Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON — St. Mark’s got off to a 9-2 start last season on its way to a 13-8 record and a first-round loss to St. Thomas More in the state tournament. This season, the Spartans will rely on experience and chemistry to try to go further into the postseason, according to coach Nick Sanna.
The top returning players for the Spartans are seniors Chris Ludman and Billy Sullivan, both coming off fine fall seasons in soccer and football, respectively. Three juniors – Will Hoffman, Brian Gilardi and Nick Leski – have considerable varsity experience, and seniors Carlos Roques and Matt Smith add depth. Newcomers to watch include sophomore Eric Ludman and juniors Matt Tynes and Jacques Dubecq.
“Our guys are all battling for minutes, which makes for some intense practices and ultimately makes us a better ball club,” Sanna said. “The returning nucleus of guys that we have are very competitive in general. They know what it takes to be successful. Our less experienced guys are competitors, too. They have been bringing out the best in one another.”
After opening at home against Christiana on Thursday at 7:15 p.m., St. Mark’s spends a lot of time on the road, including stops at Caravel, Milford and St. Elizabeth. They also play Salesianum twice, Caesar Rodney, Delcastle and Polytech. Sanna said playing together will be the key to a successful season.
“We have a very close-knit group of guys, which will carry us through some rough spots during the season. Our goal is to get better every day. If we can do that, hopefully we will be playing our best basketball come February and March,” he said.
