Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Last fall, Ben Piekarz didn’t make it easy for his dad, Joe, when the Marmion coach was putting the finishing touches on his varsity roster. And the coach wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Young Ben was a member of a talented sophomore class for the Cadets. How talented?
Four sophomores played up on the varsity all season, contributing mightily to a team that ended up 18-15. Ben, meanwhile, kept working and led the remaining sophomores to a 22-9 record.
“It was tough at first,” Ben said. “I worked hard in the offseason to get that spot and ended up not getting it. But my sophomore coach, Adam Terrell, taught me so many things about the game.
“Sometimes, some guys have to develop more. I had a great year on the sophomore team and I thought I developed my game nicely. I had a great time, and looking back on it, I’m blessed.”
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It has been apparent this week at Batavia’s Ken Peddy Thanksgiving Tournament that Ben Piekarz, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, has been quite a blessing for Marmion.
He was the first player off the bench Friday night and scored all 15 of his points in the first half of a 78-49 rout of Bartlett that featured a running clock in the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Ali Tharwani scored 24 points and junior guard Joseph Kramer added 20 for the Cadets (2-1). Junior guard Joey Cwik scored 16 points and senior guard Mikey Kampa had 10 for the Hawks (0-3).
“We’re a young team trying to learn how to play the game,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said.
The Cadets, on the other hand, shot 47% (15 of 32) from the floor in the first half to take a 49-27 lead and finished with 10 3-pointers, including six from Kramer and two from Piekarz.
“There were a lot of discussions and we could have easily gone with a different four playing up,” Joe Piekarz said of last season.
But Ben started in the team’s opener, a 69-51 loss to Maine East. and then also came off the bench in a 55-53 win over Batavia. He came up big in the final minute of that game.
Working off a screen and taking a feed from Tharwani, Piekarz swished a 3-pointer that erased a 53-51 deficit. Fouled on the play, he made the free throw for the final score.
“I mix up my starting lineup the first week of the season, trying different combinations,” Joe Piekarz said. “I think that 4-point play really boosted Ben’s confidence. He came in this game and picked up where he left off.
“He’s been working really hard on getting to the rim. He can shoot the three but players have to be able to do multiple things to make themselves more of a weapon.”
Tharwani also continues to flash a strong all-around game, posting five rebounds, four assists and three steals against Bartlett.
“We have only three seniors on the roster,” Joe Piekarz said. “So when you have a team full of juniors, you need some sort of senior leadership, and Ali has been that guy.
“Because he gets a lot of points and assists, people gravitate to that, but he can defend as well.”
Ben Piekarz, who continues to hit the weight room to boost his strength, confirmed that Tharwani is “a great leader, has a great vibe, and he’s amazing people.”
What about playing for his dad for the first time in high school?
“It’s awesome,” Ben said. “It’s something special. I’m glad I get the opportunity.”
The feeling, of course, is mutual.
“He has big goals for himself and big aspirations for basketball and what he can do,” Joe said of his son. “We try to keep a balance. He understands what happens on the court is coach to son, not dad to son.”