Little Compton's Melanson Towers Over High School Competition

Outside the boundaries of Rhode Island, Pete Melanson of Little Compton has made a towering name for himself in basketball during the past four years, and his future in the game is certainly a promising one.

The son of Peter and Judy Melanson of Little Compton, Pete Melanson recently completed a four-year hoop tenure at Bishop Stang High School of Dartmouth, MA, a member of the Eastern Athletic Conference. Melanson was the leading scorer and rebounder during the 2010-11 campaign for the Spartans, averaging nearly 18 points and almost 12 rebounds per outing, as they posted a 12-6 regular-season mark, defeated Norton High (56-52) in the first round of the Division III South Section State Tournament, but bowed to eventual runner-up Medway High (62-61) in overtime.

At 6-foot-6 inches in height, Melanson is an imposing presence on a basketball court, but his game includes much more than sheer size. He possesses a soft shooting touch, a deft array of low-post moves and a strong desire to improve.

“Pete is an outstanding player, an outstanding student and an outstanding person,” said Stang Coach Joe Balestracci. “Every year he played for us, he improved his skills and he developed into a much more physical and aggressive player.”

A three-year varsity player at Stang, Melanson came into his own this past winter, scoring in double digits in 18 of the Spartans’ 20 contests and at least 20 points in 12 outings despite frequently facing collapsing defenses. He tallied a career-high 27 points against Somerset High and posted an impressive string of five successive 20-point starts.

“Pete was a rock for us this year,” Balestracci said.

Melanson capped his scholastic basketball career recently by being named Stang’s male selection for the prestigious Dave Cowens Award, an annual presentation to the top male and female basketball players in southeastern Massachusetts (encompassing 20 high schools) and named for the former Boston Celtics great and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. While Melanson did not win the award, in no way did in diminish his achievements of the past three seasons when he helped the Spartans extend their prominence in local scholastic basketball circles (Stang has qualified for post-season play in each of the past nine years).

A lifelong resident of Little Compton, Melanson attended the through eighth grade, began playing basketball at an early age, but did not admittedly take the game seriously until he was 12 years old. He played for the Eagles’ basketball squad in both seventh and eighth grade before heading to Stang.

“I visited Stang when I was in eighth grade looking at it and other schools and I liked it right away,” Melanson said. “I knew I wanted to spend the next four years of my life there.”

Stang is a four-year, college preparatory school with 735 male and female students representing 50 different cities and towns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In its graduating Class of 2010, 98.5 percent of students continued their formal education this year, including 88 percent who attended four-year colleges and universities.

Melanson began his Spartan athletic tenure as a three-sport participant, but gave up football after his freshman year and baseball following his sophomore year “to concentrate on basketball,” he said. He was an EAC All-Star selection in basketball for the past two seasons and has also been named to hoop all-star teams selected by local newspapers.

During his time at Stang, Melanson has also thrived in the classroom and beyond. He boasts a 3.55 grade-point average and helped raise awareness and funds for homeless persons during community service projects in his final two years in school. In both years, he spent one night sleeping outdoors to emulate the plight of homeless individuals.

“It was quite an experience seeing the world through the eyes of others,” Melanson said.

After graduating from Stang in June, Melanson said he intends to enroll in September at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., and continue his basketball career there. Established in 1797, Hartwick College is a private, four-year coeducational institution. Its men’s basketball team captured the championship of the Empire 8 Conference during the past winter and earned a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

“I don’t know yet what I will major in, but I think it will be a science-related program,” Melanson said.

And, undoubtedly, one which will enable him to continue towering over others.