OPENING TIP
Lafayette men's basketball returns to Kirby Sports Center to play Cornell, an Ivy League team that the Leopards have met 27 times since 1930. The squads have played each other every year since the 2015-16 season, not including 2020-21 as the Big Red did not hold athletic competition due to the COVID pandemic.

Last time out, the Leopards fell to SEC foe Texas by a final decision of 97-60. Lafayette had two players finish in double figures, combining for a total of 38 points; sophomore Caleb Williams tallied 20 points with three rebounds and two assists while senior Andrew Phillips added 18 points and four rebounds.

The Leopards return eight players from last season, four of whom saw significant game time. Lafayette concluded 2024-25 with a 13-20 (7-11 PL) overall record, advancing to the Patriot League Tournament's quarterfinal for the second year in a row. The Maroon and White lost five players to graduation and one player to the transfer portal. 

The Leopards host a total of six non-conference games while traveling to seven opponents before Patriot League play begins on Dec. 31. From Nov. 28-30, Lafayette will hold the second-annual Lafayette Classic inside Kirby Sports Center with Le Moyne, Ball State and Monmouth.

Next up, Lafayette hits the road for West Virginia on Monday at 7 p.m.

THE MATCHUP
Cornell finished the 2024-25 regular season at 18-11 (9-5 IVY), reaching the Ivy League Tournament finals as the regular-season league runner-up. The Big Red return two starters and seven letter winners, including senior captain Cooper Noard. He is averaging 26.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in Cornell's first two games in addition to classmate Adam Hinton is averaging 20.5 points on 57 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Big Red look to snap a three-game losing streak that dates back to last season while extending its win streak over Patriot League opponents to 11 games and its win streak over Lafayette to five. Cornell has scored at least 85 points in 16 of the 31 contests the past two seasons, additionally reaching 100 or more points four times. 

Second-year head coach Jon Jaques was set at the helm of the program on April 5, 2024 after two seasons as an associate head coach and eight years on the staff in total. He was a former Big Red captain and member of the 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 team, earning three Ivy League titles as a player. Before his coaching career, Jaques played professionally in Israel for Ironi Ashkelon. Last season, he was a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year as the winningest first-year mentor in Cornell men's basketball history.

THURSDAY'S PROMOTIONS
Lafayette is championing two causes during Thursday's game: Autism Awareness and Triumph in Recovery. 

Paul Morris and the Autism Science Foundation's mission is to support autism research by providing funding and other assistance to scientists and organizations conducting, facilitating, publicizing and disseminating autism research. For more information please visit tinyurl.com/27zrp6x4.

Triumph in Recovery is a non-profit dedicated to supporting individuals with traumatic brain injuries, trauma survivors, stroke victims and their close circles while providing compassionate assistance and resources to help reclaim life and thrive. It was founded by Tim Chiarolanza, the former head strength and conditioning coach at Lycoming College, who overcame a 1% chance of survival after being accidentally struck by a car while rescuing his dog. For more information please visit tinyurl.com/2db6qevz.

LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette was topped, 97-60, by Texas in a road game on Saturday afternoon. Caleb Williams knocked down a team-high 5-of-6 attempts from the line as the Leopards shot 11-of-17 at the charity stripe. The Longhorns led the whole way, shooting 64.3% from the floor and 50 percent from three. The hosts had six individuals in double figures, led by Tramon Mark with 16 points, two assists and two steals. 

PRESEASON POLL
Lafayette was selected to finish seventh in the Patriot League preseason poll with 36 votes. Navy captured the top spot (79 points, seven first-place votes), followed by Boston U. (73, 2), Colgate (64, 1), American (47), Bucknell (44), Loyola Maryland (39), Lehigh (30), Holy Cross (23) and Army (15).

A TRUSTWORTHY DUO
Ryan Pettit is providing senior leadership for the Leopards in his second consecutive year as a captain, aided by junior Mark Butler. 

SOPHOMORE SURGE
Caleb Williams is in the top four in the Patriot League in six categories: field goal attempts (first, 37), field goals (fourth, 17), three point attempts (second, 22), total 3-point FGM (second, nine), points (third, 51) and points per game (third, 17.0).

NERVOUS? NEVER!
Junior Mark Butler is tied with 83 players in the nation for the top slot in the NCAA with a perfect free throw percentage. Butler, a Philadelphia, Pa. native, is one of two Patriot League athletes (along with Bucknell's Ruot Bijek) who have secured a 1.000. He lays claim to an 8-of-8 performance at the line through three games.

FRESH MEAT
Ashton Wallace, Beckett Currie, Christian Humphrey-Rembert, Luke Azzinaro, Luke Bevilacuqa and Shareef Jackson are set to enter the squad directly out of high school. KaiMani Murdock makes his way to the Leopard locker room following one year at Denmark Technical College. Each of these athletes has seen court time with the exception of Currie (injury).

"I am excited to welcome a great group of young men to College Hill," McGarvey said. "Our newcomers bring strong values with them that will help make a positive impact on the court, in the classroom and within the community."

AN EARLY LOOK (EXHIBITION)
Lafayette played an exhibition game against Drexel on Oct. 28 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.  The hosts earned the final decision, 73-65. Williams (14) and Jackson (12) also aided in the offensive scoring effort. Butler netted a team-high 5-of-6 free throws and had a game-high four steals. Lafayette shot 36.4 percent from the floor (20-of-55) and 3-point range (8-of-22) overall and 53 percent from the line (17-of-32). Out of the freshman class, Humphrey, Jackson and Bevilacqua all saw court time. Kai Murdock, a sophomore transfer, made his Leopard debut with three points and a steal in eight minutes.

THAT EASTON CHARM
Lafayette will host the second-annual Lafayette Classic, a multi-team event at Kirby Sports Center, over the 2025 Thanksgiving weekend. Le Moyne, Ball State and Monmouth will travel to College Hill as participants. The four teams will play a round-robin formatted schedule with doubleheaders starting the evening of Friday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 30. All six games will be aired live on ESPN+.

INJURY REPORT
Freshman Beckett Currie suffered a broken left scaphoid during preseason preparations and will have to have season-ending surgery in the coming months. Joshua Wyche is also sidelined from a recurring injury.

BEHIND THE MIC
Lafayette Sports Networks's Gary Laubach also was able to chat with head coach Mike McGarvey to preview the men's basketball season, available for viewing on YouTube at tinyurl.com/2956dz22.

NIGERIAN PRIDE
On July 30, Folabomi Fayemi was named to Nigeria's 17-man provisional roster for the senior men's national team, D'Tigers, ahead of the 2025 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) AfroBasket tournament. The Houston, Texas native practiced in a week-long training camp and had two friendly games leading up to the showdown in Luanda, Angola from Aug. 12-24. The D'Tigers were in Group B alongside Madagascar, defending champions Tunisia and Cameroon. The sophomore guard is studying Economics on College Hill and played in 11 games as a rookie.

FRESH FLOORING
Kirby Sports Center, the Leopards' home arena, has seen major upgrades over the past year. During the summer, the court was completely overhauled and redesigned. It now features a prominent Leopard head logo as well as a maroon Leopard print border. 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. 

LAFAYETTE ON ESPN+
A reminder that the Patriot League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all Lafayette home games on ESPN+ with the same high quality broadcast 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. Select games will be televised on CBS Sports Network and announced later in the season.

HOMEWARD BOUND
On Aug. 26, EJ Stephens '21 was announced as the Director of Basketball Operations for 2025-26. Stephens competed in over 103 contests while wearing the Maroon and White, totaling 1,017 points, 307 rebounds and 175 assists in his career. Following his senior season as a co-captain, he earned Second Team All-Patriot League laurels, a NABC All-District 13 Second Team nod and three Lafayette Dean's List awards. The Psychology major was also chosen as the Oaks Leadership "Leader of Distinction." To this day, Stephens ranks 11th in the conference for his 90.4 free throw percentage. 

This past summer, he was a part of the 2025 NBL1 roster for the Newcastle Falcons alongside O'Boyle and Myles Cherry '20. The 6'3 guard was a dynamic scorer who used his graduate year at Minnesota. The Plantation, Fla. native spent the 2023-24 pro season with the Cheshire Phoenix in England's SLB (formerly BBL).

ALUMNI IN THE PROS
On July 1, recent graduate and the 2024-25 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Justin Vander Baan '25 was named to the Boras Basket program in Sweden's SBL Herr league. He earned a Player of the Match accolade on Oct. 24 for his efforts in a 118-83 win over competitor Jamtland. With Lafayette last January, he led the country in blocks per game (3.14) and ranked seventh for total blocks (44).

Former Leopard captain and 1,000-point scorer Leo O'Boyle '23 is currently playing in the Belgian and Dutch BNXT League with the LWD Basket Leeuwarden for the 2025-26 season. On Oct. 12, he put up 28 points, featuring six 3's, against foe Heroes Den Bosch. O'Boyle previously 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 a globe-high 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Foxes in a 106-98 loss in the Swiss League.

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best on May 6 in the NCAA's Division I annual academic progress rate release. Lafayette's overall APR score was 995 with 11 Leopard programs achieving perfect scores of 1000. Men's hoops finished with a 984, matching the national all-sport average. Justin Vander Baan '25 earned a spot on the six-person Academic All-Patriot League Team on March 5.

SEASON THREE AT THE HELM
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 (five games).