Lots to Like About Bramanti
The July live period has always been a critical time for any hopeful college basketball prospect. But in recent years with the NCAA eliminating the April live period and implementing further restrictions in the fall, they have essentially stripped the typical high school player of any other exposure opportunities and consequently made the mid-summer month absolutely critical.
The ramifications can be felt on all sides of the process. College coaches have fewer opportunities to evaluate and prospects have fewer chances to prove themselves. The end result has been the highest transfer rates in the history of college basketball.
Often times the players that are cheated the most are those who have been forced to work the hardest on their game. While natural gifts of size, length, and athleticism are still easier to spot for most college coaches, other players prove their value in less obvious ways.
Andover High School’s Joe Bramanti is one such player, while he may not necessarily jump out at you the first time you see him, you are bound to like his game more and more every time you watch him play.
Among his biggest supporters is New England Playaz head coach John Carroll, a former head coach at both the division I and NBA levels, who has coached Bramanti for the last month on the grassroots circuit.
“He is one of the toughest players I have ever coached,” Carroll said. “He does whatever it takes to win and won’t back down from anyone.”
Bramanti’s biggest assets are his toughness, competitiveness, and ability to defend.
“He is a lock down defender,” Carroll said. “Every game he is assigned the opposition’s best perimeter player and he takes that as a challenge.”
While Bramanti is rarely the offensive focal point on a team that features a variety of high-major prospects, Carroll says he knows from past experience that his starting two-guard can put the ball in the basket.
“I know from coaching against him in the past that he can score because he tortured us,” Carroll said. “He can come off some screens and he can come off pick and rolls.”
Ultimately though, what makes Bramanti so valuable is that he is one of the rare players who can change a game without having the ball in his hands.
“I think he can play in a lot of different [division I] conferences,” Carroll said. “If you value toughness and you value defense, he will help you win games.”
Joe Bramanti