By Zach Smart
Bryceson Dobie spent his last few games at East Stroudsburg North HS (PA) cementing his status as one of the craftiest guards in the area and beyond.
His proficiency as a three level scoring threat first garnered notice at the stretch run of his junior year, when the 6-foot-1 guard closed out the season averaging 26.7 points.
During his junior and senior season, Dobie piled up 910+ points, playing an instrumental role in helping the team quell a long playoff drought.
Dobie ‘s shiftiness and ability to quarterback a team while also applying high wired one on one defense across all 94 feet are noteworthy, bedrock assets of his game.
These attributes will catapult the under the radar guard into a prominent role at The Knox School (NY) this upcoming season. He will play under former Quinnipiac guard and Division-I associate and head coach (Iona, Bryant) Jared Grasso.
In a unique full circle moment, Dobie is now playing under a coach who had some memorable eyeball to eyeball matchups with his father, former Long Island University-Brooklyn guard and overseas professional Antawn “Anti-Freeze” Dobie, 22+ years ago.
Both Grasso and Dobie were two of the top guards in a rather obscure Northeast Conference, one which featured an array of talented and lightly recruited guards.
Grasso said Dobie will anchor a defense expected to apply a 40-minute press and hold foes under their scoring average.
“Bryceson’s preparation and work ethic are elite,” Grasso said.
“He comes from a basketball family and understands the level of commitment it takes to be a great player. His best basketball is ahead of him.”
In today’s topsy turvy recruiting culture, with coaches prioritizing the transfer portal and high school/prep prospects facing arduous odds, Dobie possesses college ready attributes.
Aspects of Dobie ‘s workload and regimen are precisely what prepares him for the rigors of the collegiate game.
“I’m a pass-first point guard who can take over games when need be,” said Dobie, who played with the NY Jayhawks this past season.
“I feel like offensively, we’re going to be a fast-paced team. Defensively, we’re going to be scrappy. We’re going to press. We’re going to just make teams uncomfortable.”
Dobie’s father always preached the importance of a mid range game, as Dobie has vowed to make that shot akin to a layup in his arsenal.
Workouts between the two always begin from the left side, as Bryceson Dobie has now developed his left hand with as much focus as his right.
“I’m ambidextrous, I can shoot it left handed, too,” Dobie said.
Attacking both sides of the rim and keeping a semblance of balance in his three level repertoire, he’s able to draw fouls.
Dobie was a 39 percent 3-point shooter and an 84 percent free throw shooter during his aforementioned stay at East Stroudsburg North.
Dobie’s father garnered the nickname “Anti-Freeze” while playing in a hothouse streetball environment, on courts from Rucker Park to Gaucho Gym.
The nickname pays homage to his knack for delivering during heightened, crunch time pressure, during hyper-comoetitive and pro-laden outdoor events of the city.
It was Dobie’s 32 points which pioneered Bingo’s All Stars to a TOC title 14 years ago.
The Queens-bred guard, who played at McClancy, played professionally in France, Turkey, Poland, and Belgium, among other destinations, is embedded in Long Island University-Brooklyn lore for a wild, 53-point game against cross town in conference foe St. Francis NY.
“I think the main aspects of (my father’s) game I picked up are just his IQ and how he reads the game,” Dobie said.
“Learning how to pick my spots. Playing off two feet. That’s a big concept being not an undersized guard, but a smaller guard in today’s game. I picked up his knack for getting around people and finishing.”
Few kids at this level detest losing the way Dobie does. It will be hard to get a laugh out of him, get a word out of him, or get a text back from him in the event of a loss.
All of this has ingrained in him a hard edged mentality that makes him a hard guy to keep out of the gym.
Dobie knows there will be no easy outs with this year’s schedule, which features stops at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. for the New England Prep Showcase and the prestigious Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.
“The main thing coach (Grasso) emphasizes is that we just play hard at all times,” Dobie said.
“If we play hard, I think win or lose he is going to be good with that. It’s all about consistent effort.”
