists are important to all basketball teams. In the blog Stein said, “A player that makes a team great is more valuable than a great player.”

This quote brought one player in the New England area to my mind: Joe Bramanti.

After a great career at Andover High School — which included an ESPNBoston All-State selection, last March — Bramanti is in a post-graduate year at Brewster Academy, where he serves as the team’s defensive specialist. Following the Bobcats’ thrilling win over Tilton (N.H.) at the Hoophall Classic last weekend, Brewster head coach Jason Smith told ESPN Boston’s Brendan Hall, “We’re not undefeated without Joe Bramanti.”

We decided that it would be important to breakdown the value of Bramanti by using film, because sometimes players of his caliber do not stick out or get noticed like a big-time scorer or shot-blocker would.

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Kaleb Tarczewski

Few elite players in the nation have had to wait their turn for the spotlight like St. Mark’s senior center Kaleb Tarczewski. The New Hampshire-bred 7-footer has played alongside the likes of the Murphy brothers (Erik and Alex), Nate Lubick, and Melsahn Basabe. Obviously, the Arizona-bound big man has not flown under the radar, as ESPNU currently ranks him as the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2012.

This past weekend at the HoopHall Classic, at Springfield College’s Blake Arena, Tarczewski showed off a much-improved all-around game against Friends Central from the Philadelphia area. Friends Central features another one of the top prospects in 2012 by the name of Amile Jefferson.

Here are some video clips and observations about Tarczewski’s improvement:

Read the rest of the article on ESPNBoston.com

After reviewing the film, it appears that the Providence faithful have even more to be excited about Dunn. Here are a few observations and clips of why Providence has a future star in Dunn:

Click this link to read the rest of the article on ESPNBoston.com

Click this link to view the highlights on ESPNBoston.com

Photo Credit: IvyLeagueSports.com

A few weeks ago, Detroit dismantled St. John’s on national television. While this may have surprised a few people, it came as no surprise to hardcore basketball recruiting fans. Ray McCallum denied offers from the likes of Duke and Kansas to play for his father at Detroit. While it is unlikely that McCallum’s decision would have been for Detroit had his father not been the coach, his decision brought up an interesting question: should high-major recruits turn down big offers to play for lower-level schools?

We have seen players like Stephen Curry and Jimmer Fredette make it to the league from lower-level schools in recent years (although BYU isn’t all that low), but they weren’t recruited by high-major schools.

It is always interesting to see high-major level recruits turn down offers to help build a lower-level program up. For McCallum Jr., this strategy has had its ups and downs as the Titans, once considered contenders to win the Horizon League, are only 8-10 overall.

There is always a risk involved in choosing a lower-level school. The expectations will be high from the start. The recruit will be expected to be a leader from the start. For some kids coming straight out of high school, it could seem impossible to turn a program around.

We decided to look at recent recruits who have succeeded and failed in this in order to come up with a conclusion about whether it’s a good idea or not.

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Final Score: New London 66 St. Ray’s 55

Pat Connaughton and Stephen Haladyna

Steve Haladyna is a likely ESPN Boston All-State selection for two reasons: he is tough and he is smart. He scores nearly all of his points off of hustle plays and sheer toughness. And that is not a knock on Haladyna. He’s still a talented player. Shoot, he even dropped 25 points on Anthony Davis last year, who is now projected to be a top-5 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Here is a breakdown of how Haladyna gives opposing coaches fits:

Read the rest of the article on ESPNBoston.com

Scoring is in Capital Prep junior Kahlil Dukes’ DNA. He reached 1,000 career points as a sophomore. He dropped 51 points in a game against Classical Magnet recently. Dukes has always been a scorer. You can go on YouTube and find videos of him from middle school doing exactly what he does today: embarrassing defenses.

There have been questions about Dukes too. Many scouts consider him to be an undersized two guard at 5-foot-11. Some question his upside at the next level as well.

After seeing him go up against West Roxbury, here are some observations I made:

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Note: This video was made for the BABC’s new YouTube Channel 

Highlights from the 16th annual BABC Holiday Classic. The BABC Holiday Classic is widely regarded as New England’s most prestigious high school tournament. Proceeds from the tournament are donated by the BABC to created scholarships for Chelsea High School students. To date, Chelsea High School has been the recipient of nearly $70,000 in scholarships since the tournament’s inception in 1996.

Tyrese Hoxter

No. 2 Charlestown came into BC High yesterday with a high ranking to protect and completed their mission. It was not easy, however, as two of the Townies’ top players — juniors Tyrese Hoxter and Tyrik Jackson — got into foul trouble early on, and had to sit during most of the third quarter.

After going over the film, I noticed something about Charlestown’s team: Tyrese Hoxter is the key to their success. They have one of the most talented rosters in the MIAA, but Hoxter is the player that can help separate them from the rest with his aggressive and athletic play.

Here is a video breakdown of why Charlestown cannot afford to have Hoxter in foul trouble often:

Read the rest of the article on the ESPN Boston High School Sports Blog