OPENING TIP
The Leopards host Boston U. for the first home game of the new year, amid the initial meetings of the Patriot League slate this winter. January is the busiest month of the season for the Lafayette squad with nine games, including six road trips.

Last time out, Shareef Jackson and Caleb Williams each posted 20 points to help lift Lafayette over Loyola Maryland, 79-64, on Saturday evening in Reitz Arena.

Sophomore guard Caleb Williams is ranked third in the Patriot League for his 260 total points and 17.3 points per game. He has yet to finish a contest with less than 10 points in 2025-26 and has netted 20+ points against foes such as Texas, Mercyhurst, Penn, Georgia Tech and Loyola Md. In 11 games, he's made at least three 3-pointers. The Economics major recorded a career-high six buckets from long distance on Dec.5 against the Lakers.
 
In total, Lafayette hosted six non-conference games, finishing with a 3-3 record in Kirby Sports Center. Dickinson, Ball State and Mercyhurst were all defeated by the Maroon and White in the first half of the schedule. 

Next up, the Leopards visit Navy on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Annapolis, Md.

THE MATCHUP
Boston U. finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 16-16 (10-8 PL) record, falling to Navy, 86-78, during the Patriot League Tournament's quarterfinal round on March 6, 2025.

Through this winter's non-conference stretch, the Terriers posted a 5-8 record against opponents like Northwestern, Penn State, Maine and four Ivy League programs. In the first week of league play, Boston U. was knocked off by Navy and American. Against the Eagles, the Terriers came up just short, 64-62, on their home court (Jan. 3). Junior guard Michael McNair commands the squad with 15.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.1 apg. 

With 14 years of experience at the helm for the Terriers, Joe Jones enters the 2025-26 campaign needing 14 wins to set the program record for victories by a Boston U. head coach. He has led the squad to 12 top-five finishes in the conference standings, highlighted by a Patriot League regular-season title in 2014 and a Patriot League Tournament championship in 2020.
   
LAST TIME OUT
On Jan. 3, Lafayette overtook Loyola Maryland for its first conference win of the season. The Leopards shot 54 percent from the floor and 41 percent from deep overall. In total, freshman Shareef Jackson went 9-for-10 on the floor as Caleb Williams secured four 3-pointers. Christian Humphrey-Rembert grabbed eight rebounds while Mark Butler dished seven assists; both statistics were credited as a game high.

FAMILIAR FOES
Lafayette has played 522 games against current Patriot League members. In conference play, the Leopards are 222-300 in the regular season and 26-32 in the Patriot League Tournament, including a 13-5 home record. In the previous season's conference tournament, No. 7 Lafayette was eliminated by second-seeded American, 71-69, in the quarterfinal round on March 6, 2025.

KEEPING IT NEAT
Junior Mark Butler leads the Patriot League and ranks 18th in the country with his 3.65 assist/turnover ratio. Butler, a Philadelphia, Pa. native, has dished 62 assists and kept to 17 turnovers through 15 games in 2025-26. In the conference, he is fourth for his dimes per game (4.1) and fourth for his minutes per game (33:09). Butler recorded a career-high eight assists at Georgia Tech on Dec. 20.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
Caleb Williams is in the top 10 in the Patriot League in 11 categories: field goal attempts (2nd, 197), field goals (4th, 81), free throw percentage (1st, 89.5), free throws (7th, 51), minutes per game (7th, 32:33), points (3rd, 260), points per game (3rd, 17.3), three point attempts (1st, 114), three point percentage (2nd, 41.2), three pointers per game (1st, 3.13) and total three point FGM (1st, 47).

CONSISTENCY IN THE FIVE
Lafayette has shown lineup stability, using just three starting combinations this season after opening the year with the same five in each of its first and last five games. Mark Butler, Andrew Phillips and Christian Humphrey-Rembert have started all 15 games, while Caleb Williams and Shareef Jackson have each missed one game.

IN GOOD HANDS
Two Leopard freshmen are in the top six in the Patriot League for rebounds per game. Christian Humphrey-Rembert has a lock on the defensive end at 5.0 per game for second place. Shareef Jackson heads the offensive boards, ranked sixth with 2.07 per game. 

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Shareef Jackson and Christian Humphrey-Rembert earned their first collegiate double-doubles on Nov. 29 in the 55-37 win versus Ball State. Jackson recorded a team-high 11 points and 14 rebounds in addition to making two blocks. Humphrey-Rembert added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Andrew Phillips paced the Leopards at Stonehill on Nov. 21 with the squad's first double-double of the season. He secured a season-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in the final-minute 77-74 loss. The junior shot 7-of-19 from the floor in addition to three 3-pointers and five free throws. 

PETTIT'S LARCENY
In non-conference play, senior guard Ryan Pettit had 14 steals through nine games before he was sidelined due to injury. The Westfield, N.J. native ranked sixth in the conference for steals per game (1.56) in December and he made a career-high five heists against Ball State on Nov. 29.

INJURY REPORT
Freshman Beckett Currie suffered a broken left scaphoid during preseason preparations and had season-ending surgery to repair the injury. Joshua Wyche returned to action for the first time in 2025-26 at Charlotte  and is intermittently working with restrictions. Ryan Pettit returned from a broken nose against Colgate.

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. 
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. 

CONTINUED ACADEMIC PROWESS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best on Nov. 19 in the NCAA's Division I graduation success rate (GSR) release. Lafayette boasted a third-best overall mark (97 percent) based on the 19 sports measured while 16 of the Leopards' teams achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent, including men's basketball.

As a conference, the Patriot League recorded a 94 – above the national average of 90. Institutionally, Colgate stood out at 98, followed by Lafayette, Boston U., Bucknell and Holy Cross (97). Lehigh and Loyola Maryland trailed them (96) with Navy (94), American (93) and Army (91) rounding out the group. Lafayette was in a group of 25 schools, including Brown, Dartmouth and Stanford, which featured a score of 97.

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).

BACK ON THE PROWL
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. 

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.

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.

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. 

The Jan. 26 battle versus Bucknell is set to be televised live on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. and will serve as the Leopards' "Coaches vs. Cancer - Suits and Sneakers" game.