Jules Tavares Returns to the M.I.A.A.

Jules Tavares has returned to Massachusetts High School basketball after a short stay at Wilbraham-Monson Academy. Tavares will play for New Bedford High School this Winter. Tavarus is a high flying athlete who can create a ton of offense and get to the rim at will. He will surely change division 1 high school basketball in the south this year.

Below is the article written by Buddy Thomas found on http://www.southcoasttoday.com/.

By Buddy Thomas
December 02, 2010 12:00 AM

Jules Tavares' smile looked as wide as the basket he was shooting at in last season's state championship game. And, maybe for the first time since that March afternoon in Worcester, he seemed totally relaxed and confident.

It's been a rocky road off the court for the kid with the smooth basketball moves, but for now, anyway, Tavares seemed totally at peace with himself. "It's great to be here," Tavares said as he looked around New Bedford High School, his newest home away from home. "All I want to do is help this team win." New Bedford is the third landing spot in the last seven months for the former Wareham basketball standout.

After leaving Wareham late in his junior year, he enrolled at Wilbraham-Monson Academy in September with a goal of turning what he hoped would be an improved academic average and unquestioned basketball talents into a potential college scholarship. Less than three months later, Tavares is looking at that same goal as a New Bedford High School senior. "I don't have any regrets about going there (Wilbraham-Monson)," Tavares said. "It was a nice school and I learned a lot in the short time I was there. But I just didn't feel comfortable."

Tavares was clearly in a comfort zone last season as he helped lead Wareham to a Division 3 Championship by averaging a team-high 20.1 points during a 20-2 regular season and 18.3 points in a 6-0 run through the playoffs. His 30-point effort in a 78-71 victory over Cardinal Spellman in the South Sectional title game enabled him to become the second of three Wareham players to reach 1,000 career points. But off-the-court troubles deflected what should have been a deluge of interest from colleges and universities across the country.

Tavares hoped to change that image at Wilbraham-Monson with a solid year on and off the court. Now, both he and head coach Tom Tarpey are hoping to turn Jules into diamonds at New Bedford. "I met him when he registered last week and I'll sit down with him to tell him what I've heard and what I expect of him," Tarpey said.

One thing the coach isn't likely to do is build a young and potentially talented team around an incoming senior — which is just fine with Tavares. "I'm not coming here thinking this is my team, because it isn't," he said. "I'm here to try and help this team win. This team has plenty of talent and I just want to fit in."

In his three seasons at Wareham, Tavares played in 68 varsity games, averaging 15.5 points and finishing with 1,059 for his career. More than half of those points came on 3-point field goals or thunderous dunks, and most of his big shots came in big games. "I always seem to get up for the bigger games and I'm already pumped up just thinking about playing here against tougher opponents and in front of bigger crowds," he said.

Basketball practice officially began on Monday but, for Tavares, the playing never stops. When he's not playing in-season, Jules can usually be found at the Wareham YMCA on weekends, shooting at any number of courts with current or former teammates, or displaying his talent in a variety of AAU tournaments. It's been his eye-popping performances in the latter that continues to peak the interest of a handful of college scouts. "I've heard from UConn, Clemson, Cincinnati, DePaul, St. Bonaventure and Boston University and, hopefully, I can play well enough to earn a scholarship to one of those schools or somewhere else," he said.

Anyone who has seen Tavares play clearly recognizes his ability on the basketball court. The only thing this gifted athlete has to prove is his worthiness away from it. "I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I'm 18 now and I truly believe I've matured," he said. We'll see. And here's hoping he has.

Buddy Thomas' column appears on Thursday in The Standard-Times.