Consistency, leadership carrying Mars
Not many teams can match the consistency and success that the Mars boys basketball team has achieved in 24 seasons under coach Rob Carmody.
Over the past eight seasons, the Class 5A No. 3 Planets have compiled a combined record of 161-42, with a run of six consecutive WPIAL semifinal appearances and counting. The previous time Mars didn’t reach the WPIAL or PIAA semifinals was in 2014 — and the Planets still finished that season 26-3.
The way Carmody remembers it, though, it used to be a rare occurrence for Mars to even win a playoff game before he took the job.
“When I took over at Mars a long time ago, one of the first things that I noticed was that the guys who were going to be our juniors or seniors — Mars had not been in the playoffs since they were in kindergarten,” Carmody said. “That was something we wanted to change. We wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again. Now our guys who are seniors, they don’t know anything except Mars going to the playoffs and having success.
“It’s a program. It’s something that feeds into itself.”
After several years of close calls, the Planets finally broke through and won backto-back WPIAL titles in 2018 and 2019, narrowly missing out on a three-peat in 2020. Last year ended the team’s run of three consecutive WPIAL championship appearances, but this year’s group appears to have all the necessary ingredients for another deep playoff run.
It starts with senior point guard Zach Schlegel, who leads the team with 16.8 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 stealsper game. Although the 5-11 guard certainly knows how to stuff the stat sheet, his
value to the team goes far beyond the numbers.
As a freshman, Schlegel managed to break his way into a rotation that included established senior point guard Andrew Recchia and junior big man Michael Carmody, one of the WPIAL’s most dominant post players in recent memory. Although Schlegel wasn’t asked to be much of a scorer, he brought an added level of energy and intensity to the team, especially on the defensive end.
“To break into a team like that, it’s not going to be about how much you can score,” Carmody said. “What else can you do? He made big steals for us. He made big free throws down the stretch as a freshman. When guys come off the bench and play with a higher level of energy than the guy they’re replacing, it makes your team really hard to beat. And Zach was able to do that.
“He plays with poise, and there’s no doubt he’s the heart and soul of this program.”
Senior Chris Dvorak has started since his sophomore
year, when the 6-6 forward teamed up with Michael Carmody to provide one of the most intimidating frontcourts in the area. Since Carmody graduated in 2020, Dvorak has taken on an even larger role as the go-to presence in the paint for Mars, averaging a double-double with 11.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game through the team’s first eight games.
“As a sophomore, he had it a little easier, because he had the luxury of having Mike there,” Carmody said. “The last two years, he’s had to take on a role that probably isn’t best suited for his skill set. … But for us to be successful, Chris has to play that role of the traditional post guy. And he does it without asking questions.”
While Schlegel and Dvorak are the team’s unquestioned senior leaders, the most skilled player of all for the Planets might be junior guard Tasso Sfanos.
An all-section pick after averaging 11.7 points as a sophomore, Sfanos is continuing to evolve his game while growing bigger and stronger, and his hard work is paying off. The 6-foot guard is averaging 15.9 points, 3.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game for Mars this season.
“Tasso is just so smooth. When you see Tasso handle the ball, it just looks very natural. Almost like he’s gliding at times,” Carmody said. “He’s progressed from being mainly a scorer as a freshman and sophomore to really utilize his ability to create for others as well. And it’s happened naturally.”
With seniors Bryce Cunningham and Austin Cote rounding out the starting lineup and each providing at least eight points per game on average, the Planets are loaded with skill, experience and veteran leadership. They may not have a Robby or Michael Carmody leading the way, but Mars still entered the week 7-1 overall and ranked No. 3 in Class 5A — with its only loss coming against a strong team from Princeton, Ohio, at the Pensacola Beach Tournament in Florida.
It all sounds like a recipe for another potential championship run, but Carmody won’t look too far ahead. Having built the program from the ground up, he knows better than to take any wins that come his way for granted.
“It’s great to be 7-1. But it’s even better to be coaching on a team where all the guys are close,” Carmody said. “I tell the youth coaches this, too — I know we’ve had a good practice if we have to kick the guys out of the gym. If the guys are running for the exit doors, we probably didn’t have a good practice.
“This is something I’m so passionate about. But the championships and stuff, when you start thinking, ‘It’s championship or bust,’ you take the focus away from what you’re really doing this for, and that’s to get kids to love basketball and love the kids they’re playing with and playing against, and to build relationships with them that last forever.”