The old Hicks Gym held countless memories of the school’s basketball program before a tornado tore through campus five years ago, leaving only echoes of thundering crowds and squeaking sneakers in its wake. But on the night of Wednesday, Jan. 22, those sounds returned, filling the air of a brand new facility that carries both the historic name and the weight of tradition.
As the doors to the new Hicks Gym in the Zierk Athletic Center opened for its first varsity basketball game against the Trinity Valley Trojans, the building buzzed with anticipation.
Parents, students and alumni filed in, taking self-guided tours through the facility, investigating the home of future Lions with awe. Members of the school community who had witnessed games in the old gym for decades stood alongside administrators and teachers, sharing stories and memories as they waited for a new chapter to begin.
For the Lions, this homecoming meant more than just a new court. After five years of playing in Morris G. Spencer Gym, where they lacked their own locker room for pregame and halftime talks, head basketball coach Greg Guiler could finally gather his team in their own space. No more impromptu huddles on the bench— they were truly home again.
The significance of the moment crystallized with the game’s first points: a thunderous slam dunk by senior Luke Laczkowski on the north end basket.
“That was pretty poetic,” Guiler said, “that we got to start things off from a guy whose family has been entrenched in the evolution of basketball excellence here.”
The Laczkowski family has been ingrained in the basketball program here over the last several years with Luke’s two older brothers, Andrew and Tate helping to lead the team throughout the uncertain years following the tornado, serving as pillars of the program in both spirit and achievement.
Just minutes later, the Saint Louis University commit reached a milestone of his own—2,000 career points. As Andrew, then the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,052 points, cheered from the stands alongside their parents and friends, the game paused. Cheerleaders, friends and family swarmed the court, celebrating Luke’s achievement.
As the game resumed, the home team built on their lead as those in attendance relished in the moment, experiencing the first game in the reopened Hicks Gym culminating in a Lions victory, 79-52 over the Trojans.
But just weeks prior, and in fact over the last five years, things hadn’t come so easy for the Lions basketball team. The excitement in the air meant even more to those in attendance not in spite of the adversity the program had faced but because of it.
Amy Laczkowski, parent of three basketball players, Andrew, Tate and Luke, who have played through this transition, remembers the initial shock of the impact the tornado had on the basketball program.
“I remember in the beginning, there’s was so much confusion,” Amy said, “and I remember Andrew just calling me, ‘Mom, the gym is gone.’”
In the immediate aftermath, the school community rallied together, preparing Spencer Gym to become the temporary home of the Lions basketball program as plans went underway for the reconstruction of Hicks Gym.
Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini vividly remembers the support the school felt in the first few weeks.
“In sort of true St Mark’s fashion,” Dini said. “Families across the community, parents, graduates, parents and graduates saw the need and responded. From the moment the tornado hit the school, people stepped up, and many without being asked.”
Yet in the first two weeks back on campus, the team, preparing for a competitive season ahead, had no gym to practice in as Spencer underwent renovations including the installation of a new harwood court.
“I think about when we got to go to the Mavs facility and practice,” Guiler said, “the amazing reaction by the community to rally around us and help provide that privilege.”
Throughout the initial months and the years that followed, Guiler experienced first hand the difficulties of navigating the Lions through even the simplest of challenges.
“It’s been the hardest thing I’ve done professionally,” Guiler reflected on the past five years. “Trying to create the duck effect, where you’re hoping that everything on the surface looks like we’re just kind of swimming along smoothly, but knowing that every single day I wake up holding my breath because we don’t have the flexibility we used to have in the past.”
While Guiler is grateful to have had Spencer Gym for the entire program to play and practice in these last several years, he acknowledges that it was a challenge to manage the seven school basketball teams in a three-hour time slot afterschool using a single gym.
Oftentimes, in early morning texts with junior varsity coach Ryan Brewer and Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen, Guiler helped to map out the rotation of the three Upper School teams in the gym with only two full courts.
“There aren’t very many varsity teams in America that only get 50 minutes of a full court to themselves,” Guiler said. “That’s a pretty rare thing this day and age.”
With Hicks Gym back in action, Guiler is eager for the countless opportunities it brings—from the ability to run full-court practices without constraints to a renewed sense of home-court pride.
Though the time from the tornado hitting campus to the doors opening on the Zierk Athletic Center took over five years, Dini notes the careful planning that went into the new facility.
“The architects, when they first came in,” Dini said, “they asked us to imagine, ‘if you were writing a story about the building, and after it opened, what would you want that story to read like?’”
The result exceeded expectations.
“Part of St. Mark’s’ great strength is that we think and plan in decades as opposed to just what’s right in front of us,” Dini said. “Always thinking about decisions today and what they might mean five or 10 years down the road.”
For the current players, the new facility represents a dramatic upgrade. For Luke, who has experienced both the challenges and triumphs of the transition period, the new gym creates the opportunity for the team to succeed at the highest level—even though his time on the team will come to an end with SPC next Friday.
“The difference between the two gyms is interesting,” Laczkowski said. “Spencer had this intimate feel where everything was close together. The new Hicks gym gives us more breathing room, which is great. Even with smaller crowds so far, the atmosphere has been electric.”
And for the final games of the season played in the new space, players, coaches and fans alike are prepared to recognize the significance of the building by enjoying the atmosphere it creates.
The five year long process to reopen the doors of Hicks Gym has given the team more than just a place to play basketball—it has been a journey and an opportunity for the team over the years to grow stronger together.
“It takes storms to learn how to really perfect your craft,” Guiler said. “The resilience in the program is something that has been a rallying cry for us.”
The Zierk Athletic Center has reshaped the future of the school’s athletic programs, but Dini knows that is not what matters most.
“The school is not defined by buildings, it’s defined by the relationships with your teachers and the experiences you have,” Dini said. “But when you combine that with exceptional facilities, it just lifts the possibilities to an even higher level.”
