Marist Red Foxes men's basketball
| Marist Red Foxes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
 |
|||
| University | Marist College | ||
| Conference | MAAC | ||
| Location | Poughkeepsie, NY | ||
| Head coach | Mike Maker (3rd year) | ||
| Arena |
McCann Arena (Capacity: 3,200) |
||
| Nickname | Red Foxes | ||
| Colors | Red and White |
||
| Uniforms | |||
|
|||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
| 1986, 1987 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1986, 1987 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1985, 1987, 2002, 2007 | |||
The Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Red Foxes have qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice (1986, 1987), losing in the first round in both instances. Prior to joining the MAAC in 1997, Marist was a charter member of the ECAC Metro Conference in 1981; which became the Northeast Conference in 1988.
The Marist men's basketball team's first varsity season was 1961-1962 at the NCAA Division III level. For 20 years Marist would play at this level. Their most successful season during this time was the 1970-1971 season under head coach Ron Petro in which they went 21-7. The Marist Athletic Department including the men's basketball program transitioned up to the Division I level before the 1981-1982 season. In response to the competitive landscape the program encountered in division I for basketball recruits Marist became one of the first college programs to recruit players from overseas. This strategy worked and Marist was able to attract very talented international players to Poughkeepsie. This led to unprecedented on the court success and national recognition for the school. The most successful Marist men's basketball teams played in the mid-1980s and were composed mostly of players from Europe and Canada. They were led by future 1st round selection and NBA All-Star Rik Smits who was originally from the Netherlands, also on those teams was Rudy Bourgarel and Alain Forestier from France, Peter Krasovec from Hungary, Curtis Celestine from Canada and Serbian player Miroslav Pecarski. At the time, Pecarski was considered by some to be Europe's top 17-year-old player, but he was injured in the preseason, creating an opportunity for Smits.
During the 1984-1985 season Marist hosted eventual national champion Villanova, losing 57-51. That same year Marist would earn its first ECAC Metro Conference regular season championship. That team was coached by Matt Furjanic, whose staff also included Jim Todd, who would go on to become head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
...
Wikipedia