Marist falters late against Binghamton

David Devezin returned for tonight's game at Binghamton, but the starting point guard couldn't push the Red Foxes past the Bearcats.
Marist squandered several double-digit leads in the first half, the largest being 13. Binghamton then embarked on a 21-3 run and Marist trailed for most of the second half. Although Marist led 69-66 late, the Red Foxes could not hold on and Binghamton pulled out a 73-71 victory.
The MAAC weekly award winners led Marist in scoring. R.J.Hall drained a career-high 20 points while Ryan Schneider scored 19. Devezin tallied eight in his return, but shot 2-of-8 from the field.
Chuck Martin used Devezin tonight in preparation for Friday's game against MAAC rival Saint Peter's.
A win tonight would have been the third straight for Marist, but the Red Foxes will instead go into Friday's game with a sour taste in their mouths. Late turnovers and fouls doomed Marist, who fought back to take a late lead against Binghamton. The Red Foxes committed 25 personal fouls and shot 16 less free-throws. Binghamton guard D.J. Rivera took advtange, making 8-of-12 from the line. Rivera finished with a game-high 22 points.
Marist moves to 5-9 with the loss and will look to rebound on Friday. With Devezin back, all the pieces are in place for the rest of Marist's season. Based on the last three games, Mike Taylor will play a significant role in this team's fortunes. The Los Angeles product scored six points tonight, both on three-pointers. Taylor played 19 more minutes tonight after getting 16 in the last game. Taylor is emerging as one of the first men off the bench.
Taylor's performance tonight was one of the few bright spots. The Red Foxes shot 35.5 percent from the field. Although the team shot 12-of-25 from three-point land, the Red Foxes shot 10-of-45 on two-point field goals.

Schneider and Hall grab MAAC awards

Following Marist's back-to-back wins against Delaware and Bucknell, senior captain Ryan Schneider (right) and freshman standout R.J. Hall (below) swept the MAAC weekly awards.
For a team picked to finish last in the MAAC preseason polls, the Red Foxes might start to sneak up on some people. Schneider was named MAAC player of the week after averaging 25.5 ppg and 14 rpg during the week.
Hall has filled in for the injured David Devezin and played 31.5 minutes per game in the last week. Hall averaged 8.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 3.5 rpg in the two games, and this led to him earning rookie of the week honors. Hall dished out a career-high eight assists against Bucknell. The eight assists also marked the highest for any Red Fox this season.
Click the link below for the press release:
Red Foxes nab weekly honors

Marist hammers Bucknell

David Devezin remains sidelined with a heel injury, but Ryan Schneider has certainly picked up the slack lately.
The senior captain scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as the Red Foxes disposed of the Bucknell Bison, 89-63, on Sunday night at the McCann Center.
In the last two games, Schneider has averaged 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in Marist's last two wins over Delaware and Bucknell.
For Marist head coach Chuck Martin, Schneider's play has not wavered at all this season. Schneider is likely to be named MAAC player of the week later on today.
"He's been like that all season. It's not a surprise to the guys in the locker room or the guys on staff," Martin said regarding Schneider. "He's been performing at a high level and I think now he's starting to get some attention because the numbers are so inflated...but he's been like this all year for us."
Schneider shot 13-of-19 from the field and emerged as the No. 1 scoring option against Bucknell. For Schneider, Marist's defense led to the opportunities at the offensive end.
"I know coming into the game I was more motivated defensively," Schneider said. "This kid Patrick Behan was averaging about 14 ppg and I was really pretty high about trying to keep him below his average. That to me was more important, but yeah, the basket looked like an ocean, so it was a pretty good day."
Bucknell entered the game at 3-7 but boasted wins over Old Dominion and Binghamton. The team's largest losses of the season came against Wake Forest and Maryland, both by 29. With 12:37 remaining in the game, Marist freshman walk-on Mike Taylor drained a straightaway three-pointer to give Marist a 30-point lead at 59-29.
Taylor has become a reliable option off the bench for Chuck Martin. When Taylor came to Marist, he had no intentions of playing basketball, but the Red Foxes' thin bench provided him an opportunity to play Division I basketball. Taylor scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-5 shooting in 16 minutes.
"Mike's been great in practice, he really has been," Martin said. "He's been, along with the other walk-ons, he's elevated our practice because we've been depleted... Honestly he's just caught the eye of our staff... and he's proven to hold his own for the last two games."
Taylor never expected to get this chance, but with the injuries to Devezin and Dorvell Carter, an opportunity provided itself.
"It feels good to just have the opportunity to come out and show that I can play," Taylor said. "No, not at all [did I expect this opportunity]. It's just that we have a couple injuries and a couple guys get fatigued and people have to step up."
With Devezin's injury, players like Taylor and freshman R.J. Hall have gotten a chance to play significant minutes for the Red Foxes. In many ways, Devezin's injury could strengthen the team when the MAAC schedule resumes and act as a blessing in disguise.
"It's worked out that way, it really has," Martin said. "That's another issue that we've talked about, we don't know when Dave's coming back but when he does come back, it's important that the guys that have been playing well and performing well, that they don't defer to Dave because Dave is a talent. He can really, really play so we don't need to slow down for him, he'll catch up to us. It may have been a blessing in disguise."
Four Red Foxes notched career-highs in points. In addition to Schneider and Taylor, Javon Parris and Dejuan Goodwin scored the most points in their careers. Goodwin scored 16 and Parris tallied 15.
Javon Parris, the one-time College of Charleston product and JuCo transfer, said that he feels he's getting acclimated to the offense after several years in multiple systems.
"Obviously it's a learning adjustment for all of us," Parris said. "This has been my fourth coach in four years and just being able to sink in and keep learning, but the last couple days I've just been doing what coach wanted me to do since day one...the guards have just been doing a real good job of getting me easy baskets."
Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen believes his team's performance resulted from a combination of his team's offense and Marist taking advantage.
"From our end that was a train wreck," Paulsen said. "You could see from watching the tape that [Marist] was close, that they were starting to figure things out, pick things up.
"To be honest with you, it was really our offense," Paulsen said. "We had so many empty trips...More than anything our lack of offensive poise led to their transition game, and once they got their transition game going they knocked down some open shots, and that gave them confidence to knock down some other shots."
Marist will return to action Tuesday night, dec. 30, at Binghamton before resuming its MAAC schedule on Jan. 2 at home against Saint Peter's. Marist is 5-8 on the season and 1-1 in conference-play.

Marist has record day against Bucknell; Press conference included

Four Red Foxes scored career-highs and Marist routed the Patriot League's Bucknell, 89-63.
Ryan Schneider, Dejuan Goodwin, Javon Parris, and freshman walk-on Mike Taylor tallied 29, 16, 15, and nine points, respectively to notch career-highs. Schneider shot 13-of-19 from the field and is poised for an award for MAAC player of the week. Schneider scored 22 against Delaware and grabbed 19 rebounds.
Mike Taylor played 16 minutes to go along with his career-high in scoring after walking on to the team prior to the season. Taylor hails from Los Angeles, Ca. and had no intentions of playing basketball when he came to Marist, but the Red Foxes' thin bench created an opportunity for walk-ons. Taylor made the most of his opportunity. Taylor went 3-of-4 from three-point land and showed a great understanding of Chuck Martin's offense.
Bucknell entered the game at 3-7 on the season, but the Bison beat Old Dominion and Marist's next opponent, Binghamton. Bucknell's largest losses of the season were by 29 to both Wake Forest and Maryland.
Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen could only describe his team's performance as a "train wreck," but gave Marist a lot of credit for taking advantage of Bucknell's mistakes.
Marist had 13 steals, five coming from Schneider. Bucknell also turned the ball over 19 times.
MORE TO COME.

To listen to the post-game press conference, click on the video below:
Press conference includes:
- Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen
- Marist coach Chuck Martin
- Marist's Ryan Schneider, Javon Parris, Dejuan Goodwin, and Mike Taylor

Marist vs. Bucknell LIVE from the McCann Center; Marist blowing out Bucknell, 86-56

Marist has emptied the bench and the Red Foxes are cruising, 86-56. Marist's next game will be at Binghamton.

Marist exploded on the offensive end following halftime. Ryan Schneider is playing like an all-conference player and should be named MAAC player of the week tomorrow. Schneider currently has 29 points. Dejuan Goodwin and Javon Parris have 16 and 13, respectively. Marist's largest lead has been 30, 59-29, and Bucknell's largest loss has been 29 to both Maryland and Wake Forest. Walk-on freshman Mike Taylor also has nine points.

*****

At halftime, Marist leads Bucknell, 37-24. Dejuan Goodwin has 13 points while Ryan Schneider has 10. The key play in the final minutes was Javon Parris' lay-up that drew an intentional foul. The play resulted in four points.

Kaylen Gregory just picked up a shooting foul and Bucknell is heading to the line. Marist leads, 26-22. Goodwin and Schneider have led the way for the Foxes with 13 and 7 points, respectively.

Dejuan Goodwin entered double-digit scoring with 7:17 left in first on a pull-up jumper. Goodwin has 10 points. Bucknell immediately took a timeout after Goodwin drained a three-pointer with six minutes remianing. Goodwin has 13 points so far. Marist leads, 24-18.

With 7:48 left in the first, Marist has a 17-13 lead. The Red Foxes went on a quick 5-0 run on the heels of a deep Ryan Schneider three-pointer and an R.J. Hall lay-up, which was the product of a Javon Parris steal underneath the basket. Dejuan Goodwin leads the Foxes with eight points.

At the official timeout with 11:50 left in the first, Bucknell leads, 11-9. G.W. Boone has gone on a 5-0 run, including a three-pointer and two free-throws.

Chuck Martin just took a timeout with 12:49 remaining and Marist looking sloppy on the offensive end. The game is knotted at 9, but Kaylen Gregory just took an offensive foul at the rim.

The opening of the Bucknell and Delaware games have been polar opposites. Marist started the game red-hot against Delaware but has struggled in the opening minutes. Although the score is tied at 6 with 14:53 remaining in the first half, Marist has truggled around the rim and missed some easy opportunities. Vouyoukas and Schneider have been active thus far on the glass for the Red Foxes.

*****

The lineup for Bucknell that I posted in the preview is accurate. Once again, David Devezin will sit while R.J. Hall gets the start.

Marist looking to Buck the trend

Marist enters Sunday's tilt against Bucknell with a 4-8 record, but after every big win, the team has failed to back it up with another. For the first time this season, the Red Foxes will try and get back-to-back wins when they take on the Bison at the McCann Center on Sunday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
Marist won its last game against Delaware despite a depleted lineup. David Devezin remained absent with a left heel injury, and its reasonable to expect that Chuck Martin will not risk him against another out-of-conference opponent.
The victory over the Delaware Blue Hens was arguably the Red Foxes most impressive of the season. Although the Iona win was far more important, this game left a lasting mark. This team can overcome the adversity that stares it in the face. With two true freshmen starting, Marist avenged in earlier loss to Delaware with a wire-to-wire, 74-69, victory. Senior captain Ryan Schneider took complete control of the game and poured in 22 points while grabbing 19 rebounds.
Bucknell represents the perfect chance for Marist to grab some confidence and momentum heading into the bulk of the MAAC schedule. Bucknell (3-7) has struggled at times this season, losing to Wagner and St. Francis (PA). The Bison have also surprised, upsetting Old Dominion in double overtime and beating upcoming Marist opponent Binghamton. Both Marist and Bucknell have similar resumes: lose some winnable games and compete against the teams they weren't supposed to have a shot at hanging with. The one stat favoring the Red Foxes is Bucknell's 0-5 road record.
Bucknell has three players to watch for. Justin Castleberry is the most dangerous. Although Castleberry is second on the team in scoring with 12.6 ppg, the 6-foot-1 senior guard erupted for 31 points in a win over Old Dominion. He also tallied 20 in a win over drexel. In Bucknell's wins, Castleberry is averaging 18.7 ppg.
Junior forward Patrick Behan leads the team in scoring, however. The 6-foot-8 forward averages 13.5 ppg and also leads the team with 6.5 rpg. Behan will challenge Marist rookie forward Alex Vouyoukas and redshirt sophomore Lawrence Williams.

Bucknell's projected starting lineup:
G Justin Castleberry, 6-foot-0
G Darryl Shazier, 6-foot-0
G Bryan Cohen, 6-foot-5
F Patrick Behan, 6-foot-8
C Josh Linthicum, 6-foot-11

Marist vs. Delaware - FINAL: Marist stuns Delaware, 74-69

A source told me that earlier in the year Monte Ross was pleased his Delaware team got to play Marist twice. He said he'd enjoy beating them twice. I suppose the joke's on him.
Marist walked into Delaware's home arena without its all-conference point guard and won in a wire-to-wire, 74-69, victory. The hero, none other than senior captain Ryan Schneider. Schneider scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. Don't be surprised to see Schneider get some votes for MAAC player of the week.
R.J. Hall, filling in for David Devezin, notched 12 points and three assists.
Unlike most of Marist's tight finishes, the Red Foxes never hit a drought and received timely baskets. The free-shooting also improved dramatically, with Schneider going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Marist made 13-of-19 free-throws.
Marist moved to 4-8 with the win and got some much needed payback after Delaware took the first meeting in overtime. The Red Foxes return to action Sunday against Bucknell at the McCann Center.

*****

Minus David Devezin once again, Marist stormed into the Bob Carpenter Center and erupted for 37 points. So far, it's been an impressive outing for Chuck Martin's team. Seven players have gotten on the scoring sheet, including walk-on freshman Mike Taylor. Taylor ended the half with a jumper to give Marist a 14-point lead, 37-23.
Ryan Schneider is once again leading the Red Foxes. The senior captain leads all scorers with 10 points, including two three-pointers. Schneider also boasts an astonishing 12 rebounds. Marist shot 50 percent in the first half while holding Delaware to 20.7 percent shooting.
Marist led by as many as 17 points in the first half when Schneider drained one of his two three-pointers to make it 35-18. Marist needs to remain wary headed into the second-half because Delaware is too good of an offensive team to continue struggling like this offensively. Marc Egerson, Alphonso Dawson, and Jawan Carter only have 18 combined points, something that Chuck Martin is thrilled about. The three poured in a combined 78 points in the two teams' first meeting. In addition, Marist's last loss against Columbia ended in a 27-7 Lions' run.

Red Foxes vs. Blue Hens Part II

Marist will take on Delaware for the second time this season tonight at the Bob Carpenter Center. The game marks the first time since 1997-98 that the Red Foxes have played a non-conference opponent twice in the same season. Marist took on Colgate twice in that season. Marist fell to Delaware in the teams' last meeting, 88-83, at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Nov. 23. Marist led 72-70 with a little over a minute remaining before a Ryan Schneider turnover led to a game-tying lay-up. Marist had two chances to win the game in regulation, but David Devezin's fadeaway and Korey Bauer's corner three failed to drop. This game will be far tougher than the first contest because standout Marist point guard David Devezin will miss the game due to a lingering heel injury. Devezin led the Red Foxes in scoring against Delaware in the first meeting with 21 points. The former Texas A&M guard also dished out seven assists. Chuck Martin said following the St. John's loss that he would rather have Devezin Jan. 2 against MAAC opponent St. Peter's than for out-of-conference games. Devezin's absence will give R.J. Hall more valuable playing time. In addition, Hall had arguably his best game of the season against Delaware. Hall scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting and tallied four assists. The obvious concern for Marist is the troika that scored at will against the Red Foxes in the first match-up. Marc Egerson, Alphonso Dawson, and Jawan Carter scored 23, 25, and 30 points, respectively. Their speed proved problematic for Marist and Delaware went to the line 41 times in the game. Marist shot 12 free-throws.
Delaware has won three straight games and will go for four tonight. Monte Ross' team sits at 5-6 on the season, but the recent wins against Boston University and Ohio suggest that Delaware has found its stride.
Delaware beat Boston University in the last game when D.J. Boney nailed a three-pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining to give the Blue Hens a 70-68 win.

Red Foxes fall flat at MSG

In the world's most famous arena, Marist delivered a performance that was anything but.
St. John's capitalized on its opportunities and cruised to a 65-44 win in each team's first contest in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival. The Red Foxes shot 7-of-25 from the free-throw line, turned the ball over 16 times, and had eight shot blocked. Marist also played without point guard David Devezin, who missed his second straight game after suffering a heel injury on Dec. 2 at Memphis.
With Devezin acting as the catalyst for the Marist offense, his loss was hard to overcome. Marist has lost its last two games without Devezin, averaging 45.5 points in those two contests. Without Devezin, Marist head coach Chuck Martin was forced to change his gameplan to compensate for what the team loses in Devezin. Freshman R.J. Hall was forced into a starting role for the second straight game, although Martin is pleased with Hall's progress.
"It's hard. Dave is, as I mentioned, he's a good player, he's an all-conference guy," Martin said. "So when you lose him, R.J. Hall, who's a freshman, who's been playing really well for us, he's not the issue, the issue is I don't have anybody to come off the bench to give me what R.J. gives me. So everyone on my team, their roles change."
Despite missing Devezin, Marist shot 30.2 percent from the field and 28 percent from the free-throw line. Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Red Foxes, who turned the ball over 27 times at Siena. The free-throw shooting has not been a problem this season but cost Marist severely in this game. Late in the first half, Marist missed the front end of four one-and-ones. Martin insisted that it was just one of those nights from the line, but did suggest that not having a morning shoot-around could have hurt the team.
"Sometimes you can practice free-throws everyday at practice, two or three times a day and you just don't knock them down," Martin said. "If anything, maybe the fact that we didn't shoot around today at the Garden, that could be something. I don't think so, but in my mind if I'm trying to replay why we didn't shoot free-throws well, that could be it, but you know what, we just didn't make them. We didn't knock them down."
Marist's last lead of the game came 6:21 into the first half. Ryan Schneider drained a corner jumper to give the Red Foxes a 12-10 lead. St. John's responded with a 13-0 run and Marist never recovered. Marist trailed, 35-25, at halftime and did not tally its first field goal in the second half until the 9:39 mark.
Ryan Schneider led Marist with 14 points and eight rebounds. Schneider leads the Foxes in scoring and rebounding this season. For St. John's, forward Sean Evans had a game-high 19 points. Evans also grabbed 13 rebounds. The Red Storm had three other players score in double figures. Paris Horne (pictured above), D.J. Kennedy, and Rob Thomas contributed, 12, 11, and 11 points, respectvely.
Javon Parris was the only other Marist player to score in double-figures. The junior college-transfer poured in a season-high 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. This was arguably Parris' best game as a Red Fox.
"He did some good things today," Martin said. "I told him, 'You've just got to relax, take everything in, attack the basket, and if you have open shots, knock them down.' He's been working really hard back in Poughkeepsie. I told him every game we play non-conference...we're just trying to get better every single day."
Marist has a quick turnaround as it will face Columbia tomorrow at noon. The game will be televised on the MSG network in high definition. Marist faces Columbia by virtue of losing today to St. John's. St. John's will take on Virginia Tech in the championship game at 2:30 p.m.

Marist vs. St. John's LIVE from MSG; Red Storm romp over Red Foxes, 65-44

The only storyline to take from this game is Marist's performance from the free-throw line. Marist had a historically abysmal night from the line, shooting 7-of-25. Offensively, Marist could not get much done. It took nearly nine minutes to get the first field-goal. Marist has a lot to work on for tomorrow. Marist will play the Columbia Lions for third place in Aeropostale Holiday Festival hosted by MSG. The game will air live on MSG in HD.

Lawrence Williams lay-up with 10:30 left in the game marked the first field goal Marist scored in the second half. Marist trails by 22, 55-33. Ryan Schneider just scored five straight points, prompting a timeout from St. John's coach, Norm Roberts.

At the second official timeout, St. John's is pulling away. The Red Storm leads, 45-26. In 8:06, Marist has scored one point on a Javon Parris free-throw. Marist is shooting 25 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Marist has gone ice cold to start the second half. With 13:43 remaining, the Red Foxes have scored one point. Marist is 3-of-13 from the free-throw line.

*****

St. John's leads Marist at the half, 35-25. Marist continues to struggle with turnovers and free-throw shooting. Marist is 2-of-9 from the free-throw line, missing the first end of a one-and-one four times. Marist also turned the ball over 11 times. Schneider and Parris led the Foxes in the first half. Schneider poured in eight points while Javon Parris, the JuCo transfer from Kansas, had six points. Freshman walk-on Mike Taylor received some playing time in the first half as well. With Devezin not playing, the game plan has changed a bit for Chuck Martin and the Red Foxes. St. John's Sean Evans led all scorers with 11 points.

Senior captain Ryan Schneider has kept the Red Foxes in the game so far. He's 3-of-4 from the field with eight points. Javon Parris is also having arguably his best game as a Red Fox. St. John's leads, 30-23, and Marist is giving the Red Storm a lot of help. The Red Foxes are 2-of-7 from the free-throw line. St. John's also has five blocks, with Rob Thomas leading the way. Thomas is starting in place of Justin Burrell, who will miss the tournament with multiple facial fractures.

Alex Vouyoukas broke an 11-2 St. John's run with a lay-up. St. John's is getting multiple second chances, but Marist is still hanging around. The Red Storm has grabbed six offensive boards thus far. St. John's leads, 25-18 with 7:44 remaining.

Dejaun Goodwin drained a straightaway three-pointer to give Marist a 10-8 lead. Goodwin leads the MAAC in three-point percentage. St. John's has since gone on an 8-2 run. The Red Storm leads, 18-12, with 11:21 remaining in the first.

Alex Vouyoukas opened up the game with a rebound and a layup to give Marist a 2-0 lead. With 15:40 remaining in the first half, St. John's has a 6-5 lead. Javon Parris and Alex Vouyoukas both have two points apiece.

David Devezin is not in the starting lineup and it appears he is going to play against St. John's.

*****

Today's game will be broadcast live on MSG in HD.

Some pregame notes to report. St. John's sophomore sensation Justin Burrell will miss the Aeropostale Holiday tournament after suffering multiple facial fractures. This comes as another tough blow to a team that already lost Anthony Mason, Jr. for the season due to a torn muscle in his foot.

If Marist wins today, it will face Virginia Tech tomorrow. If the Red Foxes lose, they will play the Columbia Lions. Virginia Tech beat Columbia, 64-52, today. The game just went final.

Drummond to Marist; Jordan to NBDL

Villanova center Casiem Drummond has reportedly decided to transfer to Marist. Villanova gave Drummond permission to talk to Marist, Siena, and Boston University.
The move seems to make a lot of sense, as I noted in an earlier posting. Drummond attended the same high school as freshman R.J. Hall and will receive the biggest opportunity from Marist. Drummond will start right away and Marist should be a big contender in the MAAC next season. None of the MAAC teams have blown anybody away thus far, and the conensus favorite, Siena, will lose its best player in Kenny Hasbrouck. Marist will remain intact for the most part. The biggest loss will be senior captain Ryan Schneider, but look for Dorvell Carter to step up and fill his position. Boston College transfer Daye Kaba will also factor into the mix. FoxSports originally broke the story, but Marist has yet to substantiate the claim. The transfer is most likely a formality at this point since the semester has not ended yet. Look for Marist A.D. Tim Murray to confirm this report sometime next week.
Jordan signs with NBDL's Rio Grande Valley Vipers
After months of waiting, Marist College graduate and standout point guard chose to stay in the States to play his professional ball. Jordan enjoyed a successful stint with the New Orleans Hornets during preseason but was among the final cuts.
By staying in America, Jordan is only a phone call away should injuries hamper a team. The money was definitely better in Europe, but the opportunity was greater here. The Vipers are an affiliate of the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets.
Jordan made his debut yesterday and played 17 minutes. Jordan dished out two assists but failed to score. This was Jordan's first significant action since a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.

Marist heads to the Garden

After a week of rest, Marist will face off against Big East opponent St. John's in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Columbia and Virginia Tech will tip-off at 2 p.m. to kick start the tournament. The MSG network will televise all of the games in the tournament. Saturday's winners will compete on Sunday for the title while the losers will play in the consolation game.
The St. John's game marks the second time this season that Marist will take on a Big East opponent. Many experts regard the Big East as one of the strongest conferences in the country. Marist fell at Rutgers, 63-61, in the Red Foxes' season opener.
Although the Red Foxes sit at 3-6 on the young 2008-09 campaign, the season has been a success thus far. Despite losing freshman Dorvell Carter to an ACL injury prior to the opener, the relatively inexperienced Red Foxes have performed well in one of the school's toughest schedules in history. Three of Marist's last four opponents are national threats come tourney time. Memphis is nationally ranked, Siena went to the tournament last season and upset No. 4 seed Vanderbilt, and Cleveland State is the preseason Horizon League favorite. The competition will only make Marist tougher when the MAAC schedule resumes on Jan. 2 against St. Peter's. The Red Foxes are 1-1 in conference play.
Senior Ryan Schneider and redshirt junior David Devezin have led the Red Foxes thus far. Schnieder leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 13 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Devezin has averaged 12.3 ppg and has dished out a team-high 30 assists. Schneider and junior transfer Javon Parris are the only two players to start all nine games this season.
In addition to Schneider and Devezin, Dejuan Goodwin has emerged as a lethal scoring threat. The Baltimore native leads the MAAC in three-point percentage and has given the Marist offense a spark since entering the starting lineup against Robert Morris.
Chuck Martin has also placed a premium on getting his young guys experience. R.J. Hall and Alex Vouyoukas have seen extended minutes with the hope that they can contribute come time for the MAAC tournament. Hall averages 20 minutes each game and Vouyoukas plays roughly eight each night. Both true freshmen started against Cleveland State.
Scouting St. John's
St. John's has yet to play a Big East team. Ironically, Marist has played more Big East competition than St. John's has. The Red Storm is 7-1 on the season, but has not played elite competition. In contrast to Marist, St. John's has played a realtively weak schedule. The toughest opponent the team has faced has been Boston College. Boston College won, 82-70. St. John's beat its last two opponents, Bethune-Cookman and NJIT, soundly. The Red Storm got by the Wildcats, 77-59, and NJIT, 82-54. NJIT has the longest winless drought in Division I basketball.
D.J. Kennedy is the Red Storm's biggest threat. Kennedy, the 6-foot-6 forward, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding. Kennedy scores 14.3 ppg and grabs 6.9 rpg. Paris Horne and Justin Burrell also score in double digits, averaging 12.5 and 10.6 ppg, respectively.

St. John's projected starting lineup is as follows:
G Malik Boothe, 5-foot-9
G Paris Horne, 6-foot-3
G/F D.J. Kennedy, 6-foot-6
F Justin Burrell, 6-foot-8
F Sean Evans, 6-foot-8

Injury Woes
Both Marist and St. John's have endured some tough injuries. It's no secret that Dorvell Carter is out for the season with a torn ACL on Marist's end. Leading point guard David Devezin missed the last game against Cleveland State with a heel injury, however. Chuck Martin said Devezin remained day-to-day and would be evaluated upon receiving treatment. Devezin is expected to play against St. John's, but Martin made it no secret following the Cleveland State game that the team would rather lose Devezin now than later during conference play.
St. John's has also suffered one big injury as well. The Red Storm lost arguably its best player in Anthony Mason, Jr. (right) to an ankle injury. The injury is considered serious. Mason suffered the injury earlier in the season and attempted to come back before it was fully healed. The timetable for his return is not known.

Around the MAAC
Marist has been idle for the past week but there has still been MAAC action. On Wednesday, Dec. 17, three MAAC teams all lost out-of-conference games. Rider struggled mightily on defense and lost to La Salle, 91-77, while Syracuse rebounded and crushed Canisius, 82-60. Frank Turner and Canisius gave Syracuse a fight early in the first half. Canisius jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and only trailed by nine at the half. Syracuse pulled away in the second half though.
Siena struggled on the road against national power Pittsburgh. The No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers cruised to a 79-66 win over the Siena Saints. The score does not indicate how the game was played. Pittsburgh led comfortably for most of the second half. At one point, the Panthers led by 22. Siena never laid down though and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 10 on a Clarence Jackson lay-up with 1:21 remaining. Although Siena played arguably its worst game of the season, the team is still the favorite to win the MAAC.
As of today, Fairfield and Siena are the only two unbeaten teams in the MAAC at 2-0. Iona, Canisius, and Loyola have all started 0-2.

Cleveland State stuns 'Cuse

Two nights after disposing of a David Devezin-less Marist team, 66-47, Cleveland State went to the Carrier Dome and shocked the No. 11 Syracuse Orange.
Even more shocking than the result was the fashion in which it was accomplished. Cedric Jackson buried a shot from well beyond half-court to send Syracuse on its way to its first loss of the season. Cleveland State head coach Gary Waters did not even see the miracle heave that clinched a 72-69 win for his team. According to Waters, he had already turned to his assistants to prepare for overtime. Ironically, Jackson is the same player that drained a 22-foot buzzer-beater in the first half against Marist. Jackson's three-pointer gave the Vikings a 32-22 lead heading into halftime. For those that missed it, enjoy:

Cleveland State cruises as Devezin sits [Updated with quotes]

Marist faced Cleveland State for the second straight year Saturday night. Although the Red Fox team was different, the result was not.

Marist shot 34.7 percent from the field and dropped an out-of-conference game, 66-47, to the Cleveland State Vikings.
The result did not come as a complete surprise since Marist faced the Horizon League preseason favorite without standout point guard David Devezin. Devezin injured his heel last week against Memphis and the coaching staff decided to hold him out for tonight's game. Marist does not return to action until Dec. 20 in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.
Marist head coach Chuck Martin said that Devezin remains day-to-day and will be re-evaluated throughout the week as he gets treatment. Since Cleveland State is not a MAAC opponent, the decision was a little easier on Marist head coach Chuck Martin.

“We discussed [resting him for the week until the Madison Square Garden tournament] a little bit,” Martin said. “The most important thing is the league. Obviously Cleveland State, a good team at home, would you want to win that game, absolutely but not at the expense of making [Devezin’s] injury worse. So if that means we have to play without Dave for the next 10 days and hopefully he’ll be back for the Saint Peter’s game, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Without Devezin in the lineup, Marist sputtered out of the gate. Martin believed his team was not ready to match Cleveland State’s intensity.

“I just thought we were flat to be honest,” Martin said. “Again, give those guys a lot of credit and give their staff a lot of credit, but I think there were two or three possessions in the first half where we were just flat.”
Devezin's injury forced freshman R.J. Hall into a starting role. In his first career start, the Bloomfield Tech product scored six points and dished out four assists in 31 minutes of action.

Coach Martin tailored both his offense and defense to Hall and getting the freshman acclimated to the role.

“I was afraid to put too much pressure on R.J., a freshman [in] his first start,” Martin said. “Usually we pick up full-court [defense] and go after guys, but I was really afraid that if [Hall] got into foul trouble then we were really in trouble…and really that’s not how we play.”

Although Martin scaled back the offense for Hall, the head coach has been pleased with his point guard’s progress all season long.

“He’s been great all year, he really has been,” Martin said of Hall. “Here’s a kid who’s been playing major minutes, and he’s done a great job thus far. I’m excited about him [and] I’ve always been excited about him from the moment we recruited him.”

Hall feels the start was a great experience for him and attributed a lot of his success to senior Ryan Schneider.

“My first start was a good experience. Coach actually came to me and talked to me about it…He told me, ‘no pressure on you, don’t feel like the spotlight is on you, stay within yourself and lead the team,’” Hall said. “Ryan also helped me because he’s the leader of our team and he kept me grounded throughout the whole game. With coach and Ryan and the coaching staff, I felt good about today.”
Martin also chose to start freshman forward Alex Vouyoukas. Vouyoukas had the most productive night of any Red Fox. He tallied seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes. Vouyoukas' role has increased steadily throughout the year and this will continue to be the case come conference play.
Forward Ryan Schneider led the Red Foxes in scoring with 14 points. Schneider's scoring output was a game high. The senior captain also grabbed five rebounds and notched three assists. With Devezin sitting, Schneider emerged as a marked man for Cleveland State. In their last three games, the Vikings have held opponents to 32.5 percent shooting. Marist proved no different.
Cleveland State and Horizon League star J'Nathan Bullock led the Vikings in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Bullock also hauled in eight rebounds and had three steals.
After Marist grabbed an early 7-6 lead, Cleveland State embarked on a 19-1 run. Marist closed the deficit to five after a 12-0 run capped off by an R.J. Hall three-pointer.
Cleveland State regained the momentum, however, when Cedric Jackson nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first half. The Vikings went into halftime with a 32-22 lead.

The early 19-1 run proved too much to overcome.

“It’s hard to recover from something like that,” Martin said. “They swung first and obviously hit and we had no response. We couldn’t react quick enough.”

Cleveland State cruises as Devezin sits

Marist faced Cleveland State for the second straight year Saturday night. Although the Red Fox team was different, the result was not.
Marist shot 34.7 percent from the field and dropped an out-of-conference game, 66-47, to the Cleveland State Vikings.
The result does not come as a complete surprise since Marist faced the Horizon League preseason favorite without standout point guard David Devezin. Devezin injured his heel last week against Memphis and the coaching staff decided to hold him out for tonight's game. Marist does not return to action until Dec. 20 in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.
Marist head coach Chuck Martin said that Devezin remains day-to-day and will be re-evaluated throughout the week as he gets treatment.
Devezin's injury forced freshman R.J. Hall into a starting role. In his first career start, the Bloomfield Tech product scored six points and dished out four assists in 31 minutes of action.
Martin also chose to start freshman forward Alex Vouyoukas. Vouyoukas had the most productive night of any Red Fox. He tallied seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes. Vouyoukas' role has increased steadily throughout the year and this will continue to be the case come conference play.
Forward Ryan Schneider led the Red Foxes in scoring with 14 points. Schneider's scoring output was a game high. The senior captain also grabbed five rebounds and notched three assists. With Devezin sitting, Schneider emerged as a marked man for Cleveland State. In their last three games, the Vikings have held opponents to 32.5 percent shooting. Marist proved no different.
Cleveland State and Horizon League star J'Nathan Bullock led the Vikings in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Bullock also hauled in eight rebounds and had three steals.
After Marist grabbed an early 7-6 lead, Cleveland State embarked on a 19-1 run. Marist closed the deficit to five after a 12-0 run capped off by an R.J. Hall three-pointer.
Cleveland State regained the momentum, however, when Cedric Jackson nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first half. The Vikings went into halftime with a 32-22 lead. MORE TO COME.

Marist to battle with Cleveland State

After playing Siena in its last match-up, the task does not get any easier for Marist. The Red Foxes will play the Cleveland State University Vikings (5-4) on Saturday night at the McCann Center. The last meeting between the two teams had Cleveland State thoroughly outplaying Marist in the ESPN BracketBusters. Cleveland State controlled the game en route to a 59-44 win. The Vikings return seven players from last year's team, including J'Nathan Bullock (right), one of the best players in the Horizon League. Bullock earned first-team all Horizon League honors along with teammate Cedric Jackson. Bullock, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound forward averages 13.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Bullock will likely create a ton of match-up problems for the Red Foxes. The bigger Vikings could yield space and speed to David Devezin's lane-penetration though. Starter Chris Moore and sixth man George Tandy both list at 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-8, respectively. While Cleveland State also employs a three guard set, Bullock remains the centerpiece of the Vikings' offense. Bullock has led the team in scoring for three straight seasons, and the senior has started 78 consecutive games. Cleveland State ranks 15th in the nation among mid-major schools. Gonzaga (No. 4) heads the list and Davidson (No. 22) remains second.
One hump the Red Foxes will have to climb is the offensive one. Marist has averaged 57.3 points in its last three games. Marist went 1-2 over that stretch. This task won't get any easier against Cleveland State though. The Vikings have held their last five opponents under 60 ppg. The Cleveland State opponents averaged 51.8 ppg and 18.2 turnovers per game. Marist turned the ball over a remarkable 27 times in its last contest against Siena. While the Red Foxes struggled offensively last week, the Vikings excelled defensively. Although Cleveland State went 1-2, losing to Butler and west Virginia, the Vikings held their opponents to 32.5 percent from the field. Cleveland State held Horizon League opponent and perennial NCAA Tournament entrant Butler to 31.5 percent from the field. Butler state only drained 17 buckets in the 50-48 win over Cleveland State.
Marist will rely heavily on the usual suspects: David Devezin, Ryan Schneider, and Dejuan Goodwin. Schneider leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 12.9 ppg and 9 rpg. While Schneider had a limited role last season, the senior forward has emerged as the most consistent Red Fox in Chuck Martin's dribble-dive offense. Devezin, the floor general, averages 12.3 ppg and 3.8 apg while Goodwin continues to lead the MAAC in three-point percentage.

Drummond the newest Red Fox?

As first reported by SNY's Adam Zagoria, Villanova forward Casiem Drummond has been granted permission to transfer. According to the report, Villanova has allowed Drummond to speak to Marist, Siena, and Boston University regarding his change of address. Drummond was in attendance last Saturday to watch the Red Foxes shock conference-rival Iona in the final seconds of the team's 51-50 win. I also saw Drummond speaking with assistants and players outside the coaches complex following the post-game press conference. Drummond would provide Marist a big man that could shift the balance of power in the MAAC. While it's no guarantee that Marist will be Drummond's ultimtate choice, I think the odds of this happening are fairly high. First off, I would rule out Siena immediately. Although Siena is the odds-on-favorite to win the MAAC and return to the NCAA Tournament, the Saints are losing a wealth of talent next season. Preseason player of the year and perennial first team selection Kenny Hasbrouck will graduate following this season. Siena will also lose sixth man Josh Duell, a former teammate of Ryan Schneider at Vermont. The loss of Hasbrouck could have the same effect as Rider losing Jason Thompson. Marist's biggest loss will be senior Ryan Schneider. Schneider leads the Foxes in scoring and rebounding, but Marist will not look anything next year like it does currently. Freshman Dorvell Carter will return from injury and Daye Kaba, a Boston College transfer, will be eligible to return to NCAA action. David Devezin, Dejuan Goodwin, Javon Parris, and Lawrence Williams will all return. Marist's potential lineup could include Villanova and Boston College transfers, in addition to Devezin, who originally played at Texas A&M.
I also think Chuck Martin's charisma and recruiting skill will play a huge factor in Casiem Drummond's decision. Every coach that comes in for a press conference at the McCann Center praises Martin's ability to run an offense and recruit players.
In my mind, Drummond will decide between Boston University and Marist. Drummond could decide that Hasbrouck's loss is not enough to deter him from choosing perennial contender Siena, but Marist and Boston are losing the least. Boston only loses one starter that averages 4.5 ppg. The other senior is a role player and the final senior has yet to see game action this season. Marist and Boston will keep their teams intact for the most part, while Marist will be adding two valuable pieces, not counting the recruiting class from next year. Siena has also recruited power forward OD Anosike for next season, a player likely to compete for time with Drummond. Boston University is tabbed as the favorite in the America East conference this season. The fact that Boston loses virtually no talent and will compete for an NCAA bid every year represents a problem for Chuck Martin and his staff. The player who may have had the biggest recruiting impact is Dejuan Goodwin. He ended the Iona game in heroic fashion and sent the Red Fox faithful into a frenzy following his game-winning fadeaway with 1.4 seconds left. The atmosphere, coaching staff, and opportunity could be enough to persuade Drummond to choose Poughkeepsie. We will wait and see though.

Siena finishes hot in 77-60 win

Marist gave Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Siena a scare on Tuesday night at the Times-Union Center, but preseason favorite Siena rose to the top.
Siena forward Alex Franklin (right), a preseason first-team selection that always gives Marist headaches, poured in 22 points and hauled in eight rebounds to lead the Saints to a 77-60 win over the Red Foxes. Marist shot 46.2 percent from the field, while Siena shot 47 percent. The difference came in the turnover margin. Marist turned the ball over an unprecedented 26 times and Siena took advantage.
Marist led several times in the second-half, but after Ryan Schneider canned a three-pointer to give Marist a 56-55 lead with 11:47 left in the game, Siena responded. The Saints held the Red Foxes to four points for the rest of the game and closed out the contest on a 22-4 run. Siena had 14 more field-goal attempts and 10 more free-throw attempts.
Schneider led the Red Foxes in scoring with 11 points and guard Dejuan Goodwin chipped in 10. Defensively, Marist held the MAAC preseason player of the year, Kenny Hasbrouck, to nine points and fellow first-team player Edwin Ubiles to 12 points. A combined 21 points from those two players should have figured for a better result, but early foul trouble for Lawrence Williams made guarding Alex Franklin a tough task for Marist.
The Red Foxes fall to 1-1 in conference play while the Saints move to 2-0. Marist's next MAAC game will come against Saint Peter's on Jan. 2, 2009.

Marist vs. Siena LIVE; Siena closes out Marist, wins, 77-60

Marist turned the ball over 26 times and went ice cold from the field in the final minutes of its match-up against MAAC rival Siena. Siena closed out the game on a 22-4 run.

With 3:46 left, Siena has gone on a 16-2 run and made a respectable Marist effort look somewhat lopsided. The final score won't indicate how close this game was at one point, but Chuck Martin's team picked a bad time in the game to start missing shots. The plethora of turnovers is finally starting to haunt the Foxes.

Siena is beginning to pull away as Marist has gone cold from the field. The Saints lead the Red Foxes, 67-58, with 4:57 remaining. Marist led, 56-55, after a Ryan Schneider three-pointer, but a 12-2 Siena run has put a Marist upset out of everyone's mind.

Matt Brady jokingly said in a press conference last year that if Alex Franklin could sprain an ankle before the second Marist-Siena meeting, that would be great. Although Brady made the comment in jest, the fact remains that Marist still does not have an answer for Alex Franklin. Franklin has 21 points with 7:32 left and Siena leading, 64-58.

Turnovers continue to plague the Red Foxes throughout this game, but Marist is hanging on as Siena leads, 60-58, with 10:12 left to play

Ryan Schneider just buried a three-pointer to put Marist up 53-51 at the official timeout. There is 13:59 remaining in the game and every Red Fox showed up for this one.

Chuck Martin just took a 30 second timeout with 16:02 remaining in the game. Alex Franklin is diminating Marist in the paint, but the Red Foxes are shooting the lights out thus far and have a 48-47 lead. This is a match-up of preseason MAAC picks No. 1 and No. 10.

*****

Marist is surprising Siena early in the Times-Union Center, trailing only by two. A late 5-0 Marist run punctuated by a David Devezin jumper pulled Marist to 39-37, the score at halftime. Dejuan Goodwin continues to emerge as a star in the making as he drained two late three-pointers. Devezin and Goodwin have a team-high eight points apiece. Alex Franklin leads all scorers with 11 points. This is not surprising because Lawrence Williams ran into foul trouble early, forcing Korey Bauer and Alex Vouyoukas into a tough assignment. Marist finished with 17 turnovers in the first half, while Siena had just five. Marist shot 62.5 percent from the field though, so the shooting is keeping the Foxes in the game.

At the last official timeout, Marist is hanging with MAAC favorite, Siena. The Saints cling to a 30-29 lead with 3:01 remaining in the half. Everyone's gotten involved in the scoring for Marist, and the Red Foxes are shooting 57.1 percent from the field. During halftime, Chuck Martin will get on his team for an abundance of first-half turnovers.

With Lawrence Williams in foul trouble, Chuck Martin has gone to freshman Alex Vouyoukas and the 6-foot-9 big man has responded. Vouyoukas has six points on 3-of-4 shooting. With 6:22 left in the first, Siena leads, 28-25.

With 11:42 remaining in the first half, Siena is up, 16-12. Alex Franklin leads all scorers with seven points while freshman forward Alex Vouyoukas leads the Foxes with four points.

At the first official timeout, Marist has turned the ball over six times. Luckily for the Red Foxes, the score is knotted at six. R.J Hall just stole the ball from Siena point guard Ronald Moore and fed Ryan Schneider for a streaking dunk. There's 15:35 left in the first half.

*****

The game's about to start and the starting lineups are as follows:

Marist:
G David Devezin
G Javon Parris
G Dejaun Goodwin
F Ryan Schneider
F Lawrence Williams

Siena:
G Ronald Moore
G Kenny Hasbrouck
G/F Edwin Ubiles
F Ryan Rossiter
F Alex Franklin

Marist set to clash with rival Siena

Marist will travel to the Times-Union Center tomorrow night to face off against conference-rival Siena. This will be Marist's toughest challenge of the young season as the team has to play the MAAC preseason favorite in a hostile environment. Both teams are 1-0 in MAAC play.
Marist will have its hands full with Siena, a team that boasts three preseason first-team players, including preseason player of the year, Kenny Hasbrouck (pictured below). Forwards Alex Franklin and Edwin Ubiles join Hasbrouck on the first team.
Ubiles, the Poughkeepsie native, is coming off a week in which he was named MAAC player of the week for averaging 21.5 points and five rebounds against Albany and Loyola.
Marist lost to Siena twice last season. Siena slipped past Marist at the Times-Union Center, 76-72, then won an overtime thriller at the McCann Center, 97-88. Siena eventually won the MAAC Tournament and went dancing at the NCAA Tournament. Siena upset Vanderbilt in the opening round before falling to Villanova.
A key match-up to watch will be David Devezin against Ronald Moore. Both point guards are two of the MAAC's finest. Iona coach Kevin Willard said that he voted for David Devezin as a first team point guard in the preseason. Devezin made the third team. Moore is second in the MAAC in apg with 5.3 while Devezin is fourth with 3.9. Devezin is second on the Red Foxes in scoring with 12.7 ppg while Moore boasts the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference. The two players will be key to their respective teams' success.
Marist and Siena are virtually even in most statistical categories. The two categories where there are large disparities are three-point field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage. Marist ranks second in the MAAC in three-point field-goal percentage with 36.9 percent while Siena ranks second in overall field-goal percentage at 46.3 percent. Since Siena has a much larger team, it is evident that Marist will need to shoot the ball well from beyond the arc to have success. This means forward Ryan Schneider and guard Dejuan Goodwin will need to continue to have three-point success in order to have a chance. Goodwin currently leads the MAAC in three-point field-goal percentage with 55.6 percent. He leads Manhattan's Antoine Pearson and Fairfield's Jonathan Han. Ever since Chuck Martin inserted Goodwin into the starting lineup, the Baltimore product has been a catalyst for the Marist offense. Tomorrow night will be no different when Goodwin matches up against Kenny Hasbrouck.
Dejuan Goodwin scored 12 points in Marist's last game, a 51-50 win over Iona. Goodwin nailed the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds left in regulation.

Farmer keeping options open

Notable Marist alumni Ben Farmer and Jared Jordan were in attendance for last night's conference-opening win over Iona.
Farmer told me that he almost had a deal to play professionally in Ireland, but the negotiations fell through at the last minute. Farmer is currently staying in shape playing in some Hartford basketball leagues with the hopes of trying again next year. Farmer said he wanted to play overseas rather than stay here in the States.
Fellow Marist teammates Will Whittington and Shae McNamara are presently playing overseas. Whittington is in the Netherlands while McNamara is in Germany. Jordan also played overseas last season in Lithuania.
Jordan has not currently signed with any team. My guess is that he is waiting on some NBA teams like the Knicks who are riddled with injuries before making a decision. Jordan played with the Phoenix Suns in the summer league and the New Orleans Hornets during the preseason. He and Courtney Sims were the last two cuts.
The Times-Picayune had a good article on Jordan and his time with the Hornets: Jordan's big night

Goodwin propels Marist to thrilling victory

It's Dejaun Goodwin's world tonight, and we're all living in it.
With Marist trailing MAAC rival Iona, 50-49, sophomore guard Dejuan Goodwin received the inbounds pass and drained a fall-away jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining in the game. The Red Fox faithful erupted as the team opened the conference schedule with a 51-50 win over an Iona team that took nationally ranked Wisconsin to overtime.
Goodwin had a breakout game and earned the accolades of Marist head coach Chuck Martin. Martin wanted the ball in Goodwin's hands and the game on the line. Goodwin scored a season-high 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting, including the game-winning shot. Senior Ryan Schneider led all scorers with 17 points. The forward also hauled in a game-high seven rebounds.
The game finished at a frenetic pace. Marist trailed by four points with 27 seconds left in the contest. Javon Parris subsequently went 2-for-4 from the free-throw line in the a span of three seconds after grabbing an offensive rebound in between trips to the line.
With Parris on the line and a chance to tie with six seconds remaining, the junior went 1-for-2. Marist trailed 5-49, but the Red Foxes forced an Iona Gaels traveling violation on Rashon Dwight. This paved the way for Goodwin's heroics.
Marist will next travel to Siena on Dec. 9 to take on the Saints in the Times-Union Center.
Across the MAAC
The other two MAAC games went pretty much to plan. Fairfield blew out Saint Peter's, 76-56, and Manhattan clobbered Canisius, 81-63.
MORE TO COME.

Jimmy Patsos in the news again

Most Marist basketball fans know Jimmy Patsos, the high-strung coach for rival Loyola. Patsos recently made news when he employed a unique defense to try and stop Davidson's Stephen Curry. He used two defenders on Curry, allowing Davidson to play four against three. The strategy worked in stopping Curry, who scored zero points. Many might consider that a moral victory considering Curry averages 29.2 ppg and 7 apg. Loyola lost the game, however, 78-48. The move received national attention, notably from ESPN and shows like Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption.
With Siena and Loyola competing in the first MAAC game of the season, Siena beat writer Pete Iorizzo talked to Patsos extensively about the strategy. Patsos explained that the strategy was not a self-serving attempt for national recognition but a calculated risk intended to take down the nationally ranked Davidson Wildcats. Although Patsos' team left the Times-Union Center with a 75-68 loss, he did leave something behind. The following article contains a letter Patsos sent to Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon in an attempt to rationalize his strategy. This article is courtesy of Pete Iorizzo and Deadspin.com:
Jimmy Patsos letter to ESPN

MAAC is back

After losing a humbling game to No. 15 Memphis, Marist returns home Friday night to take on conference rival Iona. The game marks the first MAAC contest for both teams. Marist and Iona each have two wins on the season. Iona was selected to finish seventh in the conference while Marist was chosen to finish 10th in the 10 team league. Friday is opening night for six MAAC teams. Siena outlasted Loyola, 75-68, in the conference season-opener.
The Red Foxes and Gaels look to be in for a low-scoring contest. Iona averages 63.4 ppg while Marist scores 65.7 ppg. The teams are ranked eighth and fifth, respectively. Each team ranks highly in scoring defense as well. Iona boasts a stout defense, surrendering 59 ppg. Marist's statistics are somewhat skewed because of the team's 100-61 loss to Memphis on Dec. 2. Currently, Marist is ninth in the MAAC due to allowing 74 ppg. Prior to the Memphis game, Marist yielded 68.8 ppg. The stats are also inflated due to Marist's overtime loss to the Delaware Blue Hens. Marist allowed 72 points in regulation but finished the game losing, 88-83. Those two games make Marist's defense look more suspect than it actually is.
Iona is somewhat hard to figure out. Iona took nationally-ranked Wisconsin into overtime before eventually falling, 60-58. The Gaels then followed that up with a 70-62 home loss to the Robert Morris Colonials. Marist handled Robert Morris, 72-55, and emptied its bench in the waning minutes of the game. Robert Morris is the only common opponent between the two teams.
Marist will have its hands full trying to defend Iona's Gary Springer. The 6-foot-9 senior ranks fifth in the MAAC in scoring with 14.6 ppg. He is one spot behind the MAAC's preseason player of the year, Kenny Hasbrouck. Springer also leads the Gaels in rebounding and is second in the conference in field-goal percentage. Springer shoots the ball at a 64.1 percent clip. Springer also led the team in double-doubles last season with five.
Marist has struggled at times thi year against larger opponents. Rutgers' big men Hamady Ndiaye and Greg Echenique contributed to a Rutgers' program-record 16 blocked shots in the Scarlet Knights' 63-61 win over the Red Foxes.
After Springer, Iona does not boast many scoring threats. Milan Prodanovich ranks second on the team in scoring with 7.6 ppg. Iona is a team that relies on its defense to win games, something that could give Marist trouble since the Red Foxes maintain the worst turnover-ratio in the MAAC with -6. One thing Chuck Martin has mentioned frequently with regards to the Red Foxes ability to run the dribble-drive is the length of the other teams' guards. Sophomore Rashon Dwight will pose the biggest threat to David Devezin. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard averages the same amount of apg as Devezin with 3.8. The Red Foxes will no doubt have a good scouting report on Dwight though. Dwight hails from Bloomfield Tech in New Jersey, the same high school Marist freshman guard R.J. Hall attended.
Iona has rotated players throughout the starting lineup through each of the first five games, but the projected starting lineup for Iona is as follows:
G Rashon Dwight
G Jermel Jenkins
F Milan Prodanovich
F Jonathan Huffman
C Gary Springer

Marist vs. (15) Memphis LIVE; Final, 100-61 Memphis

Memphis dominated Marist from the opening tip and cruised to a 100-61 victory. Marist gained valuable experience by playing the No. 15 team in the nation in a hostile environment. David Devezin, Ryan Schneider, and Lawrence Williams all scored in double figures while 10 Red Foxes got their name on the score sheet. Javon Parris scored a season-high eight points and freshmen walk-ons Pat Mcderby and Mike Taylor each tallied points in the final two minutes. The game served as a good warm-up for the opening MAAC game Friday night against Iona.

*****

There's 2:33 left in the game and Memphis has emptied its bench. The Tigers lead, 92-50.

With 9:56 left in the game, Memphis just doubled up the Red Foxes, 80-40. Shawn Taggart has been on a second-half tear. He currently has 14 points.

With 11:45 left in the game, Memphis leads Marist, 72-39. RJ Hall and Javon Parris have gotten on the score sheet in the last several minutes. Marist just can't match up with Memphis defensively.

Marist opened up the second half with a 6-2 run but that quickly evaporated. At the first official timeout, Memphis leads Marist, 61-30. Marist has only received significant contributions from Schneider, Devezin, and Williams tonight. It's a positive for those three, but in order to beat any kind of significant competition, the role players must step up.

*****

A very humbling first half finally came to a close with Memphis leading by 27. The Tigers rode 18 points from standout freshman Tyreke Evans en route to a 51-24 halftime lead. Marist's Ryan Schneider is second in scoring for both teams with 10 points. David Devezin chipped in eight points. Chuck Martin wanted to see how his team would match up with the length of Memphis' guards and the answer is pretty obvious. Memphis shot 56.4 percent from the field while Marist shot just 28.6 percent.

Chuck Martin just took a 30 second timeout with 9:08 remaining in the first half. Memphis is showing Marist why its a top 15 team in the country. Memphis leads 32-9. Robert Dozier didn't start tonight for Memphis, but since entering, the senior has poured in six points.

After the Memphis timeout, the Tigers embarked on an 8-0 run. Lawrence Williams broke up the run with a lay-up underneath. Chuck Martin just took a 30 second timeout following a Robert Dozier dunk. Memphis leads 22-9 with 11:58 remaining in the first half.

At the first timeout, Memphis leads Marist, 10-7. Memphis Coach John Calipari called a 30 second timeout following a Ryan Schneider three-pointer. Schneider is 2-for-2 from the field with five points. David Devezin has the other Marist bucket. Devezin also assisted on both of Schneider's field goals.

*****

The game's about to start live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. The starting lineups are as follows:

Marist:
G David Devezin
G Javon Parris
G Dejuan Goodwin
F Ryan Schneider
F Lawrence Williams

Memphis:
G Tyreke Evans
G Wesley Witherspoon
G Antonio Anderson
G Doneal Mack
F Pierre Henderson-Niles

Martin and Weeks return home

The Marist Red Foxes did not officially announce the hiring of Chuck Martin until April 17, 2008, because the new coach had a prior commitment: the national championship game.
On Tuesday night, John Calipari's former assistants Chuck Martin and Tyrone Weeks return to the location of their previous coaching jobs. Both Martin and Weeks were assistants on Calipari's staff that compiled a 38-2 record last season before falling in overtime to eventual champion Kansas in the national championship game.
The two coaches now face foes that used to be called family. Marist will take on No. 15 Memphis in Tennessee tomorrow night. The 2-3 Red Foxes have a chance to measure their talent against some of the best in the country. Memphis sits at 4-1 on the year and the team is coming off its lone loss to No. 14 Xavier.
The Red Foxes will not only meet college talent tomorrow night but future NBA talent as well. Tigers guard Antonio Anderson and forward Robert Dozier originally submitted their names to the 2008 NBA Draft. Both withdrew their names and returned to Memphis. Memphis lost top guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick, to the Chicago Bulls and 6-foot-7 swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts to the New Jersey Nets. Forward/Center Joey Dorsey is also in the NBA. Dorsey is a member of the Houston Rockets.
Marist will have its hands full trying to contain an offense that scores 79 points per game (ppg). Memphis allows 65 ppg, while Marist has averaged 66.6 ppg in the first five contests.
Coach Martin views Memphis as the ultimate test to gauge his team's progress.
"It's going to be a challenge for sure because obviously Memphis is really, really talented," Martin said. "We're not going to back down, we're not changing the way we play. We're going to defend them man-to-man and push the ball in transition.
"The Memphis game is more about us than Memphis," Martin said. "We need to figure out how can we play with a team of that caliber. Can we run with them, can we score in bunches against that team?"
Marist will have its hands full with freshman standout Tyreke Evans and senior forward Robert Dozier. Each player averages 14.6 and 13.2 ppg, respectively. Evans was rated as one of the top prospects in the country coming out of high school. ESPN rated Evans a 99 caliber prospect.
Memphis also represents an emotional homecoming for Martin.
"Memphis has been great," Martin said. "I still own a home in Memphis, I have friends in Memphis, Coach [Calipari's] been great to me. Anytime you surround yourself with good people like Coach [Calipari] and the city of Memphis, there's always an emotional connection there."

Marist holds on; Beats UNH, 63-61

For Chuck Martin and the Red Foxes, an ugly win beats a good-looking loss any day of the week.
Marist cruised through most of the game and led by as many as 17 points in the second half, but New Hampshire clawed back and made a game of it. Tyrece Gibbs' 40-foot three-point attempt missed wide left and the Red Foxes held on to win 63-61.
Chuck Martin won his first career home game as Marist head coach, and David Devezin led the Red Foxes in scoring for the second straight game. Devezin scored 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting and forced UNH Coach Bill Herrion to switch to a 2-3 zone midway through the second half.
With 11:11 left to play and Marist leading 54-37, an irate Herrion called timeout and reassembled his defensive alignment. The Red Foxes scored only nine points from that point on.
Following the game, Coach Martin took responsibility for not preparing his team for the 2-3 zone in the pre-game walk-through.
With the win, Marist moved to 2-3 on the season while UNH dropped to 1-3. The Red Foxes will travel to Memphis to take on the No. 18 Tigers on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The game is a homecoming for Chuck Martin and assistant coach Tyrone Weeks. Both coaches were on John Calipari's staff that reached the national championship game last season. The game will also pose a stern test for the undermanned and inexperienced Red Foxes. MAAC play begins on Friday, Dec. 5 against Iona. MORE TO COME.

Up Next: UNH

On Saturday, Nov. 29, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats will travel to Poughkeepsie to take on the Marist Red Foxes. UNH sits at 1-2 on the season and comes to the McCann Center following a 70-50 rout at the hands of the Penn State Nittany Lions.
New Hampshire hails from the America East conference, and this game marks the first of two that Marist will play against the league. Marist clashes with Binghamton on Dec. 30 in Vestal, N.Y. UNH was picked to finish seventh in the nine team conference. Maine and Stony Brook were predicted to finish eighth and ninth, respectively, while Boston University was picked to finish first.
Marist has only faced UNH once in the school's history. The lone meeting came on Jan. 2, 1983 and ended in a Wildcats' win, 70-60.
This match-up looks to be a battle of the guards. New Hampshire's three highest scoring players are all starting guards and all average over 13 points per game (ppg). Tyrece Gibbs leads the Wildcats in scoring with 14.7 ppg while Eric Gilchrese and Tyrone Conley average 13.7 and 13.0 ppg, respectively. Gibbs led the Wildcats against Penn State with 14 points. Gibbs three-pointer with 4:45 remaining in the first half gave UNH its last lead of the game. Penn State subsequently embarked on a 10-2 run and controlled the rest of the game. UNH maintained a lead for the first 12:25 of the game, the longest of any Penn State opponent this year. Penn State is 4-0.
Both teams will look to rebound from tough losses. While UNH lost by 20 to Penn State, Delaware squeezed by Marist in overtime, 88-83. Marist held a 72-70 lead late in regulation but could not secure the victory.
Marist will return home for the second time this season. The home opener did not go as planned as Saint Bonaventure stormed into the McCann Center and dominated Marist en route to a 77-54 blowout win. Marist head coach Chuck Martin will also attempt to win his first game in front of the Poughkeepsie faithful. His first win as a head coach came against Robert Morris in the Garden State Tip-Off Classic hosted by Rutgers University. Marist handled Robert Morris, 72-55.
With New Hampshire featuring a trio of talented guards, look for David Devezin and R.J. Hall to factor into this game prominently. Also don't be surprised to see Dejuan Goodwin receive more minutes. Goodwin has started the last two games but an into early foul trouble against Delaware. Devezin and Hall are currently two of the red Foxes' leading scorers. Devezin averages 13.3 ppg while dishing out 4.3 assists per game. Devezin is currently tied for third in the MAAC with 4.3 assists per game (apg) with Siena point guard Ronald Moore. Fairfield's Jonathan Han ranks first with 6.4 apg.
Schneider leaving his mark on the MAAC
Although the Red Foxes have yet to play a conference game, Marist senior forward leads the MAAC in several key categories early in the season. Schneider ranks seventh in the MAAC in scoring with 14.3 ppg and third in total rebounding with 9.5 rebounds per game. Schneider leads the MAAC in defensive rebounding with 8 per game. Schneider leads the Red Foxes in scoring, rebounding, and minutes played. Schneider also leads the MAAC in minutes played with 151 in four games. The senior represents a stabilizing force on a Marist team featuring youth and inexperience. Schneider will not be a new face to New Hampshire. Schneider transferred to Marist from Vermont, an America East foe of New Hampshire.