Courtside chatter
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Boys' players to watch
C Brian Emerson, Arlington: The 6-foot-7 senior averaged 20.6 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior and is a 1,000-point career scorer.
F Danny O'Keefe, Lexington: The 6-foot-4 O'Keefe captained the Minutemen as a junior and led the team to its third straight Middlesex League title, averaging 17.6 points per game.
G Hanell Velez, Woburn: The 6-foot-4 point guard headed to Southern New Hampshire University offers great length out on the perimeter.
G Josh Jones, Salem, N.H.: A four-year varsity starter, Jones has played a key role for the two-time defending Class L state champions. This season, he and forward Mike Kimball are the only returning starters for coach E.J. Perry.
F Ryan Romich, Groton-Dunstable: After quarterbacking the football team to a playoff berth in its first varsity season, the 6-foot-5 junior is back on the court after averaging 5.7 points per game as a sophomore.
Boys' teams to watch
Central Catholic: Adrian Gonzalez has moved on to Bentley, but the defending Division 1 state champions welcome back guard Billy Marsden and forward Carson Desrosiers from last year's 24-2 club.
Lowell: After last year's 21-2 run, the Raiders have set the bar pretty high. Graduation claimed six of their top eight players, including Merrimack Valley League all-stars Matt Welch and Jaime Shannon.
Lexington: After winning three straight Middlesex League titles, the Minutemen return a core of starters and are poised to make another run for the championship.
Salem, N.H.: The Blue Devils tap off the season as the two-time defending state champions.
Woburn: Senior Hanell Velez has the Tanners pointed in the right direction. Woburn was 15-6 a year ago, falling to eventual Division 2 North champ Reading in the first round.
NEXT SUNDAY: Girls' players, teams to watch.
Compiled by Sapna Pathak
Correction: Because of a reporting error, Brian Emerson was incorrectly listed as a high school senior in a Dec. 14 sports story. He is currently a freshman at Williams College
