The 2025-26 boys basketball season was one for the ages, filled with career high performances, legacy cementing moments, and history-making games throughout.
The RedHawks started off the season on fire, winning four straight with three being tournament games, including an emphatic 82-22 victory over Longwood in the opener.
A key player in those games and throughout the season was transfer Charles Barnes Jr, a forward from De La Salle. Barnes had no problem adjusting to the Marist play style, leading the team with 17 points per game along with six rebounds.
“Chuck came over from De La Salle. Last year we had Marquis Vance and Rokas Zilys who were great additions to the team. They left and Chuck filled that void,” says manager Zachary Larson.
Marist took their first loss of the season to Sidwell Friends of Washington D.C. in the Chicago Elite Classic, mainly due to the RedHawks shooting only 23% from the field and 13% from three.
“Our game plan was to be physical and then also to shoot from the outside, but we couldn’t really shoot that day. In that arena, we weren’t used to the background of the rims and that had an effect,” says Barnes.
It was smooth sailing from there for the RedHawks, who would go on to win their next 14 games in relatively convincing fashion, having a +359 point differential with multiple 50 plus point wins.
After the win streak, Marist would hit a fork in the road, losing three out of their next four games with a lone win in the Battle of Pulaski over Brother Rice.
The RedHawks would bounce back with ease, leaning on the veteran leaders to get them through the rough patch and not lose sight of the end goal.
“When you’re looking at the team, there’s a clear leader and that’s Adoni Vassilakis. He’s always telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. He always keeps it very serious and straight to their face. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” says Larson.
Vassilakis is all but unfamiliar with the spotlight, having been on varsity since his freshmen year. This season saw him break the 1,000 point mark, cementing his spot as an all time RedHawk.
Even with the intense leadership of Vassilakis, Marist still needed a spark to reignite the flame that got them hot to start the season. That spark’s name was Akir Finley.
Finley set Marist’s home court ablaze on senior night, scoring a career high 30 points with seven threes. The building was electric, with every three shocking life into the rowdy crowd, and provided the RedHawks the momentum to beat Dyett 89-48.
Finley’s performance mixed with the dominant victory was the perfect formula to reinvigorate the RedHawks intensity, as they would go 5-1 to finish the season. Marist would finish with 28 wins including tournament games and were a force to be reckoned with heading into the playoffs.
The first three rounds would be a breeze for the RedHawks, soaring through Shepard, Rich Township, and Lockport respectively. Marist outscored their opponents a combined 210-121 to advance to the sectional finals.
The finals wouldn’t be an easy task, with the team having to face 29-3 Homewood-Flossmoor. Marist would put on a show with Barnes having his best game of the season, scoring 31 points along with six rebounds to advance to the super sectionals at Illinois State.
“I feel like the best individual performance this year was Chuck Barnes against HF, being able to score and rebound the ball really well against a really good team just is ultimately what helped us win that game,” says Larson.
The super sectionals would put the team’s mental fortitude to the test as they would face Richwoods. The game was close throughout, with the two powerhouses exchanging blows, each team losing and regaining the lead each minute. In the end however, it was the RedHawks strength as a cohesive unit that gave them the advantage, winning 56-53, punching their ticket to U of I for a chance to win it all.
“I would say this team never quit, even when we were down in the Richwood’s game, we didn’t give up, and I believe that’s because we were so close off the court,” says Barnes.
In the semifinals, Marist would dominate York from the start, ending the first quarter with a 21-4 lead. It was all gas no brakes from there with Marist winning 55-38 to advance to the finals.
“The biggest factor I would say was fatigue. I feel being in shape with having to play back to back days was really important, because if not, we would have ran out of gas by the time we got to Benet,” said Barnes.
In the finals, the team would face Benet Academy, who have one of the top Illinois guard recruits in Jayden Wright, and seven foot tall center Colin Stack. The RedHawks wouldn’t fly away from the challenge, they would make the Redwings play at Marist’s slow and methodical pace in contrast to Benet’s usual run and gun game plan. Marist would win 44-28 and secure the first state championship in Marist basketball history.
“The coaches knew, the players knew, all the managers knew that this was a special team,” says Larson.
The celebration would last through the night, with the RedHawk Rowdies cheering from the stands from the StateFarm Center. The team would receive a police escort back home to Marist, where they were greeted with fans lining the streets, congratulating the team that cemented their place in Illinois basketball history.
“I think we all put all of our egos and pride aside to come together, because one person doesn’t win a championship,” said Barnes.
