It’s never easy being thrown into the fire.

That’s what happened to Mark Garrity when he was handed the keys to Malden Catholic’s decorated boys basketball program one month ago. Just days before the season was slated to begin, the school announced on Dec. 10 that John Walsh had stepped down as coach of the Lancers following an impeccable run.

Stepping into his shoes? That would be Garrity. Despite little time to prepare, the interim coach could at least say he was taking over a team he was quite familiar with.

The Lancers have blazed to a perfect 9-0 record, sitting atop the Herald’s boys basketball rankings.

“All 15 years Walsh was a head coach, I was his assistant,” Garrity said. “I’ve been with him at Danvers, Central Catholic and Malden Catholic here now. All the guys knew me, which was good. Have a great relationship with all of them. They’re great kids. It was a little crazy to start, but they want to play. They want to succeed, so they’ve been great for me.”

Walsh had served as coach at Malden Catholic from 2020-25, winning three Div. 2 state titles in his tenure. He captured six MIAA basketball championships, with three coming at Danvers High. Walsh made the difficult choice for a multitude of reasons, having missed much of his children’s games while coaching. He had also recently purchased a stake in the food industry this past summer at Muddy Waters Pub and Restaurant in Methuen, which he now co-owns.

“Obviously there’s some (transition),” said Garrity. “When it’s two days before the first game, we’re worried about the first one, getting the guys ready to play. But as the season progresses, you’ve got to deal with all of the other stuff besides basketball, and I’ve been around basketball my whole life. My father (Paul) was coaching at Salem State the year I was born. My sister (Kelsey) scored 1,000 points in high school and college. With basketball, I’d be doing something, no matter what. Coaching, when we’re on the court, there’s not much transition. But with all the other things that come with being the head coach? Trying to learn as we go.”

After Malden Catholic’s big announcement, Garrity and his team took the court Dec. 12 for a game with Burncoat. There were some growing pains, but the Lancers took home a 65-56 win. Then they rattled off eight more wins in a row, six of which came by double digits. This included an impressive 72-54 romp of fellow state heavyweight Brockton on Dec. 23 and a 78-46 drubbing of Catholic Conference rival Xaverian on Jan. 6.

Malden Catholic has seen a perfect blend of chemistry between longtime leaders such as senior Aboubakar Nimaka and a newfound crop of former junior varsity stars, including classmate Duke Cherry and sophomore Dhewa Tenzin.

“It was an adjustment,” Cherry said. “But we know we’ve just got to stick together as a team. Mark Garrity has been here for a while. We’ve got a good bond and a relationship with him. So, we know even with John Walsh leaving, we’re still going to be a good team. We’re still going to push through, and win games.”

The Lancers have weapons scattered across their roster, each with unique skillsets. Junior Jeremiah Figaro and senior Cole Tucker have also played vital roles.

After dominating Div. 2 for the last five years, Malden Catholic made the leap to a loaded Div. 1 field this season. In the first slate of MIAA boys basketball power rankings, the Lancers were slotted fourth overall with a team rating of 10.1199.

“We remind them that we’ve got banners up there,” Garrity said as he glanced around Malden Catholic’s gym. “But they’re not these guys’ banners. We’re (undefeated) right now, but that could all change if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do. It starts defensively. Then, offensively, I give them a lot of free reign. They’re open, they can shoot the ball. If they’ve got a good matchup, they can go to the rim. But, it’s really about buying in defensively, having each other’s backs. It’s going to be day-by-day.”

Boys Top 25

1. Malden Catholic (10-0); 2. Central Catholic (7-1); 3. St. Mary’s (Lynn) (9-0); 4. Attleboro (8-1); 5.  Bridgewater-Raynham (7-1); 6. Andover (7-1); 7. Cambridge (6-2); 8. Needham (9-1); 9. Beverly (6-2); 10. Oliver Ames (8-1); 11. Brockton (7-3); 12. Brookline (7-2); 13. Holland School (Burke) (8-2); 14. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (7-2); 15. New Bedford (7-1); 16. Winchester (11-0); 17. Bishop Feehan (6-2); 18. Catholic Memorial (5-3); 19 Norwell (7-1); 20. Hanover (8-0); 21. Plymouth South (7-0); 22. BC High (5-3); 23. Masconomet (5-1); 24. Lowell (6-3); 25. Archbishop Williams (6-2).

Girls Top 25

1. Medfield (8-1); 2. St. Mary’s (Lynn) (9-1); 3. Bishop Fenwick (7-0); 4. Bishop Feehan (6-2); 5. Woburn (8-0); 6. Natick (9-1); 7. Needham (9-0); 8. Foxboro (9-0); 9. Wachusett (6-2); 10. Hopkinton (9-0); 11. Hingham (8-2); 12. Duxbury (7-2); 13. East Bridgewater (8-1); 14. Whitman-Hanson (8-1); 15. Norwood (6-1); 16. Winchester (9-2); 17. Cathedral (7-4); 18. Millbury (8-1); 19. North Quincy (4-3); 20. Mansfield (8-2); 21. Westford Academy (6-2); 22. Hopedale (7-2); 23. Archbishop Williams (5-3); 24. Dracut (7-2); 25. Norwell (4-2).

Note: Rankings as of Wednesday.