Marian went 15-11 a year ago and finished the season incredibly strong, going on a run in the District 11 2A boys basketball playoffs.

The Colts defeated both Lincoln Leadership and Schuylkill Haven, before losing to Mahanoy Area in the title game.

Marian lost a majority of its scoring to graduation, but the Colts will try to build off their postseason success as they rebuild their starting lineup.

Head coach Scott Murphy still hasn’t set a definitive starting five, but a host of players will be competing to earn the nod.

Junior Jake Tom returns after playing in all 26 games last season, and is the most experienced Colts player coming back. Juniors Justin and Jacob De LaCruz also saw some court time last season. Senior Brian Ferreira returns, while senior Dylan Rodino is back after missing last season with an injury.

“We’re going to be counting on those guys for leadership,” said Marian head coach Scott Murphy. “Especially guys like Jake Tom and Dylan Rodino. Right now we have about 13 guys that will be competing for varsity playing time. It’s a good problem to have. We’re just going to look a little different. You could see 22 different leading scorers for us in the box scores, and I think you’re going to see five guys close to double figures on any given night. We have great numbers right now. In grades 9-12, we have 42 kids in the program.”

Marian will depend on a bunch of newcomers as well.

Noel Matos, Dominic Catrone, Rocco Griguoli, Yaniel Nunez, as well as freshman Greg Tirpak, Mitchell Knock, Tyler Price and Brandon Osario will all be competing for significant minutes.

“We’re going to look to our new guys to come in and really help us,” said Murphy. “We have a good mix of guards and post players in that group that all do some good things. We’re also excited about our freshman class, and we’re looking forward to see how they develop throughout the season.”

With Marian’s depth, expect the Colts to get after it in on the defensive end. As the season moves forward, Marian will look to pressure both in the full and half-court to try and create some offense with its defense.

“With our depth, we’re going to look to go faster on the defensive side of the floor,” said Murphy. “We’re going to pressure both in the half-court and in the full court. I think as the season goes on, we will go more full court, and we will also mix in some zone looks as well.”