Pat Connaughton's St. John's Team #1The following are our 2010-2011 Massachusetts Boy's Preseason Rankings.
1) St. John's Prep - 6'5" Pat Connaughton is our #1 high school player in the State and thus we believe his team is the one to beat. Connaughton has done it all in his career including earning a slew of high major scholarships over the summer recruiting period. Connaughton has one more thing to do, bring a Division 1 State Championship to Danvers. This is a likely scenario for the Prep as Connaughton hates to lose and has a good cast to join him including 6'4" junior Steve Haladyna and 5'10" shooting guard Mike Carbone. Haladyna is a talented guard who gets his hands on more loose balls then any kid we've seen and Carbone plays the game extremely hard and always seems to knock down the big shot. Unfortunately for the Prep, orojected starter senior Mack Burt is out for the season due to injury. Nonetheless, the Prep gets the nod at the #1 spot.
2) Central Catholic - Yes, they lost Carson Desrosiers to Wake Forest, but the Raiders are still plenty deep with talent. Assumption bound 6'7" Jimmy Zenevitch will give the Raiders and inside presence. But Central has much more than that including 6'5" sophomore wingman Joel Barroa who will surely have a breakout season and guard Luis Puello who most consider the best defender in the state. Puello takes playing hard to a new level. Added to that, point guard Jaycob Morales is a solid player who is willing to sacrifice his body to win. Plus, plenty of other talent in the stable.
3) Brockton - Loaded with plenty of athletes, Brockton is in a position to challenge for the Division 1 crown. 6'6" senior Shane Sims is one of the most talented forwards in the State. 6'4" junior Jameel Moise is an athletic wing who can make the mid range jumper. Guard Allen Lenard is a a scorer by trade and is capable of putting up big numbers. Brockton will also enjoy the help of a talented sophomore point guard in Jaylon Blakely.
4) New Mission - New Mission has two of our top 10 players in 6'5" guard Kachi Nzerem and 6'4" guard Samir McDaniel. Nzerem is a high flying guard that plays the game above the rim and can knock down the three. McDaniel is a man against boys on the perimeter punishing defenders and scoring around the rim. This one-two combination is as good as good as it gets in Massachusetts high school basketball.
5) Newton North - We believe that 6'9" Macam Bac Macam returns to Newton this winter. When we saw this young Freshman play a couple of years ago, we realized then that his potential was through the roof. Injury has kept him away from the court, but he's back and will be a difference maker for Newton North who has our #6 ranked player in 6'7" Tevin Falzon. Newton North also has additional scoring in 6'1" shooting guard Mike Thorpe and 6'5" freshman Aaron Falzon. We love their chances to win the whole thing.
6) Lawrence - Our dark horse is Lawrence High School. It is our prediction that Lawrence High will challenge Central Catholic for the Merrimack Valley Championship. Lawrence has one of the most under the radar player in Massachusetts in senior guard Jaylen Alicea. Alicea is an athletic guard that can put up points in a hurry both of the dribble and by means of the three. They also have a talented big man 6'8" Jesse Hiraldo.
7) Cambridge Rindge & Latin - Cambridge is big, athletic, and talented and has an excellent chance to be in the mix come tournament time. 6'8" Jaquille Taylor is a star in the making. He is extremely long arms and quick feet. Taylor is very active on both ends of the floor. The younger Taylor is joined by his 6'2" brother Maurice Taylor who has great length of his own. His length and athleticism are tremendous and he a nice mid-range game. He can handle the ball some in the open court and competes hard. We also love senior guard Deondre Starling who we predict will be a force for the Cambridge team.
8) Charlestown - Charlestown is the second best team in the Boston City League after New Mission. They are led by 6'3" high flyer Akosa Maduegbunam and 6'1" Ramon Gibbons. Maduegbunam has an abundance of talent and great upside and Gibbons is a tough and physical guard that attacks the rim.
9) Westfield - Westfield may have the deepest team in Western Mass. They come into the season with a talented crew including sharp shooter Alex Garskta and point guard Jordan Santiago. They also have some talented big guys including Joe Meade and Spencer Phillips.
10) Shrewsbury - We have the Colonials as the favorite in Central Mass as they will be returning quality players from last year. They return 6'8" center Matt Kneece who has a great basketball body and is able to overpower his opponents in the paint. He has a good looking drop step and is an impossible guard at the high school level when he attacks the rim. Kneece is joined by shooting guard Ryan Stowe and 6'5" Wil Machalski.
11) Andover - The Warriors have two talented in players in senior Joe Bramanti and 6'5" sophomore Sam Dowden. Both Bramanti and Dowden can get it done in a variety of ways on the offensive end. However, the loss of 6'5" senior center Brian Miller to injury likely makes Andover a third place finisher in the Merrimack Valley behind Central Catholic and Lawrence.
12) Springfield Central - 6'1" sophomore point guard Cornelius Tyson may be the best high school floor general in the State. Add to that fellow sophomore's in 6'4" Forward Kamari Robinson and 6'0" guard Norris Cueves, and you can see why Springfield Central will likely go far in this year's tournament.
13) Reading - The Rockets may be the most talented team in the Middlesex League this year, but they will have to battle Lexington and Woburn to claim the title. We think any one of the three teams could emerge on top. Reading is led by 5'10" junior guard Kenny Reed. He’s a strong and powerful guard who goes to the rim with authority and is equally effective creating for others thanks to some terrific court vision. Reed is joined by another athletic guard in Trey Jones. Jones can get wherever he wants with his dribble. We have also watched Jones pull up from long-long range and make mid-range jumpers.
14) Lexington - Lexington will be very long along the front line as they will have three guys 6'5" and up. Sophomore Chris Lee and 6'6" junior Dimitri Monovoukas should lead the Minutemen this winter. 6'2" guard Chris O"Keefe is a hard-nose player that can score the ball in a variety of way.
15) Acton Boxorough - The Colonial's will likely find themselves in the thick of things come tournament time. They are led by 6'1" Sam Longwell who is a seasoned basketball player that has an excellent understanding of the game. Longwell knows how and when to attack the rim and can make shots from the perimeter.
16) St John's Shrewsbury - St. John’s returns plenty of talent last year's team including 6'0" guard Patrick Talentino. Talentino has a nice dependable shooting stroke, a good understanding of the game, as well as the ability to handle and pass the basketball. Athletic senior Rich Rodgers is will be a critical to the Pioneers chances of claming the big prize.
17) Lincoln- Sudbury - 6'11" John Swords is a much improved player this year. He is a difference maker at both ends of the floor and will make Lincoln-Sudbury a real threat not only in Dual County League and in the Division I North tournament.
18) Doherty - The Highlanders should compete for the crown in Central Mass as they return two top scorers in seniors Andre Santana and Joel Katana. Santana is athletic and can play the game above the rim and Katana can knock down shots from anywhere on the court.
19) New Bedford - New Bedford may be back and could challenge for the South title.
20) BC High - The Eagles will have get some test against our #1 ranked St. John's Prep twice in league play before moving on to the South tournament. BC High point guard Bryan Hurley is a competitor and solid point guard who has a desire to win. He is joined by 6'2" sophomore Jameilen Jones who is a talented guard with good size, great quickness and an exceptional upside.
