In preseason interviews, the men’s coaching staff mentioned a few players to look out for this season. One of them was freshman guard Tyler Saint-Furcy, a 6-foot-4-inch lefty combo guard who made quite the impression on coaches and teammates in the team’s annual red-white scrimmage. That success only transitioned into a starting role in their season opener against Virginia Military Institute. No big deal.
The offer from Marist to play basketball was not the only one that Saint-Furcy received. In fact, Binghamton was very interested in him as well as MAAC opponent St. Peter’s. For Saint-Furcy, he knew Marist was the best fit.
“I had the ability to come here and play my freshman year,” he said. Playtime is crucial for any player, but for a freshman to come in and make the impact that Saint-Furcy has is something special.
He and his teammates came from behind against VMI, overcoming a 13-point deficit to win their first season opener since the 2007-2008 season. Saint-Furcy was one of two players who scored in double figures and was the only freshman who started the game. To go with ten points, he collected three rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. He hit two of his five three-point attempts and his 10-point outing was the first double-digit scoring effort by a Red Fox in his first collegiate game since 2015.
After the game, Saint-Furcy was awarded the MAAC Rookie of the Week. “Feels great to be rookie of the week,” he said. “The next game against Hartford, I was excited to play and had more energy.”
Despite their triumph in their season opener, Marist fell to Hartford in their home-opener on Tuesday, dropping to 1-1. For Saint-Furcy, he is confident about the rest of the season and knows that his teammates have attributed to such optimism in a big way. “I love my teammates… they’re always there for me and always got my back,” he said. He went on to mention how the flow of the team has been great and looks to further that bond and win more games.
The Red Foxes continue their 2019 campaign on Saturday, November 16 at 7 p.m. as they travel to New York City to take on the Fordham Rams.
Edited by Will Bjarnar
Header photo by Mike Cahill