Marist unveils 2009-10 schedule

Marist released the Red Foxes full schedule for the upcoming season today.
Marist will play 29 games this season, including 13 at home. The team will play its first six games on the road, something I think will benefit a new team's camaraderie.
The good news is that Casiem Drummond will only miss two MAAC games, neither of which is against Siena. Marist plays at Fairfield and Rider in consecutive games prior to Dec. 20th, Drummond's first eligible game.
The middle portion of the schedule is packed with home games. The only home game that won't include the full lineup will come against Boston University on Dec. 12.

The full schedule is below, courtesy of GoRedFoxes.

Nov. 14 - at Rutgers
Nov. 18 - at Hartford
Nov. 28 - at New Hampshire
Nov. 30 - at Holy Cross
Dec. 3 - at Fairfield
Dec. 6 - at Rider
Dec. 12 - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Dec. 20 - BINGHAMTON
Dec. 22 - at Lehigh
Dec. 28 - VERMONT
Dec. 30 - at Bucknell
Jan. 2 - MANHATTAN
Jan. 4 - at Saint Peter's
Jan. 6 - PRINCETON
Jan. 9 - CANISIUS
Jan 11 - RIDER
Jan. 15 - at Loyola
Jan. 18 - NIAGARA
Jan. 21 - FAIRFIELD
Jan. 23 - LOYOLA
Jan. 28 - at Iona
Jan. 30 - SIENA
Feb. 5 - at Manhattan
Feb. 7 - IONA
Feb. 12 - at Canisius
Feb. 14 - at Niagara
TBA (Feb. 20-22) - at BracketBusters
Feb. 26 - SAINT PETER'S
Feb. 28 - at Siena
March 5-Mon., March 8 - MAAC Tournament (Albany, N.Y.)

Drummond to debut against Binghamton

Marist fans will get their first look at the Villanova transfer on Dec. 20 in a home game against Binghamton.
In case there was any ambiguity as to when his eligibility took effect, this should clear up the situation. Marist has had issues in the past with NCAA paperwork, but as it stands, Drummond will be eligible once the first semester ends.
Since Louie McCroskey had an issue with the NCAA, I wanted to look into when Casiem would play his first game. Since he did not get enrolled immediately after the first semester ended this past year, I thought it might be one year from his enrollment. Fortunately for Marist, he will play once the academic semester ends.

Marist releases out-of-conference schedule

The Marist Athletics Department unveiled the Red Foxes competition for the 2009-2010 season.
Marist will open the season against Rutgers on Nov. 14, one year to the day that the two teams opened up last season as part of the Garden State Tournament. Marist suffered a two-point loss at the RAC last season.
The Red Foxes open up with four straight road games, which in my opinion, is a brilliant piece of schedule making. Marist is an entirely different team from last year and a long road trip can build chemistry and form a bond.
Marist will host the home opener on Saturday, Dec. 12, against Boston University. Binghamton, Vermont, and Princeton also journey to the McCann Center.
The schedule is solid from a competition standpoint. It's hard to predict wins and losses when there will be so many new faces in the Marist lineup, but it would have made no sense to schedule a team like Memphis again following a last place finish in a mid-major conference. All of the games should be competitive, and Marist should be well prepared for its MAAC schedule.

Schneider signs in Portugal

Ryan Schneider's surge in his final year at Marist propelled the forward to a professional contract. He signed with CAB Madeira in Portugal.
Schneider has said in the past that he never expected to play professionally, but a strong senior campaign led to international interest.
Schneider joins former Marist teammate Jared Jordan in European basketball. Schneider served his transfer year from Vermont during Jordan's senior season.
Schneider saw limited action under Matt Brady after transferring from Vermont, but his role increased dramatically with Chuck Martin.
The Yorktown Heights native led the MAAC in most major categories, earning second-team All-MAAC honors. Had Marist not finished 10th in the MAAC, he likely would have been a first teamer.