Defensive dynamo Lee Marks starts to get settled in after transferring to Mount Carmel. What helps? ‘He’s a team guy.’

In his first season at Mount Carmel after transferring from Homewood-Flossmoor, junior forward Lee Marks is figuring out how he can best help his new team.

For Marks, it’s all about being big on the defensive end and doing the little things.

“My role is definitely being gritty,” Marks said. “It’s being all over the boards and being physical on defense against the bigger guys. I think as time goes by, I’m definitely going to be able to put more points on the board.

“But it’s not necessarily about scoring because we’ve got four other guys on the floor who can put the ball in the hoop.”

Marks’ grit was clear as day Tuesday night. He played a big part in a dominant defensive effort as the host Caravan rolled to a 56-34 Catholic League Blue win over Loyola in Chicago.

Angelo Ciaravino led Mount Carmel (11-1, 4-0) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Ciaravino and Denver recruit DeAngelo Craig added nine points apiece, while Marks contributed eight points and nine rebounds.

Miles Boland scored seven points to pace Loyola (8-4, 2-1), which could not get on track against a tough Caravan defense led by Marks.

“If you watched the way he played on defense, he was unbelievable,” Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves said of Marks. “The numbers might not show up on the stat sheet as much, but we’re not as good as we are without Lee Marks.

“He’s a huge addition, and as we go on, the more comfortable he’s going to get and the more scoring opportunities he’s going to get. But he’s not a ‘me’ guy. He’s a ‘we’ guy. He’s a team guy. We’re so lucky to have him.”

Marks said his new teammates welcomed him in right away, but there was a challenging aspect to the transition.

“Just finding my role on the team and where I could be most productive,” Marks said. “I figured out it was going to start with defense for me. I think defense translates a lot to offense.

“When you’re playing well on defense, you’re going to get more offensive touches and stuff like that.”

The 6-foot-5 Marks and 6-6 Angelo Ciaravino are Mount Carmel’s tallest players, which means Marks is going to be tasked with defending some bigger guys inside.

He’s up for that challenge.

“It’s pretty natural,” Marks said. “I’ve been guarding the better players on the other team since I was coming up as a kid.

“Playing against top guards has made me better at sliding on defense and being quick with my feet. With me being long, I’m able to play defense on bigger guys, too.”

On the offensive side, Angelo Ciaravino had the hot hand Tuesday. He scored seven points in each of the first two quarters as Mount Carmel opened up a 27-15 halftime lead.

The Ciaravino brothers draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses these days, but Angelo said they stay patient and wait for their shots.

“We just keep playing hard the whole game and keep going through any adversity that comes,” he said. “If they’re playing us harder, we go harder than that.

“We keep cutting, keep getting open, keep setting screens for each other and the looks will come.”

Angelo Ciaravino is also grateful to have Marks to help do some of the dirty work inside.

“It’s great to have another big body in there with great size,” Angelo Ciaravino said. “He’s getting it done everywhere. He’s just a big part of what we’re doing now.”

Marks is happy with his new home.

“These guys are great teammates,” Marks said. “They’re welcoming, they’re funny and they’re good to talk to.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.