After hot start, 2023 men’s basketball sets sights on BK Classic, state tournament

Luke Costello, Multimedia Coordinator

The winter sports season brings about much excitement throughout the Cathedral Prep community. One of many teams competing this winter is the men’s basketball team. Lead by coach Steve Piotrowicz, the red hot Ramblers look to continue their early success throughout the season. Currently sitting at an undefeated 8-0, the Ramblers are ranked as the #1 team in the 5A class for Pennsylvania and the #4 team overall.

The men’s basketball team recently took a trip to Florida to compete against top talent in the country. The team came out of the tournament 3-0 while rolling their way through all of the games.

Senior Jake Sambuchino is one of the leaders of the team.

“The Florida trip went great,” Jake said. “It was not only an amazing opportunity to go have fun and bond with our teammates, but also was a great test as a team to be competing against top competition from all over the country.”

While their main focus was to compete and prevail, during their free time the boys spent a lot of time bonding and even taking a trip to Universal Studios. To many, sports can get very time consuming and stressful, but the best teams are those who can have fun while doing it.

Later on I asked Jake what he is most excited for with the ongoing season. He said as he is a senior this year, he is excited to take a leadership role while hopefully making a deep run in the playoffs with his team. He says the boys are starting to come together as one and can hopefully roll right into the state tournament.

While that is their main goal, something more current that the team is excited for, being one of the most highly anticipated 4-team tournaments in the country, The Burger King Classic. Around the Prep community, this tournament is most commonly known for being jam-packed during each game. Once again having all the experience and chemistry the team has, they are prepared to stack up against some very talented competitors.

All of the events and moments that happen prior to states is what motivates each person to focus on one goal. Together as brothers and men of Prep, the Ramblers look to succeed in a dramatic way this year. As always, the team encourages students and fans to come to games and support them as they make an effort on a historical 2023 season.