Prep Profile – St. Mark’s

New England Recruiting Report | Thursday, November 11th, 2010

For most teams, graduating two high-major frontcourt players means you are in store for a major rebuilding project.  But St. Mark’s is one of those unique teams who never seems to have to rebuild, only reload. 

While they won’t return any seniors from last year’s team, St. Mark’s has another loaded roster for the 2010-2011 season.  In fact, had NEPSAC realignment not taken place, they would enter the year as the strong favorite in class C.  Instead, they enter their first year in AA still as one of the most talented teams in the league, but one that will have to overcome their youth in order to realize their championship aspirations. 

Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski, two top ranked players in the national class of 2012, return to form a dynamic one two punch.  Murphy is the number one small forward in the entire country according to ESPN and has a terrific combination of basketball skill and acumen.  Now a legit six-foot-nine swingman, capable of playing virtually all five positions on the floor, perhaps the most impressive part of Murphy’s game is his ability to take over when the lights are on the brightest. 

Tarczewski was little more than a role player for St. Mark’s last year, learning under the likes of Nate Lubick and Melsahn Basabe, but the seven-footer is coming off a breakout summer on the grassroots circuit and should be poised for a big junior season.  The New Hampshire native’s combination of size and mobility has always made him a high level prospect, but it is the emergence of a nasty streak inside the paint that has really taken his game to new levels. 

While this dynamic duo will lead the way for the club, there is also a good amount of depth on the St. Mark’s roster, especially in the loaded junior class.

Swingman Nikolas Stauskas will make his debut in Southborough this year after the Canadian native transferred from South Kent following last season.  Stauskas is a big time shot maker with some deceptive bounce around the rim and standing at six-foot-six he not only has great size for the wing but can also slide over to the four spot at this level to really stretch opposing defenses. 

Eric Green, Eli Lubick, Peter Kazikias, and Jaymie Spears are all returning juniors who gained valuable experience last year as sophomores and give head coach Dave Lubick a deep backcourt rotation to rely on. 

Green is another highly versatile player who at six-foot-four can see time at a variety of different positions.  Long and athletic, he is especially dangerous in transition but also proved himself to be a valuable ball-handler and distributor last season. 

Lubick is coming off his commitment to Colgate this summer and is the type of guy that every championship caliber team needs because of his toughness and intellect.  As physically strong as he is tenacious, Lubick shoots the three, is a terrific passer, and a dependable decision maker with the ball. 

Kazikias was perhaps the most pleasant surprise on last year’s team and is coming off an impressive summer in his own right that only reaffirmed what he proved as a sophomore.  Another skilled and cerebral guard, Kazikias is a bit of a jack of all trades on the perimeter. 

Georgetown native Jaymie Spears gives Lubick an instant offense type guy who is capable of making plays down at the end of the shot clock.  Spears can score buckets in spurts and should consequently be able to carve out a nice niche for himself on this year’s team. 

New to the program are two very talented freshmen in six-foot-eight big man Jarred Reuter and six-foot-two point guard Kevin Zabo.  Reuter is already well known in Massachusetts after a dominant career at the middle school level while Zabo is another Canadian import with a very high upside.  The two will no doubt see immediate time this year but will also be understudies for the starring roles as they appear to be the future of the program after Murphy and Tarczewski. 

While Dave Lubick’s squad will be as talented as ever this season, they face a steep challenge as they will have to grow up quickly in order to compensate for their relative youth and inexperience when it comes to the loaded class AA.  But make no mistake about it, this is a team that has a very real chance to call themselves champions come March.