Marist falls in season opener

A sluggish start to the second half sent Marist packing with an opening loss at Rutgers.
Rutgers jumped out to a 16 point lead midway through the second half, but a persistent Marist team clawed back and ultimately fell, 74-67.
Although things looked bleak at times, Chuck Martin has to be thrilled with the performance of freshman Rob Johnson. He has great length and excellent athleticism. He translated those attributes into a game-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Daye Kaba notched a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Korey Bauer pitched in and made a case for significant minutes even when Casiem Drummond returns. Bauer's contributions could keep him in the starting lineup when Drummond becomes available. Bauer gives Martin multiple lineup options depending on if he wants to play big or small.
Bauer scored 11 points and hauled in seven rebounds despite playing an oversized Big East frontcourt.
As far as the freshmen go, Sam Prescott scored 10 points and Candon Rusin chipped in nine. Prescott showed a nice ability to slash and get to the rim while Rusin obviously wants to play outside the arc.
Until Hall and Drummond enter the lineup, Marist will have its hands full in every game. The team isn't nearly as deep without those two and are forced to play Dejuan Goodwin at the point. Devin Price looked outmatched in his first game, which is to be expected. Goodwin's ability to play the point is a plus. Goodwin did a solid job running the point, but one question mark is his free-throw shooting. For a starting guard, 1-of-4 from the charity stripe won't cut it.
Other observations from the opener:
- Not having Menelik Watson will hurt for the first month. The decision to red-shirt him is an interesting one, but during Marist Madness, he seemed out of shape. He has great strength and is incredibly muscular, but he looked like he put on a lot of weight and wouldn't be able to handle the rigor of a full season. A bit surprising because he was so pumped to contribute to the team this season.
- Dorvell Carter only receiving four minutes of action is very surprising. He has good size at 6-foot-6 and can hit the outside shot. Since he's been with Martin a year, you'd think he'd make more of an impact early than a few of the freshmen. Regardless of his one three-point attempt, Marist will need him down the stretch.
- Javon Parris is really only a defensive stopper at this point. His offense remains what it was last season. He played seven minutes in the contest.
- Finally, Rob Johnson looked like an All-MAAC rookie player in the opener. The fact that he can successfully shoot the three and slash inside is a major plus. He can play the No. 3 or 4 spots, making him an asset for any opponent.

Marist opened the game with this lineup:
G Dejuan Goodwin
G Sam Prescott
G Daye Kaba
F Rob Johnson
F Korey Bauer

I'd expect that to remain constant, at least for the first few games. Marist returns to action Wednesday at Hartford. Hartford is a game Marist should win. The Red Foxes thoroughly outplayed Hartford last season in the BracketBuster game and Hartford lost its opener, 85-74, to Quinnipiac.

Rider shocks No. 19 Mississippi State

With the MAAC opening its season tonight, there were a couple big results for the conference.
Rider went on the road and had its way with No. 19 Mississippi State. The Broncs went into Humphrey Coliseum and won, 88-74. Four players scored in double-digits, including 21 apiece from Mike Ringgold and Novar Gadson.
Many questioned the integrity of Rider coach Tommy Dempsey casting the lone first place vote for a team other than Siena, voting instead for his own team, but this victory has to validate that pick. This is one of Rider's biggest wins.
With Niagara notwithstanding (late result), the only MAAC team to lose was Saint Peter's. Seton Hall's Eugene Harvey nailed a three-pointer as time expired to propel the Pirates to a 53-51 win. The Peacocks' defense picked up right where it left off last season. They limited Jeremy Hazell, one of the Big East's best scorers to two points on 0-of-10 shooting. He averaged 22.7 ppg last season.
Marist looks like it will have its hands full this season. With Menelik Watson and Anell Alexis red-shirting, Casiem Drummond will have to play at an All-MAAC level when he becomes eligible against Binghamton. Devin Price and Rob Johnson will also have to grow up in a hurry.

The other scores from around the league:
Siena 85 Tennessee State 68
Iona 82 Boston University 73
Loyola 79 Vermont 66
Fairfield 67 Central Connecticut State 58

Official: Hall ineligible for first semester of season

In one of the more bizarre developments of the 2009 preseason, starting point guard R.J. Hall has been ruled academically ineligible.
The story is interesting for two reasons. 1) Hall was a member of the National Honor Society at Bloomfield Tech in high school and an honor roll student. In my experiences at Marist, I always saw him with a portfolio to-and-from class. He's probably one of the last guys I would've expected this from. 2) Hall has been ruled academically ineligible by Marist, NOT the NCAA. Marist holds students to higher standards and proved that academics still have a place in athletics.
The situation is similar to Ben Farmer's during the first semester of the 2005-06 season.
Hall's absence will open up a tremendous window of opportunity for Devin Price. While he may not be polished, he certainly has the attitude and athleticism to play the position. Dejuan Goodwin will start at the point, but don't be surprised to see some roster shuffling in the backcourt.
Others news and notes
- Korey Bauer has recovered fully from the flu he battled two weeks back. His role will be emphasized since Drummond is not available for the first semester.
- As far as Menelik Watson goes, there won't be any formal announcement in regards to his red-shirting this season. The NCAA does not have a formal deadline, the team just chooses not to play a certain player for the entire season. They then apply for the red-shirt after the season. A player is eligible to be red-shirted for injury purposes as long as he doesn't play in 30 percent or more of his team's games. The post-season declaration of a red-shirt is important because this is where David Devezin ran into trouble with his paperwork.

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.