This just in: Siena is heavy MAAC favorite

Well now that we have that shocking news out of the way, here is how MAAC Media Day played out.
The team and player rankings are in and Marist gets the short end of the stick. Just like last year, Marist was selected 10th and will have to fight for its respect this season. With as many newcomers as Marist has, the politically correct thing to do is pick the team 10th. Marist will not finish 10th though.
Chuck Martin has six true freshmen in the fold and Dorvell Carter eligible as a red-shirt freshman. Depth, however, is key. Almost every player on Marist's roster has a chance to emerge as a primetime player if they got. Daye Kaba will lead this team, and when the first semester ends, Casiem Drummond will join him. Those are the only spots that are set in stone, in my opinion.
R.J. Hall enters the season as the starting point guard, but he will probably be looking over his back at Devin Price. He looked quite impressive at Marist Madness. The No. 3 and 4 spots are up for grabs. A lot depends on whether Martin chooses to go small and quick or add some bigger players like Menelik Watson (20-year old freshman) and Korey Bauer in the fold (when Drummond is back and starting).
With so many uncertainties regarding the Marist roster, no surprise the Red Foxes were tabbed last. The uncertainties aren't a bad thing, it simply means Martin has a lot more options than he did last season. He also has his guys on board, although they are inexperienced.
Here's the fallout from MAAC Media Day.

Teams, First-place votes
1. Siena, 9
2. Niagara
3. Rider, 1
4. Fairfield
5T. Loyola
5T. Saint Peter's
7. Canisius
8. Manhattan
9. Iona
10. Marist

Prediction: Marist finishes ahead of Canisius, Manhattan, and Iona.
Far too early to tell beyond that. This season will be an improvement on last year. In Chuck Martin's mind, 2010-11 is the Red Foxes' year to win the conference. Siena will lose almost all their big impact players. The top three teams will have also lost Ryan Thompson, Bilal Benn, Tyrone Lewis, and Rob Garrison.
Prediction 2: Daye Kaba finishes the season as a second-team All MAAC selection.
No surprise he wasn't selected since he's come off his transfer year, but he will replace Schneider's efficiency and leadership.

Here are the preseason teams:

Player of the year:
Ryan Thompson, Rider

First team:
Ronald Moore, Siena
Edwin Ubiles, Siena
Ryan Thompson, Rider
Bilal Benn, Niagara
Tyrone Lewis, Niagara

Second team:
Alex Franklin, Siena
Ryan Rossiter, Siena
Greg Nero, Fairfield
Jamal Barney, Loyola
Wesley Jenkins, Saint Peter's

Third team:
Mike Ringgold, Rider
Novar Gadson, Rider
Darryl Crawford, Manhattan
Frank Turner, Canisius
Greg Logins, Canisius

Red Foxes debut for Poughkeepsie faithful

The Red Foxes started the season tonight in front of a crowded McCann Center.
The night served as a kick-off to the relationship between the crowd and the two programs. It was more about skill than basketball technique and intensity.
The men's team looked entirely different than last year, which is a good and bad thing. The good is that this is the most freakishly athletic team in the MAAC. Granted that doesn't translate into good basketball and wins, but there is a ton of talent there. The bad is there is no David Devezin and Ryan Schneider. They emerged as the faces of this team, so it is an obvious change. They played the game without flash, but were consummate professionals.
This team has an infusion of youth. The core is built of freshmen. There is a camraderie with this group that I haven't seen since I've followed Marist basketball. They celebrated boisterously, displayed their skills, and showboated at will. At least there won't be any shortage of confidence.
There was probably a bit of disappointment regarding the team's intensity level during the scrimmage, but that's the way these events go. The New Jersey Nets opened their annual practice to the public in early October, and the intensity was just as bad, and they are professionals. These events are to showcase the newcomers and the talent, not the dribble-drive offense and tight man-to-man defense.
Based on what Marist displayed, these are my following observations:
R.J. Hall did not play in the scrimmage and Korey Bauer has the flu.
Devin Price is one of the most athletic point guards I've ever seen. Jared Jordan and David Devezin certainly could not dunk like him. Hard to say how that translates into the game since tonight was basically a skills contest.
Expect Marist to go small to start the season. Korey Bauer should be healthy, and my guess is he is the only true "big" in the lineup. Menelik Watson, although of freakish strength, did not appear to be in shape just yet to play 30 minutes a night. He did not get involved in the scrimmage as much as I was hoping. Based on what I saw, he does not start against Rutgers.
Daye Kaba and Casiem Drummond could bring this team further than anyone is anticipating come March. Drummond displayed the kind of enthusiasm and effort you love to see. Although most hope he does not bring the ball up court in real action like he did tonight, he at least worked hard during the scrimmage.
Daye Kaba will be this year's Ryan Schneider. He will be a team leader that everyone will look to. Prediction: he is an All-MAAC selection.
Sam Prescott could start. He's everything he was cracked up to be by the coaching staff in the offseason. His speed, agility, and vertical leap make him a huge asset in this offense.
Rob Johnson and Dorvell Carter are probably vying for the same starting spot. Nod may go to Carter, but Johnson will make an impact in some shape or form.
Anell Alexis was present and in uniform. He also was not wearing a brace. Just speculation, but maybe the injury was not a full tear. Based on the numbers, I'd still redshirt him.
The wildcard for this team is Candon Rusin. In warmups, he knocked down several NBA three-pointers. He air-balled a few as well, but he seems to be a silky-smooth shooter, probably the best the team has at this point.
Finally, I'm curious to see the roles that Javon Parris and Dejuan Goodwin play. Parris' game translates to Bruce Bowen in that he's probably only a defensive-stopper that can knock down the occasional shot. Goodwin is the same player but with better talent around him, especially once Drummond is active. He knows the offense and can knock down shots. Martin will probably look to him early, like he did last year in the first three games with Kaylen Gregory, because of his seniority.
Final word: this is not a 10th place team in the MAAC. Granted, that's not exactly going out on a limb. Finishing middle of the pack and looking to get hot in Albany with Drummond is a safe bet.

Marist Madness slated for Oct. 23

Marist fans will get their first look at the 2009-10 Red Foxes when the men's and women's programs host Marist Madness.
This is the sixth annual event and the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The festivities will kick off at 7 p.m.
The night will feature the red/white scrimmage, shooting contests, and a dunk contest.
Like every year, both Brian Giorgis and Chuck Martin will give a speech to the fans to set the mood for the upcoming season.
The men's team will have nine new players and eight new contributors. Anell Alexis is expected to miss the season with an injured ACL. Dorvell Carter, Daye Kaba, and Casiem Drummond are in their second year with the team, but this will be their first year of eligibility.
Admission to the event is free and concessions will be available. One fan will be selected to shoot for $10,000.

Marist releases new-look roster

Marist's revamped roster has been announced by GoRedFoxes.com.
A couple interesting notes regarding the roster release:
Coming from someone that interviewed Menelik Watson extensively in the offseason, I'm kind of surprised Marist or The Poughkeepsie Journal did nothing to announce his arrival to the program. Based on his highlights, age, and body-frame, he should contribute immediately in a big way.
Devin Price is going with the No. 0. An interesting choice.
Chuck Martin has a roster full of talented players. He won't be able to say he doesn't have enough players this season. Enough "experienced" players is another story.
Expect Anell Alexis to redshirt this season after tearing his ACL in offseason workouts. Due to the Red Foxes depth, it would not make sense to carry him in case he's available for the final few games.
Based on what I heard over the summer, expect Rob Johnson to have a huge impact this season. Think starter. They see a Ryan Schneider-type player in him.
It will be interesting to see where Candon Rusin fits in the rotation. He is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. He could become a huge part of the team and rotation if he can get hot on a team that loves to drive the basket.

For the opening game at Rutgers on Nov. 14, here is my projected lineup:

G R.J. Hall
G Daye Kaba
F Rob Johnson
F Menelik Watson
F Korey Bauer

First off the bench:
G Dejuan Goodwin
G Sam Prescott
G Devin Price
F Dorvell Carter

Obviously the team will change when Casiem Drummond becomes eligible. Although Price and Prescott may play a larger role later in the season, I think Martin will choose to go with experience early on. Watson's age and experience in Spain makes him a huge asset as a freshman. He is not the typical freshman.

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.