Who is the current boys basketball Player of the Year?
Ryan Lanigan, HockomockSports.com: The current player of the year is Sharon’s Brian Mukasa. I’m not going strictly off the top scorers of the league either. Mukasa has really stepped up big time this year, taking complete control over a team that had way more preseason hype than it’s had in recent memory. They returned four starters in Mukasa, Jimmy Fritzon, Ian Beach, and Kevin Bartas. The only constant for Sharon in all of their games this season has been Mukasa, as the four aforementioned players have all missed time this season and the fifth starter rotates. Mukasa has helped lead the turnaround after the Eagles dropped their first three games.
Josh Perry, HockomockSports.com: Brendan Hill, Mansfield - He is the best player on the best team and a legitimate All-State forward. His combination of size, shooting, passing, and ballhandling makes him a constant threat even when he's not the team's leading scorer. Hill's combination of offensive weapons opens up the floor for his teammates and by running the offense through him, Mansfield can space the floor to open up its great shooters or to provide lanes to the basket.
Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston.com: It sounds crazy that we’re talking about a sophomore as Player of the Year in one of the state’s most competitive leagues, but right now my vote would be for Mansfield’s Brendan Hill. When you talk about consistency, he is the model example. One coach told us earlier this month that Hill is “a raw Pat Connaughton without the athleticism” – lofty comparison if you followed Connaughton’s career arc, but hard to argue with. The kid does it all for one of the state’s most efficient offenses. Nary a possession is wasted when Hill is on the floor.
Which Hockomock team has been the surprise team of the year?
Lanigan: It might be foolish to say this of a team that finished 15-5 last year, but Milford has been the most surprising team for me. Not to knock other leagues, but it’s not exactly a cake way in the Hockomock. Milford hasn’t skipped a beat though, jumping out to an 11-1 mark so far. They have argubably the strongest senior class in the league and seem to have a different leading scorer each night. It will be interesting to see how teams come back at them the second time around, which is why the second half of the season should be tough, especially with a match up with Mansfield.
Perry: Milford Hawks - Not a lot was known about the Hawks as they came into the league for the first time, but they have opened up the season at 11-1. I knew Milford would be good, but nowhere near as deep and talented as they've proven to be. Milford looks like the team that will run away with the Davenport this season and will be even better with point guard Michael Titlebaum back on the floor.
Hall: It has to be Milford, for the simple element of the relative unknown. Coming from a Central Mass. district where they certainly weren’t known for deep postseason runs (Milford is a baseball town, after all), the Scarlet Hawks have come in and run roughshod over the Davenport division. Their lone blemish so far is a 20-point loss to Taunton, and they’re sure to get tested against Mansfield. But it’s impressive that the Hawks rank third in the league in scoring yet only have one player in the Top 10 in individual scoring.
Hock 5 First Team
Lanigan:
G – Brian Mukasa, Sharon
G – Sam Bohmiller, Franklin
G – Tim Walsh, Attleboro
F – Brendan Hill, Mansfield
F – David Mercier, Milford
Perry:
F - Brendan Hill, Mansfield
F - David Mercier, Milford
G - Sam Bohmiller, Franklin
G - Brian Mukasa, Sharon
G - Tim Walsh, Attleboro
Hall:
Brendan Hill, Soph. F, Mansfield
Brian Mukasa, Jr. G, Sharon
Marcus Middleton, Sr. G, Stoughton
Sam Bohmiller, Sr. G, Franklin
Shaquille Davis, Sr. G, Taunton
Which player has surprised you this season?
Lanigan: Foxboro’s Justin Zupanick has been a very solid players for the Warriors during the first half of the season, helping them edge out close wins over Oliver Ames and Sharon. He has the ability to beat you from down low or mid range which can cause troubles for defenses. We knew about Josh Patkin, Tim O’Halloran, and Alex Pacitti heading into the season, but Zupanick has emerged as their leading scoring, helping them to an 8-4 record.
Perry: Ryan Boulter, Mansfield - The sophomore was the team's leading scorer earlier in the season and is still averaging over 12 points per game. While fellow sophomore Ryan Carney is lighting things up at Oliver Ames, there was some talk coming into the season that he was a player to watch. No one saw Boulter taking this big of a leap forward and it probably would not have even been possible if not for a preseason injury to Michael Hershman, which opened up playing time.
Hall: Some of us might not have been sure what Oliver Ames had coming up the pipe following the graduation of Nick Bruha, but sophomore guard Ryan Carney is having a breakout season right now and keeping the Tigers in contention in the Davenport. At 18.7 points per game, he’s the second-leading scorer in the league. He’s certainly an underclassman to watch the next few years.
At this point, which team will be going the furthest in the tournament?
Lanigan: It looks as though Mansfield will be a serious contender in Division I this season. Two crazy things to look at is that they’ve done this all without Michael Hershman – a solid contributor from last season – and that they are going to be arguably just as good next year. Before looking too far ahead, this year will be vital because of the contributions they get from senior Greg Romanko. They seem to be able to adjust their offense when needed and their defense has been solid throughout the entire season.
Perry: Mansfield should be the answer, but (as was the case during the soccer tournament this fall) D1 South is going to be an incredibly deep sectional to get through. I still feel as though the Hornets will be the team to represent the Hockomock deep into the playoffs and have the best chance to bring home some silverware for the Hockomock, but don't count out a strong run from Taunton or from Milford in the Central. Another sleeper could be Foxboro as the Hockomock's representative in D3.
Hall: Mansfield is the safe pick here. They’ve been the most dominant, and consistent, and are staring down a top seed in Division 1 South. I pegged them as a favorite in the district before the season, and they’ve done nothing to discern me from that in the first half. That said, D2 South is literally the most wide-open bracket in the state, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a Stoughton or a Sharon went on a nice little run.
Which team is going to surprise people in the second half of the season?
Lanigan: Based on what I saw earlier this week, Franklin has improved greatly since their first game of the season. It’s no surprise, seeing they did the same exact thing last year. This year brought a new challenege, but with sophomore Marcus Geise stepping up, junior Chris Rodgers emerging as a true scoring threat, and players like Pat O’Reilly, Brendan Kuzio, and Craig Anderson forming a solid rotation down low, things are getting a little easier for senior guard Sam Bohmiller. Dean O’Connor admitted this year’s squad is a defensive one, and numbers don’t lie as they are ranked the best defensive team in the league in terms of opponents scoring.
Perry: The Franklin Panthers are a very different team than early in the season with the emergence of Chris Rodgers as a consistent second scorer alongside Sam Bohmiller. It's never a surprise to see the Panthers near the top of the league, but I expect them to have a strong second half of the season and avenge a few of their losses. While this is not a team that could challenge Mansfield for the league title this season, they will have a chance at a good seed in the playoffs.
Hall: Franklin is a team that always gets better in February. We’ve probably overlooked this, likely because Mansfield and Taunton have dominated the talk of the Hock in the first half, but the Panthers are 7-3 right now with five straight wins since taking one on the chin to Mansfield earlier this month. I’m calling it right now – Franklin will upset Taunton on Tuesday, and it will be a six-point swing when they face Mansfield again on Feb. 12.