Center Field’s basketball week continues with the women’s basketball roundtable. Four of our writers shared their thoughts on the upcoming season before it begins on Monday with a 6 p.m. tip on the road against Drexel.
Marist comes in ranked No. 7 in the Metro Pre-Season Poll after being ranked No. 4 last season. After another early exit in Atlantic City, can Marist make waves in the conference this season?
Ryan Eichem, Associate Editor: No. With multiple key players graduating (Jackie Piddock and Lexie Tarul, to name a couple) and a couple of impact players out to start the season (junior guard Danielle Williamsen, for example), this Marist team cannot be what they were last year. Sure, they retained everyone who didn’t graduate, but that doesn’t inherently mean they got better. Certain players will need to take a step up to fill the gaps of those who are no longer on the team or are simply unavailable now, but Marist’s 11-20 (8-12 in conference play) record last year is unlikely to be improved upon.
Stephen Zaglin, Contributor: Probably not. While the team was ranked No. 4 last season in the pre-season poll, they went 11-20 overall and 8-12 in the conference. Marist also lost in the opening round of the MAAC Championship to Manhattan. The roster has seen some turnover from last season with Piddock, Tarul and Ciara Croker graduating which will leave some holes to fill.
Once healthy, look for Williamsen to build off a strong but injury plagued 2025-26 season in which she averaged 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and a steal. She will likely be among the team’s best players this season provided she stays healthy. Regardless, it would take a bit of a surprise and contributions from surprising places for Marist to improve upon its record from last season.
Luca Di Rienzo, Contributor: The answer isn’t a strict no. Roster turnover is simply a huge part of college sports now, so regression based on that is not guaranteed. Piddock, while commanding the offense last year for the Red Foxes, was severely undersized, and turned the ball over frequently. As for Tarul, she was a fantastic 3-point shooter, but her game was heavily reliant on her shooting. While leaders, the loss of those two does not necessarily mean this year’s team can’t compete.
Doughty has brought in size and athleticism to this year’s team, and how it will be utilized will unveil itself very quickly. Based on last year’s results, it is highly likely the Red Foxes will rely heavily on sophomore guard/forward Justine Henry, as well as Williamsen when she returns. Aside from that, the team will need some improvement from its retained players. If the returning Red Foxes cannot step up into bigger roles, it is highly unlikely this team will have much success. Only time will tell.
August Lieberman, Managing Editor and Women’s Basketball Beat Writer: It’s not impossible, but Marist’s chances at really shaking up the Metro are slim. Fairfield and Quinnipiac will continue their dominance at the top of the standings, and the Red Foxes face the challenge of filling gaps left by graduating players while also attempting to elevate the roster.
While Marist saw a lot of players go down with injury last season, the core of their roster is not strong enough to expect a deep run in the postseason, even if they’re healthy. The 2026-27 season will be a grind, but with the overall weakness of the Metro, I would not be surprised if they can go .500 in conference.
Marist lost zero players to the transfer portal in the off-season. Who do you believe is poised to take a leap?
Ryan: Junior guard Chloe Escanillas. Now a junior, the guard took a big step last year by playing in 29 games, 22 more than her freshman season, and starting in six. With Williamsen and senior guard Malea Egan still out, Escanillas is primed to earn even more minutes this season. She averaged a dozen minutes a game last season, which she used to score three points per game while grabbing a rebound and an assist each.
Escanillas is specifically a very strong 3-point shooter, having gone 24-for-60 (.400) from beyond the arc in 2025-26, which she can use to spread the offense and dare defenses to play up on her.
Stephen: Senior guard Julia Corsentino. While Marist didn’t lose anyone to the transfer portal, some players did graduate and leave some spots to fill. Piddock’s departure gives a player like Corsentino the opportunity to take a jump production wise. While her stats so far in her Marist career haven’t been eye popping, she hasn’t had the chance to start much and had a solid performance in the MAAC tournament against Manhattan with eight points, six rebounds and two steals.
If she can step up, that could help the team tread water until Williamsen returns and then take some of the pressure off Williamsen going forward.
Luca: Escanillas. She led the team last year in 3-point percentage at 40%, and with Tarul gone, Escanillas is poised to step up into that role. Escanillas played just over 12 minutes per game, and if her stats were adjusted to play the minutes of Tarul last season (33.7), her numbers likely would have increased just with the catch and shoot role she had last year. She has put up big nights before, such as her 14-point performance against UAlbany, as well as her 11-point, five-assist night against Niagara. With more playing time, it’s likely more of those are coming.
August: Henry. With the overhaul at guard position and Williamsen expected to miss a chunk of time to begin the season, the unanimous pre-season all-conference selection will see the brunt of offensive responsibility. Coming off a stellar freshman campaign where she notched a team high 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, Henry will be at the top of every opponent’s scouting report. She will be in a prime situation to establish herself as one of the Metro’s top scorers.
Out of the newcomers, who is most likely to leave their mark?
Ryan: Freshman guard/forward Madison Ohm. A freshman standing at 5-foot-11, Ohm looks like she can be a big piece of the Red Foxes’ success this year. Henry had a great freshman year last year, so it’s clear that Doughty is willing to use her younger players if the talent is there. Ohm averaged over 20 points per game in high school on her way to over 1,000 career points, as well as all-state honors as a senior. If she can rebound at all, she can be a huge addition for Marist.
Stephen: Ohm. A four year standout at Byron High school, Ohm averaged 22 points, five rebounds and three assists and was a 1,000 point scorer. She also won multiple first team honors and was a three-time All-Conference selection. Ohm should be able to bring some much needed scoring prowess and will likely see a decent amount of game time despite being a freshman. Ohm joins fellow freshman newcomer in guard/forward Ryan Oldaker, and depending on how much they play, they should at least form a solid one-two punch off the bench.
Luca: The biggest value that Piddock brought was that she conducted the offense, and now that she is gone, there is a need for a true one guard on this team. Ohm, who earned first team honors and was a three-time All-Conference selection, seems like an option to earn that role, even if not from the jump. The way Justine Henry was implemented immediately as a freshman last year suggests it could happen again.
August: With playing time at the guard spot up for grabs, Ohm is in the best situation to carve out minutes. Doughty has commented on her defensive capabilities, and while she has yet to prove herself as a floor general, the first team All-State selection could have the scoring pop to make up for it.
What is the biggest issue Marist is facing ahead of the season?
Ryan: Rebounding. Marist was, simply put, not good enough on the boards last year. They were outrebounded by six rebounds per game en route to a bottom-third finish in both team and opponent rebounds. The Red Foxes were also dead-last in offensive rebounds with just 9.1 per game, and when a team is fighting hard to score, those extra possessions can be crucial. Doughty did add some height in terms of Ohm, Klemm, Tubbs, Clement Marsan and Oldaker, but there is still a lot to be done on the glass.
Stephen: The defense needs to take a leap. Last season, the Red Foxes ranked 10th in the Metro in scoring defense, which will need to get better if they are going to show any signs of improvement. As outlined above, that will require defensive improvements from the returners; even Henry, who has a chance to be one of the conference’s most potent offensive players, could stand to improve on the defensive side.
Luca: Staying healthy. Health was the Red Foxes’ biggest issue last year, aside from on-court performance issues. Their biggest hit came when one of their best scorers, Williamsen, had a season ending ACL injury, which will linger into the start of this season. It is hard to win games without the best players, but if Marist can stay healthy, perhaps they can mount a surprising season.
August: Turnovers. It’s hard to win basketball games while squandering possessions on offense. Marist’s 0.69 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked eighth in the Metro last season, and if the Red Foxes can become more efficient on offense, they’ll separate themselves from the rest of the conference and join Fairfield and Quinnipiac as turnover-averse offenses.
Predict Marist’s record and their finish in the Metro:
Ryan: 8-23 overall and 6-14 in the Metro. Marist finished 11-20 overall last year and 8-12 in conference play. The non-conference slate is pretty similar to what it was last year, so I don’t expect much drop-off on that front. There was a lot of roster turnover throughout the Metro in the offseason, which is definitely helpful to a Marist team that retained a lot of its players.
Still, multiple key players graduated, and the additions remain unknowns. As a result, I think the Red Foxes will be slightly worse in the Metro and struggle to make the conference tournament, where it seems unlikely they’ll win their first tournament game since 2020-21.
Stephen: 9-22 overall, 6-14 in the Metro. The schedule is similar to last season, but after struggling as much as they did and now being without Piddock and Tarul, it’s hard to expect much improvement. While newcomers like Ohm and Oldaker along with the continued production of Williamsen and Henry might help, it would likely take some contributions from unexpected places for this team to head in the right direction.
Luca: 12-19, 9-11 in the Metro. The Red Foxes need to stay healthy and improve in the rebounding and defensive departments. Players such as Ohm, Klemm, Clement Marsan and Oldaker bring the height needed to make that change in the paint. I see the Red Foxes’ defense and rebounding improving drastically, but it is their offense that seems the most questionable.
With Williamsen’s injury status still up in the air, there is no way to predict exactly how this offense will operate — aside from Henry being a focal point — and who will step up. All things considered, this team is likely to stay around the same spot they were last year.
August: 11-18, 10-10 in the Metro. All the numbers from last season point to Marist as a middle-of-the-pack team in the Metro. Even if Doughty’s unit puts together a fully healthy season, their proven ceiling has yet to show themselves as a force in the conference. Despite this, I believe they can add at least two more wins onto their last season’s record, as they had a slew of close games that did not go their way.
Edited by Izzy Perry and Max Rosen
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photos by Quinn DiFiore
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