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."