Last July John Phelan suggested I meet with Lucas Shapiro a local kid who is a basketball fan. Well, to say Shapiro is a basketball fan is akin to saying Tom Brady can throw a football. There’s a bit more to the story.

Phelan of course knew this. For Lucas Shapiro basketball is like, well, oxygen. He lives and breathes it. And he shares it.

Shapiro writes for a variety of publications, has his own website, plays for the local team .  .  . and attends high school.

We interviewed Lucas last July. That interview is being broadcast this week-end and next on MATV (Fri, Sat, and Sun @ 7:30). Despite some audio problems with the broadcast, Shapiro’s enthusiasm and passion for the game shine through.

He is an accomplished writer. Here is a recent example from a profile of Rene Castro, a past MHS stand out who is now at Beaver Country Day. The profile appears in Dime Magazine which covers all aspects basketball culture:

How may players have hit buzzer-beaters in the Boston Garden? The first people who come to mind are John Havlicek, Larry Bird, and Paul Pierce. And while kids from all over the world dream of hitting a game-winning shot on the parquet floor of the Garden, Rene Castro got to realize that dream two seasons ago as a high school freshman.

You can find the full text of Shapiro’s profile of Castro here. And you can share in Lucas Shapiro’s passion for the game on his web site.

Do you have a passion you’d like to share or know someone who does? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a note.