Pride of Lions: Remarkable St. Mark’s Basketball Legacy Finishes for Laczkowskis

Close bond between brothers has fueled success as youngest sibling preps for college

The conclusion of Luke Laczkowski’s basketball career at St. Mark’s this winter will be the end of one family legacy and the continuation of another.

As a four-year standout for the Lions, Laczkowski capably followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Andrew and Tate. He reached the 1,500-point plateau late last season.

Next year, Laczkowski will play for Saint Louis University after signing with the Billikens in November. It will mark a return to a city where both of his parents were star athletes at neighboring Washington University, and where he still has plenty of family.

Despite standing at 6 feet, 8 inches now, Laczkowski grew up favoring tennis rather than basketball. He was a highly ranked youth player who switched sports three years ago because of the opportunity to play with Tate. Luke tried out and made the team as a freshman and hasn’t looked back.

“Playing with my brother, he kind of paved the path for my basketball career. That team was truly special to me,” he said. “I saw my game continue to improve and saw that college was a possibility. Playing basketball for as long as I can is my dream.”

He specializes as a perimeter shooter with physical size that can create defensive matchup issues. The ability to play multiple positions has pushed Laczkowski to continue developing multiple facets of his game. Last season, he averaged 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as the Lions finished 25-9.

He’s also driven by support from his siblings, both of whom also have played at the Division I college level. Andrew recently finished his career at the University of Pennsylvania, while Tate is a junior at Army West Point.

“It started outside in our backyard,” Luke said. “Those 1-on-1 games helped me as a player, but I’m also trying to make my own path. They have pushed me to who I am today. I’m so grateful for it.”

Laczkowski said Saint Louis is a good fit in part because the system of new head coach Josh Schertz, formerly at Indiana State, mirrors the free-flowing concepts run at St. Mark’s.

“I believe he’s building something great at Saint Louis,” Laczkowski said of Schertz. “There’s a lot of factors that played into it.”

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