St. Mark’s School Basketball Turns Out Top Prospects

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocal Contributor

There are plenty of talented basketball teams in Central Massachusetts, but you would be hard pressed to find a better one-two punch in the entire country than the talented duo at St. Mark’s School in Southborough.
The Lions (25-2, 16-0) have leaned heavily on seniors Kaleb Tarczewski and Nik Stauskas, and with good reason. Not only do both seniors lead St. Mark’s in nearly every category, they are also two of the most sought after college basketball recruits in the country. Tarczewski is rated as a “five-star” prospect and the top center in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com. Stauskas, meanwhile, checks in as a “four-star” prospect, and the No. 12 shooting guard.

A BIG-Time player

While he is obviously a tremendous natural talent, the chance to play with and against other elite players at St. Mark’s is what Tarczewski believes took his game to the next level. “It was definitely a big change,” Tarczewski said of coming to St. Mark’s from Clermont, New Hampshire. “It was pretty hard in the beginning. I had to really work up to find my spot here, but it’s really fun to get to play against great teams every day.”

At 7-feet tall, Tarczewski certainly looks the part of a big-time college center. Still, his coach David Lubick, whose son Nate currently plays for Georgetown, says that Tarczewski has far more redeeming qualities than just height.

“He’s an extremely athletic big guy who’s just improved his skill set every month,” Lubick said. “He works very hard and he’s just getting better and better. Taking that ball out in transition, handling it, and going to the rim, that’s an example of the fact that he’s a basketball player, not just a big guy.”
Tarczewski will head to Tuscon next fall to play for the University of Arizona. Big things will be expected, but not just of Tarczewski. The Wildcats are bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, rated as high as No. 1 by ESPN.

Unlike Tarczewski, Nik Stauskas does not jump out at you as an elite basketball prospect. Checking in at around 6-foot-5, he is certainly not undersized, but the Canadian shooting guard gets by mostly on versatility and skill.
  

“Nik is, skill-wise, the most complete player I’ve ever coached,” Lubick said. “Now, we’ve got him defending and rebounding a little, before we send him off to (Michigan coach) John Beilein. So, as a result of that, he’s going to have a chance to actually play right away out there.”

 Stauskas will compete for immediate playing time on the wing, but will have some NBA bloodlines to battle in the forms of probable returnee Tim Hardaway Jr. and future classmate Glenn Robinson Jr. for minutes. Whether or not he plays right away, Stauskas has some lofty goals for Michigan as a team.

“Right now, my goal is to win a national championship,” Stauskas said. “That’s what I want to do, and personally my goal is to start at shooting guard when I get to Michigan.”
 Stauskas will arrive in Ann Arbor in the fall and will be joined by Robinson and “five-star” power forward Mitch McGary. While a national championship is a lot to ask, the Wolverines will not be lacking talent.

 

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