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August 21st,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Marist Red
Foxes
Overall Rank:
#81
Conference
Rank: #1 MAAC
2005-06:
19-10, 12-6, 3rd
2005-06
postseason: none
 With four
starters returning who all averaged in double digit scoring last
year, Marist is the obvious preseason favorite in the Metro
Atlantic Athletic Conference. It helps that teams like Siena
and Manhattan have been crushed by transfers. Coach Matt
Brady’s biggest test will be dealing with the high expectations
and keeping his side consistent throughout the season, a quality
that has hindered the Red Foxes in the past.
Who’s Out:
Carl
Hood averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds as a senior. The 6-3
wing averaged over 30 minutes per contest, but his numbers are
replaceable. Seldom used James Sutton has also run out of
eligibility.
Who’s In:
Incoming
freshman guard Dejuan Goodwin may see a few minutes this year
due to his defensive skills on the perimeter. Goodwin, who
earned All-City honors at Mt. St. Joseph’s in Baltimore,
averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior.
Wilfred ‘Spongy’ Benjamin, nicknamed for his soft, spongy like
body as a child, will look to make a bigger impact this season
after spending two years at Williston State College in North
Dakota. The 6-7 forward has good athleticism and will provide
some toughness in the paint and on the glass. Fortunately, the
pudgy, spongy exterior is gone, but the nickname remains.
Who to Watch:
There
are plenty of options to choose from. Jared Jordan led the team
with 16.1 points and 8.5 assists per game as a junior and
backcourt mate Will Whittington is a sharpshooter. Jordan, who
appears to run all game long with little rest, is one of the
best in the conference. He does it all and is a pest on the
defensive end, not to mention his 8.5 assists led the nation
last season.. Whittington averaged 15.4 points per game last
campaign and shot nearly 41 percent from long range. Last years
sixth man, Ben Farmer, will step in for the departed Hood. The
6-5 wing averaged 6.6 points and 2.9 boards last season and
should contribute much more given the starting nod.
Final
Projection:
The frontcourt
is deep, returning starters James Smith and Ryan Stilphen on the
court and Miles Orman and Shae McNamara coming off the bench.
Smith, a 7-0 center, averaged 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds
during his first season at Marist after transferring from
Westchester Community College in New York. Even bigger things
are expected from Smith as a senior, especially if he can stay
out of foul trouble. Stilphen is another solid scoring option
in the paint and led the team with 7.0 boards per contest a year
ago. The 6-8 power forward from Bay Village, Ohio will once
again provide a 1-2 punch along with Smith under the basket that
most teams in the conference will have trouble stopping. This
is the year folks in Poughkeepsie have been waiting for since
their last NCAA appearance in 1987. Now the team just has to
perform and live up to the high expectations.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Jared Jordan,
Senior, Guard, 16.1 points per game
Will
Whittington, Senior, Guard, 15.4 points per game
Ben Farmer,
Junior, Guard, 6.6 points per game
Ryan Stilphen,
Junior, Forward, 12.1 points per game
James Smith,
Senior, Center, 12.2 points per game
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