Matas Buzelis is insanely coveted

Photo Credit: Scott Kurtz

The Twitterverse has virtually blown up, or so it seems, about Matas Buzelis, a long and lean 6-foot-10 junior enrolled at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The Illinois born prospect with Lithuanian parents has become one of the most coveted players in the 2023 class.

Want proof? How about his list of schools that have flown up to New England to watch the prep star workout in an open gym? He’s had Kentucky. He’s had North Carolina. Duke has been up. Syracuse, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, and there are more.

“We measured him at 6-foot-10 and a half last week and he’s 180-pounds,” said Jason Smith, who has been the head coach at Brewster for 22 years. “We just opened up for the recruiting period on September the 9th. All of those schools have been up here.”

So what’s so special about Buzelis? There are certainly other tall kids out there that can match his height, right?

Photo Credit: Scott Kurtz

“It’s his skill level,” said Smith. “He’s very, very skilled. He’s a guard. And he has the skills of a guard so there’s not really a comparison that you can make. People ask me all the time who I’d compare him to, but I don’t have a perfect answer. He’s just a guy who is a playmaker.

“He can block a shot above the rim, grip it off the glass and lead the break by himself. He can do it all. And on top of that, he’s an absolute gym rat. He’s not entitled or anything like some of the other kids (highly ranked). He puts the work in and he’s always in the gym.”

Smith shows up at 6:30 a.m. most mornings at the gym for optional workouts, and Buzelis is usually waiting to be let in.

For Duke, Chris Carrawell has been up to see him and Jon Scheyer is planning to come up next.

“Like I said, Duke was up last week, Chris Carrawell was here,” said Smith. “I’ve been in touch and have exchanged messages with Coach Scheyer and I know he’s planning to come up in the next few days or so.”