Prep Wins Both on Saturday at Philly Live I

EAST FALLS, PA. — Although some may think that looking at the stat sheets from St. Joseph’s Prep on Saturday tells the whole story of the Hawks’ performance, a true picture can only be painted by looking inside the Prep and it’s basketball program.

In the Prep’s two wins at Philly Live, 11 players got on the board, with 10 scoring four points or more in a game, but to those who actually watched the 62 minutes the Hawks played, it was clear that those 11 and others who touched the floor but didn’t score are quickly building a level of chemistry and team-oriented basketball that rivals almost any team in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

While things seemed to be coming together on the floor in the Prep’s 56-43 win over Linden (N.J.) and its 84-59 win over Westminster (Fla.), another thing that stuck out was the energy generated by the Prep bench, something that Hawks Head Coach was impressed by.

“All of these guys root for each other,” Clark said. “They celebrate each other, which is great for me as a coach. I don't have to worry abou these guys not rooting for each other. I'm really excited and happy about that part of it. They do a terrific job of celebrating each other and being great teammates.”

Most of the guys on the bench didn’t sit there for long though, as Clark relied on a large rotation to produce for the Prep, something he couldn’t do in his first year in 2025-26.

“We have a lot of guys,” Clark said. “We have depth. We have guys that can contribute and help. I was really impressed with our depth and everyone that came in and gave us some pretty good minutes.”

One star for the Hawks was rising junior Julian McKie, who put up 28 in the win over Westminster.

“He’s a good player, man. He's probably one of the better players in the state, if not in the country. I think he's underrated. He just wants to win. He wants to be a great teammate. You know, he wants to make our program the best it can be. So, I'm really thrilled to be able to coach him and help him develop.” 

Another rising junior who stood out was Luke Maransky, who after struggling in his first year with the program in 2025-26 has been on fire from beyond the arc as of late.

“I'm really hard on Luke,” Clark said. “He's a point guard. I was a former point guard, so I'm really hard on him, probably more than anybody else. But he's an extremely coachable kid with a great family [and] great foundation. I'm really pleased with his maturity and how much he's gotten better in a year. Things were new for him last year, not just the Prep, but the Catholic League. So he had to fit in with these guys, and you can see his confidence and his chemistry with these guys is just growing, and I'm truly happy to see that.”

After the games, Clark spoke to his team about brotherhood. It’s the message that means a lot more than basketball at the Prep, and is just as important as anything that the Hawks do on the floor.

“When you're part of the Prep’s brotherhood and family, it's not about you,” Clark said. “Of course, we're known for, you know, our academics and our athletics, but it's really about the bonds that these guys create, on the court and off the court that last a lifetime. Thinking back to my time at the Prep, some of the guys that I played with are my best friends. We talk all the time. We talk about our families and our children. That's what it's about, and that love for one another carries over to the court, classroom, and community. That bond lasts forever. That’s what these guys are creating.”