Jennifer Toland's college notes: Former St. John's star Stefan Masciarelli of Northbridge excelling at Lasell

Stefan Masciarelli didn’t play much his first two seasons on the St. John’s High basketball team. As an upperclassman, though, his role expanded, and his senior year he averaged 13.4 points to rank among Central Mass. Division 1 leaders.

The experience was one he drew on during his two years at Assumption. Masciarelli did not get into any games as a freshman at AC and played sparingly as a sophomore before transferring to Lasell College in Newton.

“Playing for someone like (St. John's coach Bob) Foley taught me a lot of discipline,” Masciarelli said. “It taught me regardless of what was going on at the time that my time was eventually going to come. It helped me stay patient when I was at Assumption. Even though I was having a tough go at the beginning, my time would eventually come.”

Masciarelli, who is from Northbridge, seized the chance to play at Lasell, and for two seasons has starred in the Lasers’ backcourt.

This year, the 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 24 points per game to lead the GNAC. He is also the conference’s top free throw shooter (93 percent).

“It’s been good,” Masciarelli said. “It was a tough move leaving Assumption, but being here it’s been nice to finally get an opportunity to play.”

In last week’s loss to Tufts, Masciarelli poured in 31 points and became the 15th player in Lasell history to score 1,000 in his career. Masciarelli did it in just two seasons. He averaged 18.2 points last year.

He owes his success to hard work in the summer, repetition and, again, opportunities.

Masciarelli, who played on two Central Mass. title teams at St. John’s, has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Against Colby-Sawyer last month, he scored a career-high 45 points and tied a school record with 10 made 3-pointers.

The Lasers played at Amherst on Dec. 8, so Masciarelli wasn’t able to be in San Diego to see his sister, Sydney, win the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. It was an incredible accomplishment for Sydney, who is a sophomore at Marianapolis Prep.

“To see how hard she worked,” Masciarelli said, “I was so happy for her and so proud.”

Masciarelli did, from afar, get to watch Sydney cross the finish line.

“I FaceTimed my other sister (Sophia), who was live streaming,” Masciarelli said, “so she held the phone up to the computer and I saw the end of it.”

Masciarelli also ran cross country and track at St. John’s and was part of three more Central Mass. championship teams.

Sophia, a Holy Name High graduate, is a freshman at Hofstra, where she is a member of the cross-country team. Their brother, Sal, who is Sydney’s twin, also runs and plays basketball at Marianapolis.

Masciarelli, who is a marketing major, has one year of basketball eligibility remaining. He has found a great fit at Lasell.

“I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTandG.