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LOCATION: Poughkeepsie, NY
CONFERENCE: Metro Atlantic Athletic (MAAC)
LAST SEASON: 16-12 (.571)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-10 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Red Foxes
COLORS: Red & White
HOMECOURT: McCann Center (3,944)
COACH: Dave Magarity (St. Francis-Pa. '74)
record at school 184-185 (13 years)
career record 244-261 (18 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Stephen Sauers (Albany '90)
Van Macon (Southhampton '94)
George Siegrist (Marist '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 17-22-6-11-16
RPI (last 5 years) 148-99-289-203-136
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Dave Magarity and Co. are probably still muttering to themselves about the brain cramp that caused an unhappy ending to an otherwise feel-good season in Poughkeepsie. In just their second season in the MAAC, the Red Foxes, who had made a remarkable comeback to nip Iona in an MAAC quarterfinal, were right in the ballgame against prohibitive MAAC tournament favorite Siena in an MAAC semifinal. How close was it? Entering the game's final five seconds, Marist was trailing Siena, 56-53. The math was simple. Hit a three-point shot and go to overtime. Then, out of nowhere, a brain cramp struck Marist senior point guard Bobby Joe Hatton, the team's top scorer and arguably the Red Foxes' headiest player. Instead of hoisting a three-ball, Hatton threw a pass to teammate Tomasz Cielebak right under the basket for a wide open dunk as time expired. Final score: Siena 56, Marist 55. Game over. Season over. And in the case of Hatton and backcourt mate Bo Larragan, college career over. This year, the Red Foxes want to go one step further. Rather than just scaring the bejeezus out MAAC daddies like Siena, they want to win those games. It won't be easy as the Red Foxes enter the season with a strong, experienced frontcourt and two starting guards as green as the algae in the Hudson River. Seniors Tom Kenney, Tomasz Cielebak, Joe McCurdy and Jason Hastings and junior Drew Samuels provide Marist coach Magarity with five solid frontcourt types. The Red Foxes started last season by winning eight of their first nine, but struggled when the NCAA cracked down on the rules regarding foreign players and suspended Cielebak for 11 games. A native of Poland, Cielebak averaged 10.2 points in 17 games, slightly more than the 6-10, 235-pound center Kenney, who contributed 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The 6-9 Cielebak is back in the NCAA's good graces and won't miss any time this season. The 6-5, 190-pound McCurdy returns to man the small-forward spot. He averaged just under 10 points per game last season and with both starting guards gone, McCurdy (9.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 35 assists, 22 steals) should blossom into a third double-figure scorer for Magarity. In order to bolster his scoring average, McCurdy will need to improve the quality of his arch-work (10 for 37, .270 3 PT last year). Samuels, a 6-6 junior, is dogged competitor who averaged 8.3 points per game as the starting power forward. Samuels (8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 16 assists, 16 steals) will once again battle Cielebak for the starting nod.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Marist veteran coach Dave Magarity is in an odd spot this year. His frontcourt has more seniors than a church bingo night and plenty of depth to boot. The backcourt? Well, it's green. He'll have two sophomores, Rick Smith and Sean Kennedy, try to make the quantum leap from 15-20 minute contributors off the bench into full-time starters. So, expect some growing pains along the way, because today's college hoops game is a guard's game thanks to the three-point line and other factors. Magarity is hoping that Smith and Kennedy, along with fellow soph Donald Vale and a pair of promising newcomers, (junior college transfer Blake Sonne and true frosh Nick Eppehimer), can do the job. If they do, then Marist will climb up a few notches in the MAAC standings. If not, the deep frontcourt should be enough to keep the Red Foxes somewhere in the middle of the MAAC pack. We believe the latter will happen. Let's call it sixth place in the 10-team MAAC for Marist in 1999-2000. |
If that weren't enough options upfront, Magarity also welcomes back Hastings, a 6-8 senior who did some quality things off the bench last season his first in Poughkeepsie after transferring in from Salt Lake City (Utah) Community College. Hastings (4.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 21 assists, 22 steals, 16 blocks) will come off the pine again, along with either Samuels or Cielebak. Rounding out the frontline are a pair of players who rarely got any quality court time last year namely 6-5 sophomore forward Mark Prosser and 6-9 senior Steve Grant. Prosser (0.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg) appeared in just seven games, while junior college transfer Grant (0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg) saw time in just four games last season. So, what about the backcourt? Is there life after Hatton and Larragan, the pair of foreign imports (Hatton was from Puerto Rico and Larragan from Madrid) who did so much for the Red Foxes the past couple seasons? Sure, there is. However sophomores Sean Kennedy and Rick Smith are charged with the difficult task of replacing the departed Hatton and Larragan, who combined for 26 points and 9.3 assists per game last season. The duo has a good deal of versatility but lacks game experience as Smith (5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 16 assists, 32 steals) played 18 minutes per game as a freshman and Kennedy (2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 66 assists, 32 steals) logged about 15. Smith is an outstanding ballhandler and has solid range on his mid-range jumper, while Kennedy sees the floor well and has a tremendous understanding of the game. Smith needs to work on his three-point shooting after making just six of his 40 long distance attempts last year, while Kennedy will need to show that he can lead a team from the opening tip rather than coming off the pine and playing against backup point guards. "Sean and Rick are talented guys, but they don¡t have the experience that Bobby Joe and Bo had," Magarity said. "They just need to play and they'll be fine.' Magarity is no dummy, though. He's pieced together a pretty tough non-league schedule to help speed the two sophomores' learning curves . Magarity needs to do this, because the MAAC is home to some top-notch guards (i.e. Loyola's Jason Rowe and Siena's Marcus Faison) and he needs these youngsters to be battle-tested before league play starts. Consequently, the 1998-99 slate includes a visit to Georgetown and its trademark fullcourt press. It'll mark the first time since Nov. 30, 1994 that Marist has taken on a Big East foe. By the way, the Red Foxes are 1-11 against current card-carrying members of the Big East. "I think the schedule is very demanding," Magarity said. "But it'll help this program in the long run." Fear not, Marist fans, Magarity has some other talented guards at his disposal. Donald Vale (4.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3 assists, 9 steals), a 6-4 junior swingman, returns after being a decent contributor off the bench last year. He has the perfect disposition to be a sub. Vale is a tenacious, aggressive bugger who can change the complexion of a game. Marist should get a lift from freshman sharpshooter Nick Eppehimer, younger brother of former Lehigh standout Brett Eppehimer (the fourth leading scorer in Division I ball back in 1997-98). The younger Eppehimer, a 6-0 guard, averaged 19.5 points per game, shot 88 percent from the free-throw line and buried 57 threes at The Hill School while leading the Mid-Atlantic Prep School League in long-range bombs last season. "Nick fills a very special need on our perimeter," Magarity said. "He is an outstanding shooter and I feel, with the loss of Larragan and Hatton, that he will be a great fit for our program." Still unsure whether he had enough guards, Magarity made an interesting 11th hour addition signing 6-1 Blake Sonne from Northern Oklahoma Junior College. Call Sonne an extra insurance policy, although he will need a little time to work the rust off his game. After all, he spent the past two years on a Mormon mission in California. However, back in 1996-97, Sonne averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. His signing was announced in early September. "Blake is a versatile guard who should have an immediate impact," Magarity said. "He is a great shooter and passer who adds depth to an already talented backcourt." The last of the backcourt possibilities is 5-10 junior Sean Stellato, who works hard in practice but rarely gets in when there are live bullets. Stellato (0.4 ppg, 0.0 rpg) saw just six minutes of game action last season.
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