As the point guard dribbles down the hardwood court, cheers fill the Staples High School gym as the bleachers are filled with captivated students and fans. Come winter, much of the school’s eyes are fixed on the players of the Staples boys’ basketball team as they commence another competitive season of FCIAC basketball. 

Despite it being only October, the boys’ varsity basketball team, while still with no official roster, has been playing in scrimmages to prepare for their upcoming season. Even with the absences of some players who are still competing in other sports, the team is currently undefeated with six wins. The boys are putting in a lot of work and are excited for the upcoming season.

“Preseason has been going great. We are all having fun and we all want to contribute to what hopefully will be a great season,” Sam Clachko ’26 said.  

Though the season is still many weeks away, the soon-to-be squad’s preparations are in full swing, not taking this season for granted. 

“Our team has been preparing for the season in a variety of ways. Not only are we working really hard to build chemistry on the court, but we are also spending a lot of time together off the court in order to get comfortable and trust one another,” Charlie Honig ’23 said. “This team is very different from last year’s team, and I’m excited to show everyone what we’re about.”

Led by captains Honig, Chris Zajac ’23, Cody Sale ’23 and Gavin Rothenberg ’23, the squad has been working well together, being able to secure tense victories against fellow Connecticut varsity teams.

“So far most of the games have been very competitive, with us winning by a single point against King and St. Lukes,” Adam Udell ’25 said. “We closed the games out well and I think the team is in a good spot right now, but we have to keep playing together and improve even more before the season starts.”

Despite a successful regular season last year, the Wreckers fell to Waterford in the second round of the state tournament and Fairfield Warde in the quarterfinals of the FCIAC tournament in narrow defeats. This year, with many new faces to the rotation, they are determined to achieve what they couldn’t last year and are itching for their chance to come.

“I’m very excited for the season and have very high expectations for the team,” Zajac said. “We’re looking to win a championship this year and anything else would be a disappointment.”