OPENING TIP
Lafayette men's basketball closes out the first round of 2024-25 Patriot League matchups against American. The second meeting with the Eagles will take place in just 13 days in Washington, D.C.

 Lafayette will be promoting the American Cancer Society's "Coaches vs. Cancer - Suits And Sneakers Week" today. It is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause – ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. To raise awareness and bring attention to the cause, coaches #SuitUp during their game(s) and wear their most eye-catching sneakers. Visit coaches.cancer.org to learn more. 

Last time out, cold shooting beyond the arc left men's basketball an 86-47 Rivalry loss to Lehigh on Saturday evening in Stabler Arena. The Leopards were held scoreless from 3-point range on 22 attempts.

Justin Vander Baan ranks second in the NCAA with 3.12 blocks per game and seventh in the country for his 53 total blocks through 17 contests.

Lafayette has played 508 games against current Patriot League members. In conference play, the Leopards are 216-292 in the regular season and 25-31 in the Patriot League Tournament.

Next up, men's basketball travels to Colgate on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

THE MATCHUP
American finished the 2023-24 regular season at 16-16 (10-8 PL) overall. The Eagles return 13 letterwinners and four starters while adding four newcomers. Graduate forward Matt Rogers leads the squad with 16.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 1.3 apg. At 6-2, American is tied for first in the conference standings with Colgate and are on a five-game win streak. 

BIG BLOCKER
Senior center Justin Vander Baan has blocked 53 shots this season, good for seventh in the country and first in the Patriot League. His 3.12 blocks per game average is second-best in the NCAA. He matched his career high of six swats at Navy on Jan. 5. In just three years wearing the Maroon and White, Vander Baan has quickly climbed the program ranks and is currently third all-time with 159 career stops. He needs two more blocks to move into the second slot during his senior season. As a program, Lafayette tops the conference in blocks per game (3.8).

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.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
During the week of Jan. 24, three Leopards averaged double figures in points for the first time in 2024-25. Justin Vander Baan led the charge with 12.2, followed by freshman Alex Chaikin (11.7) and sophomore Andrew Phillips (10.0).

GOING THE OTHER WAY
Junior guard Ryan Pettit has 34 steals in 21 games for the Leopards. The Westfield, N.J. native is leading the conference in total steals and is second for steals per game (1.7). Respectively, he ranks 123rd and 137th nationally as well.

ROOKIE CAMPAIGN
Lafayette is second in the Patriot League in bench points per game at 23.7, good for 112th in the nation. Freshman Alex Chaikin (44, seventh) stands out in the conference for his 3-pointers and is leading the Leopard squad with a 48.4 percent average beyond the arc. All Lafayette freshmen have seen court time and contributed this winter.

PASS THE ROCK
Lafayette is currently second in the Patriot League for its 1.32 assist/turnover ratio and its 14.5 assists per game. Mark Butler paces the conference and sits at 41st in the NCAA with a 2.67 assist/turnover ratio. The Philadelphia, Pa. native dished 64 assists and has kept to 24 turnovers so far this season.

SHUFFLING STARTERS
Lafayette has used seven different starting lineups, featuring nine athletes, through 21 contests. Sophomore guard Mark Butler is the only Leopard to start every game this season. In the newest consecutive lineup, Butler and Justin Vander Baan are both returning starters 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 13 opponents. Folabomi Fayemi is injured (finger) and missed seven contests. Chris Rubayo (back) missed five games while Ryan Pettit (back) did not play against Colgate.

WEEKLY LAURELS
Caleb Williams was announced as the Patriot League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week on Jan. 13. The Jacksonville, Fla. native picked up his first collegiate award after averaging 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game to help the Leopards split the previous week, including the 82-65 victory over Holy Cross. On Dec. 2, Alex Chaikin was named the Patriot League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week. 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. 

ALUMNI IN THE PROS
On Dec. 21, Former Leopard captain and 1,000-point scorer Leo O'Boyle '23 re-signed with 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. On Jan. 15, he scored 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Foxes in a 106-98 loss in the Swiss League.

On. Jan. 22, E.J. Stephens '21 was added to the 2025 NBL1 roster for the Newcastle Falcons alongside O'Boyle and Myles Cherry '20. The 6'3 guard is a dynamic scorer and had a standout collegiate career with the Leopards and at Minnesota University. The Plantation, Fla. native spent the 2023-24 season with the Cheshire Phoenix in England's SLB (formerly BBL).

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Paul Barry's Down Syndrome Awareness Group will be Lafayette's honorary Fans of the Game versus Loyola Maryland on Feb. 5. Alumni & Senior Day will take place on Feb. 22 during the next installment of the Rivalry with Lehigh. 

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. 

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.

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.

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

PREVIOUS POSTINGS
Lafayette returns 10 players, including five seniors, most of whom saw significant playing time last season. 
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. 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).

FEARSOME FRESHMEN
"We're really excited to officially welcome this talented group of high character, hardworking newcomers to our roster and the Lafayette community. This class has an opportunity to make an immediate impact on College Hill," head coach Mike McGarvey said.

Caleb Williams was a four-year varsity starter at Jean Ribault, posting a 23.6 points, 6.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game average. The Jacksonville, Fla. native holds the 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.

Alex 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 Williamsburg, Va. native 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. 

Folabomi Fayemi played two years of basketball at Culver before competing for South Kent. At Culver, he averaged 12 points, six rebounds and three assists per game as an IHSAA Sectional Champion. The Chicago, Ill. native 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.

Malik Rasul, averaging a double-double each year, was a starter for Westtown for three seasons. The Tucson, Ariz. 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.