BEVERLY — The Endicott School males’s basketball crew has stormed out to a 23–1 begin to the 2025–26 season, together with an unblemished 15–0 mark in Convention of New England play.
On the heart of that success is ahead and Gloucester native Marcus Montagnino.
The graduate scholar is having an incredible season, placing up 21.8 factors, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists a recreation, whereas taking pictures a really environment friendly 57.1% from the sector.
Montagnino graduated from Gloucester Excessive in 2020 and is the third all-time main scorer in class historical past with 1,293 factors. His path to Endicott is something however standard, spanning from highschool standout to Division I walk-on, membership basketball standout and in the end a Division III All-American.
“I’ve recognized about Marcus since his sophomore yr of highschool. We tried to recruit him his senior yr, nevertheless it didn’t work out on the time however we’re glad he’s with us now” mentioned Endicott head coach Kevin Bettencourt. “Straight away I liked Marcus’ versatility. We felt he was an ideal match to play that point-forward function. Marcus was quiet at first, however his character has come out increasingly as we have now gotten to know him.”
In his first yr with the Gulls, Montagnino dominated instantly, posting 22.4 factors, 8.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists per recreation, whereas claiming honors of Endicott Male Athlete of the Yr, CNE Participant of the Yr, Div. III Athletic All-American and Tutorial All-American, amongst others. Endicott misplaced to Suffolk within the CNE semifinals, which ended its season after an 18-8 document. This season, Endicott is ranked No. 1 in Area II with one recreation remaining within the common season.
“He’s a really aggressive, hard-working participant who places a ton of additional time into his recreation. His strategy has actually rubbed off on the remainder of the crew,” mentioned Bettencourt. ‘I feel his dedication to place in additional work and his humility have been simply as spectacular as his on-court success.”
“I realized exhausting work and placing in quite a lot of reps from my dad. Follow was the important thing to turning into good,” Montagnino mentioned. “My first reminiscence of basketball was once I was 5 or 6 taking part in on the Y and watching the Celtics with my dad and brothers. I did all the pieces with my brothers. Taking part in pickup within the driveway or organized sports activities. It was at all times aggressive.”
Montagnino comes from an extended line of athletes. He has two brothers (Matt and Nate) who additionally performed a number of varsity sports activities at Gloucester. Their father, Jimmy., did as effectively. Most prestigiously, his aunt, Paula Ryan, was the primary ladies 1,000-point scorer and a member of the varsity’s Corridor of Fame.
A four-year varsity participant, Montagnino helped the Fishermen to a state semifinals look in his junior yr, which is tied for the longest playoff run in class historical past.
“He was the perfect participant I’ve ever been round in Gloucester and was actually enjoyable to teach,” mentioned longtime Fisherman head coach Khris Silveira. “You normally don’t see children that age are available in with that sort of talent set with the basics, crew basketball model of play, and intelligence on the courtroom. For somebody who just isn’t leaping by way of the health club or the quickest, he jogs my memory of how Luka Doncic performs offensively.”
Montagnino had presents to play basketball and/or baseball from numerous native faculties, however had greater desires of taking part in on the Division I degree. He enrolled at Xavier College in Ohio after highschool, however didn’t attend till the spring semester of 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the time. Resulting from not being on campus in that fall semester, all sports activities tryouts had already been accomplished. He began to regulate to life as a daily faculty scholar, however missed the competitiveness of sports activities he had been accustomed to his complete life.
Coming again the next fall semester, the NCAA tryouts for basketball had been earlier within the yr so he deliberate to strive basketball, and if that didn’t work he would go for baseball.
“I deliberate on attempting out for basketball and baseball. If I didn’t make one, then I’d strive for the opposite,” mentioned Montagnino. “Basketball tryouts had been earlier within the yr, so I did that first. I even have by no means performed AAU basketball earlier than, solely baseball. I performed much more of that rising up.”
Montagnino in the end earned a spot on the roster as a walk-on, considered one of simply 4 gamers to take action. Whereas he didn’t seem in a recreation or journey with the crew, he practiced each day and remained totally embedded with this system. The Musketeers went on to win the Nationwide Invitation Event (NIT) championship that season.
Earlier than that NIT run, Xavier had fired head coach Travis Steele. Montagnino was then informed by the incoming coach that they might look in different instructions for walk-ons.
“I used to be actually irritated and upset from the entire course of, however I understood it,” mentioned Montagnino. “At first I used to be type of down, however issues have turned out effectively.”
As an alternative of seeking to switch faculties, Montagnino discovered one other route. A pal of Montagnino’s had began a membership basketball program at Xavier within the 2021-22 season. He was thrilled that Montagnino was seeking to proceed taking part in. The Musketeers’ membership crew would play roughly 20 video games a season towards faculties from across the area, together with Ohio State, Dayton, Butler and Indiana. The crew gained its area and punched its ticket into the membership nationwide match.
Montagnino was a star participant, averaging roughly 25 factors per recreation. He was unable to play of their first-round recreation as a consequence of an ankle damage, and the crew misplaced. The subsequent yr, his closing yr of undergrad, the crew solely misplaced one recreation all season, and that was of their regional semifinal.
After graduating with a level in sports activities administration, he determined to proceed his athletic profession in grad college. Bettencourt had stayed involved with him over time. So Montagnino determined to make the 15-minute commute to Beverly and be part of the Gulls as a grad scholar with two years of eligibility.
After this season, Montagnino will earn his grasp’s diploma in sports activities management and hopes to proceed taking part in professionally abroad.
