Top 10 high school boys basketball teams to watch in the 2014-15 Connecticut state tournament

The CIAC boys basketball tournament revs up this week, and the games are going to be awesome if last week's conference finals were a harbinger. There were a number of thrillers and wild finishes that made it difficult to narrow down a list of teams bearing watching to just these 10.


Hillhouse (New Haven) — 18-4
One can't talk Connecticut high school boys basketball without mentioning Hillhouse. The Academics are the kings of the sport, having won a CIAC-record 22 titles, and they've been a constant in the Class LL tourney this millennium. They're deep at guard with Joe Kasperzyk, John Lewis and Troy Walters, and Hillhouse always has a defense that can choke other teams out. The Academics have a number of obstacles in the state tournament with possible games against defending LL champions Bridgeport Central, Ledyard and Fairfield Prep. Hillhouse has played better on the big stage than any other boys hoops team over several years, though.

Bunnell (Stratford) — 19-4
The Bulldogs wouldn't have made this list after the first half of the season, losing three of their first five. Check out who beat them, though: Southern Connecticut Conference champion Career (66-63), Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference runner-up Norwalk (71-62) and Naugatuck Valley League runner-up Crosby (70-67, overtime). They beat Crosby in the rematch (81-69). They also avenged a late-season loss to Notre Dame of Fairfield last Friday by routing it to win their third-straight South-West Conference title (75-58). Tournament MVP Ryan Pittman and company will be a tough out in Class L.

Career Magnet (New Haven) — 21-3
The Panthers played very well during the entire regular season, and they're currently running at peak efficiency. They beat perennial superpower Hillhouse twice in six days, and then destroyed top-seeded Fairfield Prep in the SCC final (81-59). Junior guard Tyreek Perkins was the SCC Player of the Year, and sophomore guard Tyrell Eaddy earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor. Career just missed winning its second Class L title in three seasons last year. It's about to make another run at that title.

Crosby (Waterbury) — 18-5
Yet another team that's better than its record shows. The Bulldogs lost three times to the state's top ranked team, defending CIAC Class S champion Sacred Heart. They gave Sacred Heart a run both times and nearly pulled off the upset of the season before losing on a buzzer-beater in the NVL final. Senior center Zarvon Love has averaged 15.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and sophomore wing Tyairus Sands averaged 24.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the final two NVL tournament games. Crosby's biggest downside is its placement in Class LL's Bracket of Death — it could meet Norwalk in the second round, Westhill in the quarterfinals and whoever survives the top half off the bracket (SCC runner-up Fairfield Prep, state superpower Hillhouse or ECC runner-up Ledyard) in the semifinals.

Fairfield Prep — 21-2
The Jesuits are fed up with losing in three of the previous four Class L championship games. They're probably tired of folks asking them why they haven't won the big one, too. The Jesuits did a fantastic job reloading this season and were the best regular season team in one of the state's toughest leagues, including beating Career and Hillhouse twice. They even avenged their only loss by trouncing Hamden in the SCC semifinals (68-51). And then they played a clunker and were ransacked by Career in the final. Oh, boy. Prep has a few things going for it headed into the Class LL tourney, annually the most brutal division in any CIAC sport. It's the top seed and will get a first-round bye. It's also blessed at guard with Tommy Nolan, Ryan Foley and Rich Kelly. And it doesn't need any motivation to win the program's first state title since 1997.

New London — 22-0
The Whalers showed last Friday what they are capable of when the odds are against them. They trailed rival Ledyard in the Eastern Connecticut Conference final when leading scorer Collin Sawyer fouled out with 5 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game. New London rallied to win its seventh league title in eight seasons, 68-62, with Seth Lake earning MVP honors by nailing an outrageous eight 3-pointers for 27 points. He and Lake are long-range snipers, while forward Craig Parker is the glue that holds it together. The Whalers have an interesting draw as the top-seed in Class L, as they could have a quarterfinal game with Windsor, the defending champion and Central Connecticut Conference runner-up. Bunnell may await them in the semis, too.

Norwalk — 17-6
There's been little middle ground with the Bears. They started 10-0, including a win over Bunnell. Then they went 5-5 the second half of the season. Norwalk got its groove back in the FCIAC tournament, as it avenged losses to both Bassick of Bridgeport and Wilton in the quarterfinals and semis, respectively. It took Westhill to the limit in the final before losing, 64-60 (it also lost to the Vikings during the regular season, 60-55). Forward Roy Kane jr. (6-6) and guard Zaire Wilson (6-3) averaged 24.3 and 16.3 points, respectively, in that tournament for Norwalk. The Bears, like Crosby, received a vicious draw, but they're a big reason why that portion of the Class LL bracket is so brutal.

Sacred Heart (Waterbury) — 23-0
The Hearts have been ranked No. 1 all season, but they got a big scare heading into the state tournament as they trailed Crosby for almost the entire NVL final last Wednesday. They persevered as junior guard Mustapha Heron made an off-balance jumper at the buzzer to give them a 68-66 win. Heron has already given an oral commitment to Pittsburgh, and 6-foot-7 power forward Malik Petteway is an impossible matchup for most teams. Good luck to the rest of the Class S trying to keep Sacred Heart from repeating.

Weaver (Hartford) — 22-2
The Beavers won just eight regular season games two years ago and, as the 25th seed, lost in double overtime in the Class S final. They went 12-8 last season but got to the Class M final where they lost to East Catholic (87-60). This could be the season where the Beavers get a title. They're the top seed in Class M and stomped Windsor in the CCC final, 83-66. Four players have averaged in double figures for Weaver — junior guard KeAndre Fair (17.1 ppg), sophomore guard Jaecee Martin (13.7), senior guard Robert Harrison (12.8) and sophomore wing Chaylyn Martin (12.2). The Beavers have won 14 straight games, including two over fifth-seeded East Catholic (92-78 and 93-76).

Westhill (Stamford) — 22-1
The Vikings have Jeremiah Livingston and you don't. The senior guard is among the state's most indispensible players as he averaged 24 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.2 steals. He was sensational in the FCIAC tournament. Livingston scored 21 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter of a 68-61, come-from-behind win over Trumbull in the semifinals. He followed that by scoring 13 of his 40 in the fourth quarter last Friday to lead Westhill to its first FCIAC title since 1989. There's more to the Vikings than Livingston, of course. Senior guard C.J. Donaldson averaged 11.3 points and junior wing Tyrell Alexander averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds. The Vikings are in the aforementioned brutal Class LL half of the bracket, but they have the talent and toughness to give the school its first basketball state championship.