Buratto signs to play basketball at Carroll College
SANDPOINT — Seeing as his father played football there, his mother played volleyball there and the coaches were very high on him, it came as little surprise last week when Sandpoint’s Stefan Buratto signed a scholarship to play basketball at Carroll College.
Buratto, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, received interest from the University of Montana, University of Idaho, Whitworth and Eastern Oregon State College after torching the nets his senior season to the tune of 25 points per game. He wanted to play at a four-year college, and after visiting the campus in Helena a couple of times decided it was a great fit.
“I played with their players, liked the campus and felt welcomed by the coaches,” explained Buratto of his final decision, eager to see how his game stacks up at the NAIA level. “The offense runs through the guards, who get a lot of shots. The coaches said I’d fit in well.”
A versatile player with a deadly pull-up jumper, Buratto could fit in well with a lot of offenses. Last season he torched 5A state champion Post Falls for 42 and 35 points in two meetings, dropped nine 3-pointers among his 42 points at the Idaho All-Star Game, and was generally regarded as the top player in the Inland Empire League. He put up those numbers while shooting 52 percent from the field, 46 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the foul line.
While the Carroll coaches hope to red shirt Buratto next season, current Sandpoint head coach Tyler Haynes said once they see him play it might not work out that way.
“He might just help them right off the bat,” predicted Haynes. “The sky is the limit for Stefan and I think he can play at any level.”
The Fighting Saints of the Frontier Conference have compiled an impressive 140-49 overall record and won three conference titles in the past five seasons under current head coach Brandon Veltri. Veltri believes Buratto can play both guard positions and maybe even small forward, where his ability to fill it up from the perimeter is best utilized.
“Stefan is a versatile athlete who simply put, knows how to score,” said Veltri. “He can shoot the three with range, he has a great middle-game and he has the strength and athleticism to get past his defender and finish around the rim. We expect great things both on and off the court from Stefan.”
Buratto will continue a family legacy of athletics at Carroll, where his mom Christina Rust played volleyball from 1986-90 and his dad Mike Buratto played football from 1984-87. The familiarity and chance to follow in his parent’s footsteps led to Buratto’s decision, which he called both exciting and a relief.
Mike said Stefan set a goal to play college basketball as an AAU player in the 6th grade, and is proud that his son earned a scholarship to his alma mater.
“I know he’s in a great place at a great school, and I still know a lot of people there,” said Mike, who plans to make as many of Stefan’s games as possible. “If he needs somebody to lean on, a door to knock on, somebody will be there.”
Haynes couldn’t remember a Sandpoint basketball player signing with a four-year college right out of high school during his tenure, which says a lot about Buratto’s game. The shooting touch that has carried him to this point was the byproduct of a lot of hard work.
“I’m really proud of him, he’s worked for this his whole life,” said Christina. “He was one of those kids I was always yelling at to quit bouncing the ball; always jumping up to touch the ceiling.”