Center Field’s basketball week continues with the men’s basketball roundtable. Four of our writers shared their thoughts on the upcoming season before it begins on Monday with a 7 p.m. tip at home against Dartmouth.
Marist seemingly needs to replace much of its scoring every year, and this season is no different following the departures of Justin Menard, Rhyjon Blackwell and Elijah Lewis. What player(s) do you think will pick up the slack on offense?
Max Rosen, Editor-in-Chief and Men’s Basketball Beat Writer: It feels more likely that an array of Marist players will work in tandem to produce on the offensive end as opposed to one or two individuals. Menard, Blackwell and Lewis each averaged between 12 and 12.9 points per game last season as they split the scoring load, but they were also each capable of higher scoring outbursts. A similar arrangement is possible this year.
Freshmen guards Dywane Chess and Brady MacAdams seem to have a real chance to play a lot of minutes, and both showed a distinct ability to score throughout their high school careers; MacAdams shot over 40% from deep at various points throughout his young career. Senior guard Jack Graham scored over 11 points per game on relatively inefficient shooting for the University of New Hampshire last season and could be primed for a small leap with a little more efficiency. Sophomore wing Myles Parker scored just five points per game last season but is an effective 3-point shooter that could be leaned on more heavily in 2026-27.
Some combination of the above — and maybe an increased scoring load from graduate student guard Jadin Collins-Roberts — is likely to make up a good chunk of the Marist offense.
Isaiah Perez, Contributor: After losing 10 players to graduation or the transfer portal, the Red Foxes basically start from scratch. In particular, Collins-Roberts, Parker and Chess are in line to pick up the slack on the offensive side of the ball. Collins-Roberts, named to the preseason All-Metro first team, will be expected to take on the biggest offensive role of his career. he has been Marist’s primary ball handler and distributor but will now be expected to expand his role as a scorer.
Parker showed flashes last year with 17 points against Army and 15 against Sacred Heart. With an expanded role, he can become a dangerous 3-and-D wing for the Red Foxes. Several departures from last year’s guard room allow Chess, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound freshman, to make an immediate impact and be a key offensive player in the rotation as the season progresses.
Justin Schwartz, Contributor: I expect Parker to pick up much of the slack on offense. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged just 5.1 points per game in 14 minutes per contest last season but has shown what he could do when trusted with more minutes; against Army and Sacred Heart last season, he scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. Parker can score from anywhere on the floor, using his height inside, and has shown prowess as a 3-point shooter; he shot 38% from beyond the arc last season and drained a career-high five 3-pointers against the Pioneers.
In an expanded role, Parker should make far more of an impact for the Red Foxes’ offense. Head coach John Dunne needs many young players to step up this season, and Parker should be one he relies on most.
William Rosen, Contributor: In his third year, junior center Tarik Watson is poised for a new role under Dunne. Watson has had injury issues through his first two campaigns and has been in a ramp-up-period since his season-ending injury last year. However, a healthy Watson is a Metro Conference changer.
In seven games before his season closed, Watson averaged 6.9 points while shooting 50% from the field in 10.3 minutes per night. His scoring efficiency in limited minutes makes Watson dangerous. Inside the paint, he creates space using his frame, and without the likes of Jason Schofield and Jackson Price, a 2025 graduate, his work should pay off as the lone returning paint presence.
After falling just short of reaching the conference title game last season, what areas do Marist need to improve in this season to take another step forward?
Max: It is hard to expect Marist’s defense to play to the same level it did last year, especially with so much roster turnover. However, to be anything close, the Red Foxes need to establish more offensive consistency in order to capitalize on their defensive strength.
Quite simply, when the Red Foxes scored last season, they won — that is what happens when the defense is a top-10 scoring defense in the country. But, in nine of 20 conference games, they shot under 40% from the field. In those games, they went 1-8.
Dunne’s teams are often strong defensively and do not need to be remarkable on the offensive end to have success. Simple consistency and limiting the deep scoring droughts that at times plagued Marist last season would go a long way, as would better offensive rebounding; the Red Foxes averaged 10 offensive boards per game, ahead of just Iona, Merrimack and Niagara.
Isaiah: Marist will need to improve their offensive struggles. In conference play, the Red Foxes scored 68 points per game, only ahead of Rider, Canisius and Niagara – the three teams that missed the conference tournament last season. Marist shot just 30.8% from distance, which ranked third-worst in the conference.
With the departures of Menard, Blackwell and Lewis, the Red Foxes will search for others to establish a new offensive identity. One key aspect of developing an identity is finding consistency from 3-point range. Menard and Blackwell shot 36.3% and 35.5%, respectively, from distance; the tandem finished second and third among qualified players on last season’s roster. That leaves Parker as the lone returning player that shot at least 30% from deep. Finding reliable shooters will be the first step for Dunne to take another step forward this season.
Justin: If this Red Fox team wants to take a step forward next season, they need to continue to be amongst the best defensive teams in the conference.
Last season, the Red Foxes were one of the best defenses in the country, allowing the fifth-fewest points per game in the country. However, they lost many of the players that made that defense what it was, like post presences Jaden Daughtry and Schofield. A healthy Watson should solidify the team’s interior defense, alongside sophomore center Jordan Gabriel and freshman big Logan Rodriguez.
Collins-Roberts averaged over a steal per game last season, and Graham, who averaged just over one steal per game at New Hampshire, can sure up the perimeter. The question is: How well can the seven freshmen on this roster hold their own against college scorers? This team has the pieces to defend as well as they have during the past couple of seasons, but it has to come with young players getting adjusted early.
William: Postseason positioning should not matter as much as their play in Atlantic City. Marist has to play clean basketball; since 2024, the Red Foxes have averaged 13.2 turnovers in conference tournament play. In its two wins (2024 quarterfinal against Niagara and 2026 quarterfinal against Quinnipiac), Marist won the turnover battle. It has felt like the Red Foxes have moved too fast at times on the shore; with a new look and new players, the goal will be to clean up pivotal playoff possessions.
Marist was picked fifth in the Metro Coaches Poll; what other schools in the conference will pose the biggest challenge to the Red Foxes’ pursuit of a conference title?
Max: Several teams stand in the Red Foxes’ way.
The 2025-26 conference champion Siena Saints and regular season champion Merrimack Warriors are both primed for strong seasons once again. Siena may have lost its head coach and much of its core that took Duke to the wire in the NCAA Tournament, but the Saints feature a new head coach in Nevada Smith and several high-caliber newcomers. Freshman guards Trent Egbiremolen and Tim Ibukunoluwa as well as junior transfer guard Pace Prosser are all potential difference-makers.
Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo has turned his program into a consistent threat on the back of his zone defense; the Warriors zone gave Marist fits last season. Meanwhile, Quinnipiac, Iona and Fairfield all feature potentially dangerous teams, with the Stags highlighted by the return of sophomore Preseason Player of the Year guard/forward Declan Wucherpfennig.
The Metro has garnered a reputation as one of Division I’s most competitive — and unpredictable — conferences. With Marist entering an unpredictable year in its own right, many of the conference’s teams pose some level of threat.
Isaiah: With the Metro Conference changing and players transferring constantly, the biggest challenge changes every year.
Merrimack and Siena were the top two teams in the conference last year, but there has been a lot of change between those two teams. Last season’s conference Rookie and Player of the Year, guard Kevair Kennedy, transferred from Merrimack to Wake Forest, and Siena lost head coach Gerry McNamara, guard Gavin Doty, forward Tasman Goodrick and forward Frances Folefac to Syracuse.
With these key departures, it should point the Red Foxes’ attention to Fairfield. The Stags were picked to finish first in the Metro Preseason Poll and Wucherpfennig was voted Metro Conference Preseason Player of the Year. Wucherpfennig averaged 12.1 points per game last season, shooting 55.2% from the field while grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game.
Justin: Fairfield, coming in ranked first in the Metro Preseason Poll, poses possibly the biggest threat in the conference. After a 22-12 campaign and a close semifinal loss to eventual conference champion Siena, this Stags squad enters the season with high expectations. They feature the Metro Preseason Player of the Year in Wucherpfennig, who nearly averaged a double-double as a freshman; Wucherpfennig led the Stags in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.1 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
The reigning regular season champion Merrimack Warriors serve as a threat as well. Gallo’s group finished with a 17-3 conference record last season, utilizing a ferocious zone defense to make it challenging for opponents to score from beyond the arc. The Warriors allowed opponents to shoot just 30.3% from distance last season, second only to Marist’s 28.3%.
Siena is looking to build off their conference title and near upset of the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Saints were picked to finish third in the conference according to the Metro Preseason Poll and look to form a new identity after McNamara left for Syracuse.
Saint Peter’s features unanimous preseason First Team All-Metro selection Bryce Eaton; the junior guard looks to lead the Peacocks back towards the top of the Metro after the Peacocks finished 14-6 in conference play last season.
William: Siena has changed. Siena will still be strong. Watch out for the 2026-27 Siena Saints under Smith. He wants to have a fast-paced team under his belt; he told Mid-Major Madness, “We want to be top 10 in pace in the country.” The squad from Albany brings in Prosser from Division II National Champion Gannon University, who can dish the rock. He averaged nearly five assists per contest and 19 points a game in the title run season. He may just lead the conference in run outs as well.
This team may look new, but with graduate student forward Brendan Coyle returning and some new talent, this could be an unorthodox back-to-back conference victor.
Predict what Marist’s ceiling and floor is this season. (What do you think is the best possible outcome this season and what do you think is the worst possible outcome this season?)
Max: The Red Foxes are used to change, but this season features a particularly striking array of newcomers. Marist is undoubtedly talented and will still feature Collins-Roberts’ steady hand at the point, but their success will rely heavily on contributions from freshmen. Chess and MacAdams need to make an impact, along with the transfers in Graham and sophomore wing Edward Onyia.
Young teams and players have had success in the Metro before; just last year, Kennedy won Player of the Year and led his team to the regular season championship. The inexperience and wide range of newcomers also makes the team exceptionally unpredictable.
It feels far-fetched to expect the Red Foxes to finish atop the Metro in the regular season. If all goes right, with injuries that have limited them over recent seasons staying away and contributions coming from up and down the roster, there is a world where Marist earns the third or fourth seed in the conference tournament.
By the same token, though, things could very easily turn the opposite direction; the Red Foxes should have no problem finishing ahead of the likes of Rider and Canisius to earn a bid to Atlantic City, but a bottom-three seed to the tournament seems like another outcome within the realm of possibility.
Isaiah: With so much turnover in the Metro Conference, the ceilings and floors of most teams remain a mystery heading into the 2026-27 season. Marist falls into this category with so many new pieces; seven of their players are freshmen, along with three transfers in Graham, Onyia and junior guard Josh Williams.
The Red Foxes still have Collins-Roberts, Gabriel, Watson and Parker who will try to steady the ship as the new players work through some expected growing pains. Taking into consideration the unpredictability of the Metro, the Red Foxes can finish as high as first. On the flip side, the tides could turn if players struggle to get adjusted to the Division I level and players with expanded roles do not live up to expectations.
Justin: With all the roster turnover going into this year, this season is probably one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Like many mid-major programs, the Red Foxes suffered with losing many key players and having to make replacements. There is a lot of adjusting to do for almost the entire roster: seven freshmen, Onyia making the jump from Division II and Williams making the jump from JUCO. Marist’s ceiling depends on just how well much of this roster adjusts to the Division 1 level.
If all goes well, I believe this team’s ceiling is fourth in the conference. If the growing pains drag on longer than Dunne envisioned, I do not think it is enough to take them out of the conference tournament, but they will definitely have a much tougher path to the championship game. This year can really go either way. It all depends on just how quick Dunne gets this squad acclimated.
William: There are some serious unknowns with this iteration of Dunne’s team; but that’s okay in the team’s eyes because of how much change there was in the conference. There are unknowns everywhere. This Marist team has to find its rhythm come the middle of the season, during the grueling December schedule to make sure they get at least a chance at the trophy.
The interesting question to ask is: how much of a role does veteran leadership actually play en route to a playoff berth? It hasn’t felt like that is a must have, especially for Siena, Saint Peter’s or The Mount as of late. That works to the advantage of Marist this season. I expect Marist to continue to be in contention for the top three seeds. However, the fans of Poughkeepsie have seen the struggle of the injury plague into Atlantic City. Health will tell the tale into March.
Edited by Mike Schiavone and Mike Duda
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photos by Jaylen Rizzo and Marist Athletics
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