Luke Mantini, an Ardsley Varsity Basketball and Football player, is very passionate about sports. He is a phenomenal athlete and plays both basketball and football, but when asked to choose between the one that means the most to him, he’d pick football. “I don’t think there is any sport that compares to it. It’s pretty unique. The fact that you only get to play one game a week, and you only get to play a handful of games in your career, it’s just really special. It’s a year-round preparation for football and there’s no sport like it.” Luke also wears the same number for both football and basketball, #4, which he’s “worn since Modified and pretty much all my sports.”
Luke, who plays forward for the basketball team, said that he has a lot of faith in the team this season. He believes that they “definitely have the potential to go all the way and win the Section Championship. It’s not going to be easy and we have another tough schedule this year and a younger team, but we have the pieces to have a championship team.” Luke has also gotten to see the talent of everyone on his team. But one player who he feels deserves a lot of credit is Jackson Garcia. Jackson may only be a Sophomore but this isn’t his first run with Varsity. Jackson was moved to Varsity after starting the season on JV, and “when he came up with us, he had an immediate impact. He’s definitely going to have a big break-out season this year and he’s going to surprise a lot of people.” Luke also said that another player he feels he has gotten to know is Miles Cooperman. Luke thinks that he is a very good player and “we both kind of play similar positions as we did last year. I would also say he has a great basketball IQ and he’s the kind of guy where if we both see something at the same time, then we kind of give each other a little look and we both know what each other’s thinking. He’s a guy I would trust to hit a big shot down the stretch.” This year’s team seems like they have a really great dynamic and have gotten used to being on the court together.
Luke, who has been playing sports his whole life, said that part of his love for the game comes from some of his idols. He would say that his “favorite basketball player is Ray Allen, who is retired now, but he has always been someone I look up to. Just the way he handled himself throughout his career and he was always very humble. Also Michael Jordan.” Both of those players were generational talents and are some of the greatest NBA players of all time. Those players were amazing on their own, but Luke would say that his favorite team of all time is the 2008 Celtics and the “Big Three with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. They were playing the Lakers in the finals that year, which was always a fun match up. Those couple of years when they were always going at it, that’s when I was really into basketball.” Luke said that he doesn’t watch as much basketball as he did when he was younger, but he really enjoys playing the game. Luke said that his favorite aspect of the sport is “how long the season is. Our season starts in November and it can really end in February or March, so you have to stick together as a team through ups and downs throughout the season. You’re going to win some games, you’re going to lose some games, but it’s about clicking together as a team at the right times during a long season.”
When asked about his play style and the best part of his game, Luke instantly pointed out his defense. He takes pride in being a tenacious defender and “likes to play scrappy.” His favorite all-time sports memory, though, isn’t about some sort of big defensive play that he made in his career, or even a game in which he played. His favorite memory is one that all of Ardsley will always remember. Julian McGarvey’s shot. Luke said that “even though I wasn’t a part of it, just being in the gym when the shot hit in the Section Championship, that’s my favorite memory in sports - not just basketball - it was unbelievable. It was a pretty magical moment and the whole run that team had that year was really fun to follow.” The 2017-2018 season was truly one for the books.. Luke and the rest of the Ardsley Panthers Varsity Basketball team hope that they can repeat the success that that team had, and if they need to hit another miracle shot to move on, they may have to call on this season’s starting Quarterback.