College basketball is back, and the madness has begun. The Marist men went 1-1 in the first week with a win over American and a loss to Binghamton. The Marist women went 0-3 this week with losses to Villanova, Green Bay, and Penn.
The 12 Marist basketball transfers had an overall solid week one. The week saw national exposure as well as impressive performances. With a mixture of televised games against ranked opponents and matchups against smaller schools, the Red Fox transfers were given a chance to shine. Let’s dive into how the transfers did in week one.
First, on the men’s side, graduate student center Victor Enoh is the stud of the week for the transfers. Enoh started the week for UNC Wilmington, playing against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are the number-one team in the nation. Enoh matched up with national player of the year candidate Armando Bacot and he held his own. He finished with four points and seven rebounds, and he looked more comfortable than he did all of last season. Enoh also blocked Bacot’s shot but was called for a foul on the play.
Enoh also had a solid outing in a win against Allen University, as he had six points, four rebounds, and one assist. He is currently tied for the team lead in rebounds, and his minutes should continue to rise for the Seahawks.
Marist’s most talked about departure, sophomore guard Jao Ituka, suffered a knee injury for Wake Forest before the season and was unable to play in the team’s first two games. The injury is not a cause for concern, and Les Johns of 247 Sports reports that the injury will only keep him out for a bit.
Graduate transfer guard Matt Herasme had an excellent week for the University of New Hampshire in their two victories. In a win against Brandeis University, Herasme had 11 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Herasme followed this performance with a solid eight points, four rebounds, and two assists against Fairfield. He is nearly averaging a double-double this season, which is well above his averages of four points and four rebounds last season.
Junior guard Ricardo Wright did not get off to the start he would have liked for SMU this week. Wright played five combined minutes in the first two games of the season and has only registered one rebound and four fouls in his extremely limited action.
Graduate student forward Braden Bell contributed to two victories for Prairie View A&M University this week. In a win over Kansas Christian College, Bell had five points, one rebound, and one assist. Bell followed this up with four points and one rebound in a blowout win over North American.
Graduate student guard Raheim Sullivan had a solid week for the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Sullivan had 13 points, eight rebounds, and one assist in a loss at Saint Peter’s. These stats are higher than his averages last season. Sullivan took a step back later in the week with three points, three rebounds, and two assists in a loss to California Baptist.
On the women’s side, senior guard Trey Kennedy struggled to find minutes for George Mason this week. Kennedy’s best game of the week was in a loss against 17th-ranked Maryland as they had three points and one rebound. They only played four combined minutes in George Mason’s other two losses this week.
Graduate student guard Sarah Barcello had a strong week for San Diego State University. Barcello had two assists in a loss to second-ranked Stanford. Barcello, along with Enoh, held their own against top teams in the country. In the Aztec Classic, Barcello had seven rebounds and four assists in a win over San Diego Christian and six points, seven rebounds, and one assist in a win over Antelope Valley.
Junior guard Anabel Ellison did not play in the first game for Stetson University but got on the floor in a loss to Miami. Ellison had three points, one rebound, and two assists in the loss to Miami.
Heading into week two, some of the Marist transfers will look to continue their strong play while others will try to fight for more minutes after not seeing a lot of time on the court in their first few games.
Edited by Jonathan Kinane
Photo from Marist Athletics