OPENING TIP
It's a Thanksgiving smorgasbord of basketball in Kirby Sports Center as the Leopards host the inaugural Lafayette Classic. The four-team field features Long Island, Niagara and Binghamton. The programs are scheduled to play doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday and Sunday after the holiday on Thursday.

In the first game of the day, Nehemiah Benson's 28 points propelled Binghamton over LIU, 75-70, in overtime. Lafayette took down Niagara, 59-47, in the second game with Justin Vander Baan leading the way to continue a three-game win streak.

THE MATCHUPS
Long Island posted a 7-22 (6-10 NEC) overall record for the 2023-24 season. Niagara finished the previous season at 16-16 (11-9 MAAC), the second-straight season at or above .500, and ended in the quarterfinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. Binghamton, the third team in the MTE to hail from New York, completed the previous season at an even 15-15 overall (7-9 AEC).

LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette downed Niagara, 59-47, for its second victory of the inaugural Lafayette Classic and third-straight victory in 2024-25 on Saturday afternoon in Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards' top performance came through Justin Vander Baan, who netted a team-high 11 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks. For the second day in a row, Lafayette recorded a season-high in free throws, 14-of-17 for 82.4 percent, with five coming in the final minute of the contest to seal the game.

GOING THE OTHER WAY
Junior guard Ryan Pettit has 14 steals in eight games for the Leopards and is leading the conference in total steals and steals per game (2.0).

ROOKIE CAMPAIGN
Lafayette paces the Patriot League in bench points per game at 34.67, good for 17th in the nation. Freshman Alex Chaikin stands out in the conference for his 3-pointers per game average (2.0, seventh). All Leopard freshmen have seen court time and contributed in the young season.

PASS THE ROCK
Lafayette is currently third in the Patriot League for its 1.48 assist/turnover ratio and second for its 16.3 assists per game. Mark Butler and Misha Bednostin lead the way with 2.6 and 2.0 dimes per game, respectively.

TOTALLY BOARD
Sophomore center Misha Bednostin collected a team- and career-high 15 rebounds against Penn. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the Patriot League with 7.0 rebounds per game. The last time a Lafayette player grabbed 15+ boards was in 2018 when Myles Cherry had 17 against Cornell.

INJURY REPORT
Senior Chris Rubayo (knee) and sophomore Joshua Wyche (head) have missed the previous eight and three games, respectively, this season due to injury. Misha Bednostin was also injured (ankle) and unavailable against Niagara. Justin Vander Baan was out from Nov. 9 to 28 with a hand injury.

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 on the All-Defensive squad.

Lafayette has had at least one player on the Patriot League All-Rookie squad since 2019. 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. Josh Rivera (2022-23), CJ Fulton (2021-22) and Leo O'Boyle (2019-20) are all past Leopard honorees.

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best on Nov. 20 in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 97 percent GSR overall based on the 19 sports measured. Sixteen Leopard teams, including men's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent. Following the 2023-24 season, Luka Savicevic and Justin Vander Baan were named to the 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.

LAFAYETTE ON ESPN+
A reminder that the Patriot League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all six of this weekend's Lafayette Classic games on ESPN+ with the same high broadcast quality you've come to expect. ESPN+ is a subscription-based service that offers monthly and yearly packages. Visit plus.espn.com now for a discounted Black Friday offer with an annual plan.

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 sat atop the Patriot League leader board with classmate Chris Rubayo just eight places beneath him (30 blocks, 0.94 bpg).  As a program, Lafayette finished first in the conference in blocks per game at 4.3 in 2023-24. 

In just two years wearing the Maroon and White, Vander Baan has quickly climbed the program ranks for career blocks. He is currently fourth with 115 stops.

ALUMNI IN THE PROS
Former Leopard standout Justin Jaworski '21 is dominating the German BBL! Jaws leads the league with 20 ppg and 33.7 mpg for EWE Baskets Oldenburg. On Nov. 22, he shattered his personal records with 39 points and 11 assists in the 102-92 victory against the Skyliners.

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 was a four-year 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."