By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — Coming off an FCIAC Championship, Staples boys basketball is looking to again be in the mix of contenders for a title with hopes of a deep state playoff run this winter.

The Wreckers will have to move on from the loss of graduates Adam Udell and Charlie Bowman — notable shoes to fill — but return a good amount of talent to the court.

Captains are senior point guard Sam Clachko, senior forward Mason Tobias, junior guard Dhilan Lowman, and senior guard Jared Sale.

Other key Wreckers are starting junior guard Austin Heyer, returning starting forward Matty Corrigan, senior forward Jack Jacob, and senior guard Drew Hill, the coaching staff said.

Head Coach David Goldshore and Assistant Jake Sullivan are excited for the prospects for continued success.

“We have lofty goals this year given our returning talent and experience. For now, we want to get one percent better every day and stay healthy. We feel that this is as skilled and experienced as any group that we’ve had in recent memory but are far from being a finished product that hasn’t reached our full potential yet,” Sullivan said.

“The parts are good, but we think the whole can be a lot better than the sum of our parts. I think this group has as much offensive firepower as we have had in the last four years, but at the end of the day, our defense needs to be our bread and butter and our identity,” Sullivan added.

In last year’s Division I State Tournament, Staples was seeded fourth. Their season ended against No. 5 St. Bernard of Uncasville in the quarterfinals.

There will be plenty of good tests for the Wreckers as they aim to make that daily improvement on the path back to the postseason.

The team takes on Archbishop Malloy High of Briarwood, N.Y. Sunday at Crosby High in Waterbury Sunday at 2 p.m. Staples welcomes Ramapo High of Spring Valley, N.Y. Tuesday at 7 p.m. 

The FCIAC features several D-I teams, including Stamford for the conference opener (Dec. 27 in Stamford at 1 p.m.), as well as Greenwich, Danbury, and Ridgefield. The FCIAC boasts plenty of competition night in and night out with D-II representatives New Canaan, McMahon, Trumbull, Wilton, Westhill, Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe. Staples also faces Taconic High of Pittsfield, Mass., on the road on Jan. 17 at 3:15.

The Wreckers tipped off the season with a 68-26 win over D-II Wilbur Cross of New Haven on Tuesday. Tobias had 19 points and Clachko 13 to lead the scoring effort. Tobias had eight rebounds, one block and a pair of steals, and Clachko eight assists and three steals.