OPENING TIP
Lafayette men's basketball continues the first round of Patriot League matchups with the 78th series meeting with Holy Cross. The Leopards seek to get back into the win column after losing the last two games by three points or fewer.

Last time out, sophomore Andrew Phillips' career-high 16 points helped men's basketball take Bucknell to overtime, falling in a 65-62 heartbreaker in Sojka Pavilion. Wednesday evening's contest was the sixth in the last eight meetings to require extra minutes.

The Maroon and White hosted a total of six non-conference games while traveling to seven opponents before conference play. Lafayette completed the first half of the year with a 5-8 record, including a 4-2 total at home.

Lafayette has played 503 games against current Patriot League members. In conference play, the Leopards are 214-289 in the regular season and 25-31 in the Patriot League Tournament.

Next up, men's basketball travels to Army on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tip-off in West Point, N.Y. 

THE MATCHUP
Holy Cross finished the 2023-24 regular season at 10-23 (6-12 PL) overall. The Crusaders return 10 letterwinners while adding four newcomers to a program that finished ninth in the conference last year. Freshman guard Max Green leads the squad with 14 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.5 apg. At 2-1, Holy Cross currently sits in a five-way tie atop the Patriot League standings. The Crusaders, who are 10-6 overall, are coached by Patriot League veteran Dave Paulsen who spent seven seasons at Bucknell. 

LAST TIME OUT
Andrew Phillips filled the scoresheet with seven rebounds, two steals and a block in the 65-62 overtime loss to Bucknell on Wednesday. Co-captain Justin Vander Baan followed Phillips' performance with his second double-double of the season on 14 points and 10 rebounds, not to mention five blocks. Lafayette out-rebounded the Bison 39-35, including a 17-12 margin in the second half. Neither program had much success at the charity stripe, both shooting under 55 percent. Bucknell shot 40 percent from the field, fronted by Josh Bascoe's 23 points. Bascoe was also credited with five of Bucknell's nine tallies from beyond the arc. The Maroon and White shot 43 percent from the field while being held to 18 percent from long distance on 17 tries.  

BIG BLOCKER
Senior center Justin Vander Baan has blocked 37 shots (3.08 per game) this season, good for second in the country and first in the Patriot League. He matched his career high of six swats at Navy on Jan. 5.

In just three years wearing the Maroon and White, he has quickly climbed the program ranks and is currently third all-time with 143 career stops. As a program, Lafayette sits at first in the conference in blocks per game with 3.7.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Justin Vander Baan has two double-doubles to his name this season. While hosting Stonehill on Dec. 29, the Northbridge, Mass. native recorded 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. On Jan. 8 at Bucknell, Vander Baan secured 14 points and 10 rebounds. He leads the current Lafayette squad with five career double-doubles.

GOING THE OTHER WAY
Junior guard Ryan Pettit has 33 steals in 16 games for the Leopards and is leading the conference in total steals and steals per game (2.06). He ranks 33rd and 50th nationally as well.

ROOKIE CAMPAIGN
Lafayette paces the Patriot League in bench points per game at 27.5, good for 56th in the nation. Freshman Alex Chaikin (35, sixth) stands out in the conference for his 3-pointers and is leading the Leopard squad a 52.2 percentage beyond the arc. All Lafayette freshmen have seen court time and contributed in the young season.

PASS THE ROCK
Lafayette is currently second in the Patriot League for its 1.4 assist/turnover ratio and fourth for its 14.3 assists per game. Mark Butler paces the conference and sits at 34th in the NCAA with a 2.94 assist/turnover ratio. The Philadelphia, Pa. native dished 50 assists and has kept to 17 turnovers so far this season.

SHUFFLING STARTERS
Lafayette has used seven different starting lineups, featuring nine athletes, through 16 contests. Sophomore guard Mark Butler is the only Leopard to start every game this season. Butler and Justin Vander Baan are both returners while Caleb Williams, Alex Chaikin and Andrew Phillips are all fresh faces for 2024-25.

INJURY REPORT
Devin Hines has not dressed for the last eight opponents. Folabomi Fayemi is injured (finger) and missed two contests.

LAFAYETTE ON ESPN+
A reminder that the Patriot League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all conference 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 to check out the bundles including live sports and originals. 

WEEKLY LAURELS
Freshman Alex Chaikin was named the Patriot League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2. The Williamsburg, Va. native picked up his first collegiate award after compiling 34 points, 13 rebounds and two assists to help the Leopards finish 2-1 in the inaugural Lafayette Classic. Chaikin scored a weekend-high 16 points on four-of-eight shooting from the floor and a trio of 3-pointers to take Binghamton to overtime on Sunday. He also netted a career-high five-of-six from the charity stripe against the Bearcats. Senior center Justin Vander Baan was named an honorable mention for his efforts in the Classic.

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. 

ALUMNI IN THE PROS
Former Leopard captain and 1,000-point scorer Leo O'Boyle '23 has re-signed to the Newcastle Falcons for summer 2025 after averaging 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last year in Australia. The Scranton, Pa. native also played his graduate season for Penn State and had a stint in Pully-Lausanne, Switzerland.

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.

TOTALLY BOARD
Sophomore center Misha Bednostin collected a team- and career-high 15 rebounds in a win over Penn on Nov. 12.

OH CAPTAIN
TJ Berger and Justin Vander Baan will provide senior leadership for the Leopards in their second consecutive year as captains, aided by junior Ryan Pettit.

PREVIOUS POSTINGS
Lafayette returns 10 players, including five seniors, most of whom saw significant playing time last season. The Leopards concluded 2023-24 with an 11-21 (10-8 PL) overall record, advancing to the Patriot League Tournament's quarterfinal round. 

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."