OPENING TIP
The Mike McGarvey Era continues for the Lafayette men's basketball program as the Leopards stay within their home state to take on Villanova, a team that played in the NIT last March.   

The Leopards return 10 players from last season, most of whom saw significant game time. Lafayette concluded 2023-24 with an 11-21 (10-8 PL) overall record, advancing to the Patriot League Tournament's Quarterfinal round.

Five seniors are rostered for the Maroon and White in Devin Hines, TJ Berger, Justin Vander Baan, Chris Rubayo and Luka Savicevic. Hines and Vander Baan led the team in scoring with 9.8 and 9.3 points per game, respectively.

The Leopards host six non-conference games while traveling to seven opponents. From Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, Lafayette will hold the inaugural Multi-Team Event inside Kirby Sports Center with Binghamton, Long Island and Niagara.

Next up, the Leopards will take stay in Pennsylvania to face La Salle on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

THE MATCHUP
Kyle Neptune is in his third season at the helm of the program. Villanova, which shot 42.5 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc in 2023-24, returns many contributors from the previous  squad, most notably Preseason All-Big East selection Eric Dixon (1st) and transfer Wooga Poplar (3rd) from Miami. Dixon averaged a team-leading 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds last winter.

In Neptune's first two seasons as head coach, Villanova posted a 35-33 record (.515) that included trips to the National Invitation Tournament and the 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis championship. The Wildcats bolstered their lineup ahead of 2024-25 around Dixon by adding a group of transfers headed by Poplar, Jhamir Brickus, Enoch Boakye and Tyler Perkins alongside a four-player crop of freshmen ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation.

POST-SEASON ACCOLADES
Devin Hines, Mark Butler, Kyle Jenkins and Justin Vander Baan earned recognition from the Patriot League on March 4, as the 2023-24 men's basketball post-season honors were announced. Hines, Jenkins and Vander Baan were named to the All-Patriot League Third Team while Butler took home All-Rookie honors. Vander Baan was listed to the All-Defensive squad.

Lafayette has had at least one player on the Patriot League All-Rookie squad since 2019. Freshman guard Butler continued that streak and earned All-Rookie Team status after totaling 225 points and starting in every game of his initial Leopard campaign. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds this season. Josh Rivera (2022-23), CJ Fulton (2021-22) and Leo O'Boyle (2019-20) are all past Leopard honorees.

WELCOME TO EASTON
Lafayette will host a multi-team event (MTE) at Kirby Sports Center over the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend. Niagara, Long Island and Binghamton will travel to College Hill as participants in the inaugural tournament. The four teams will play a round-robin formatted schedule with doubleheaders starting the evening of Friday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 1. 

SAME STARTERS
The Maroon and White used the same starting lineup for 29 contests last season. Guards Devin Hines and Mark Butler as well as center Justin Vander Baan are set to return to the court for the second year in a row. Junior Ryan Pettit, a previous starter and current co-captain, looks to add to his career starts in 2024-25.

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best last fall in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 98 percent GSR overall for the second straight year based on the 19 sports measured while 17 Leopard teams, including men's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent.

On July 18, Luka Savicevic and Justin Vander Baan were named to the 2023-24 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court. The men's hoops program was crowned a Team of Academic Excellence for completing the year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

RECENT RENOVATIONS
Kirby Sports Center, the Leopards' home arena, has seen major upgrades over the past year. A state-of-the art Daktronics control and video display system can now be seen above center court, showcasing promotional team videos and updated branding to enhance the fan experience. By featuring Daktronics' latest version of Show and Venus Control Suite, it allows Lafayette to expand on in-game presentations. Lafayette fans may order birthday video board messages for display during the remaining home basketball games at tinyurl.com/yslx5esh.

THE RETURNERS
The program returns 10 players from last season, most of whom saw significant game time in winter 2023-24. TJ Berger and Justin Vander Baan will provide senior leadership for the Leopards, followed by junior Ryan Pettit, as a trio of captains.

SEASON TWO
Mike McGarvey took over as the 20th head coach in Lafayette men's basketball history on March 29, 2023, following a one-year tenure as the associate head coach and acting head coach. In 2022-23, he led the Leopards to Patriot League Tournament victories over Lehigh in the quarterfinal round and American in the semifinal, before falling to Colgate in the championship game.

He arrived on College Hill after a four-year tenure as the men's basketball head coach at Lycoming College where he led the program to three-straight MAC Freedom Conference championship games, including two conference crowns. McGarvey guided the Warriors to a remarkable resurgence in his second year as head coach, taking the team from a 5-11 conference record in 2018-19 to a 10-6 mark in 2019-20 while managing a roster filled with a school-record 11 freshmen.

As a player, McGarvey was a consensus two-time All-American and two-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year.  Ursinus retired McGarvey's No. 11 jersey on Dec 1, 2010, honoring a career in which his teams won three conference championships.

He started every game of his career, and finished fourth on the school's all-time scoring chart with 1,460 points and he is still 14th in the Division III record book with 754 career assists. McGarvey holds the Centennial Conference records for career assists and steals, and single-season assists and steals. He was inducted into both the Ursinus College Hall of Fame (2016) and the Sam Cozen Philadelphia Area Small College Hall of Fame (2015).

FRESH MEAT
Lafayette brings four first-year student-athletes aboard this season in Caleb Williams, Folabomi Fayemi, Alex Chaikin and Malik Rasul. Quotes about each student-athlete provided by head coach McGarvey.

Caleb Williams | G | 6-0 | 165 | Jacksonville, Fla. | Jean Ribault
Williams has four years of varsity starter experience in high school, posting a 23.6 points, 6.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game average. He holds the Jean Ribault High School career record for scoring over 1,500 points and doling out 600 assists and is a two-time Northeast Florida Boys Basketball Player of the Year, a three-time Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-State selection, a three-time FACCA Class 4A District 5 Player of the Year, and a three-time All-Gateway Conference Team honoree. "Caleb is a dynamic playmaker. Not only does he bring an array of talent, but he also has great confidence and determination to lead and win."

Alex Chaikin | G | 6-5 | 170 | Williamsburg, Va. | Trinity Episcopal
Chaikin comes to College Hill after four years at Trinity Episcopal, averaging 22 points, six rebounds and two assists per game in his senior season, where he was named an All-Prep League Team, a VISSA Division 1 All-State and an 804 All-Star Game selection. The senior captain set both the school's single-season record for 3-pointers made (108) and the career record for shots from beyond the arc (231) as the eighth all-time leading scorer. "A true shot maker from all over the court! As one of the best 3-point shooters with unlimited range from the state of Virginia, Alex's size for a guard in addition to his shot-making ability classifies him as an exciting addition to the Leopards."

Folabomi Fayemi | G | 6-4 | 205 | Chicago, Ill. | Culver Military Academy/South Kent
Fayemi played two years of basketball at Culver before competing for South Kent prior to Lafayette. At Culver, he averaged 12 points, six rebounds and three assists per game as an IHSAA Sectional Champion. He was crowned the Academy Defensive Player of the Year and an Academic All-State honoree in 2022-23 while performing as an Officer in the Corps of Cadets. "Folabomi was coached by Leopard alumni Raphael Chillious '96 at the extremely successful South Kent School last season. He brings an unprecedented physical presence and athleticism to our team."

Malik Rasul | F | 6-7 | 200 | Tucson, Ariz. | Westtown School
Rasul, averaging a double-double each year, has been a starter for Westtown for three seasons. The wing helped the Moose compete in the Friends School League semifinals. Rasul was selected to play in the 520 Exclusive Showcase in 2020 and has club experience with Strive For Greatness under coach Ed in Los Angeles, Calif. as well as WeR1 under coach Ron Martin in Wilmington, Del. "Malik is a versatile forward that has the ability to impact play on both ends of the court. Additionally, he has an infectious positive spirit that we look forward to welcoming in our locker room."

BIG BLOCKERS
Senior center Justin Vander Baan blocked 69 shots (2.2 per game) last season, good for 25th in the country. The Northbridge, Mass. native continues to sit at atop the Patriot League leader board with classmate Chris Rubayo just eight places beneath him (30 blocks, 0.94 bpg). In just two years wearing the Maroon and White, Vander Baan has quickly climbed the program ranks for career blocks. He is currently sixth with 106 stops.

As a program, Lafayette finished first in the conference in blocks per game at 4.3. 

HISTORY MATCHED
 The 70-44 win at Loyola Md. on Jan. 24, 2024 pushed the Leopards to a program record-tying 7-0 conference start for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Lafayette shot 55.6 percent from long distance on 18 attempts in the season-high 26 point margin of victory.

'PARDS WERE ROLLING
Mark Butler led four Leopards in double figures to help Lafayette quiet Colgate, 69-64, on Jan. 10, 2024. He shot a team-high 14 points while Justin Vander Baan added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Ryan Pettit cleaned up with 12 points and delivered two crucial three-pointers in the second half. The Jan. 10 victory shut down the Raiders' six-game series streak and handed Colgate its first Patriot League loss on Cotterell Court since Jan. 3, 2021. 

MAROON MADNESS
The basketball programs held their second annual Maroon Madness event on Oct. 28 inside Kirby Sports Center. The evening included a live DJ, team three-point contest, fraternity and sorority knockout contest and many chances for fans to win prizes, including a t-shirt toss. Season ticket holders in attendance had an opportunity to meet both teams for autographs.