Red Foxes

Marist Red Foxes

General Team Information:

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Past Conferences: Central Athletic Collegiate Conference, Big Apple Conference, Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Metro, Northeast Conference
City: Poughkeepsie, New York
Arena: McCann Arena
NCAA Tournaments: 2 (1986, 1987)

Championships:

National Championships – 0
Conference Titles – 4 (1985, 1987, 2002, 2007)

Team History

The Marist Red Foxes first saw action in the 1961-62 season, when they joined the NCAA as a Division III school. The Red Foxes were part of the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference before moving up to Division II for the 1978-79 season.

Marist played just three NCAAB seasons in Division II and made the jump to Division I for the 1981-82 season, where they joined the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Metro, which became the Northeast Conference before the 1988-89 season. The Red Foxes joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in the 1997-98 season and have remained there since.

After the jump to Division I, Marist became one of the first schools to make a push to recruit NCAAB players overseas, and the strategy paid off when they landed Rik Smits from the Netherlands.

Smits led Marist to their only two Division I conference titles in 1986 and 1987, which also happens to be the only two seasons the Red Foxes have appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Marist received NIT bids in 1996 and 2007.

Marist has never won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, although the Red Foxes did win the regular season titles in 2002 and 2007. The team’s victory over Oklahoma State in the 2007 NIT is their only tournament victory.

All-Time Records

Points Scored

Chavaughn Lewis, 2,119
Steve Smith, 2,077
Rik Smits, 1,945

Rebounds

Ted Taylor, 923
Alan Tomidy, 838
Adam Kemp, 825

Assists

Jared Jordan, 813
Drafton Davis, 804
Sean Kennedy, 670

FAQs

When Did Marist Become the Red Foxes?

Marist’s unusual nickname has been with the team since the beginning. According to the Marist University website, Marist Athletic Director Brother William Murphy was glancing at a sports magazine, which had a red fox on the cover. The red fox was indigenous to the Hudson River Valley, making it a perfect fit for Marist.

Is Rik Smits the Only Marist Player To Be Drafted by an NBA Team?

The Red Foxes have two players drafted by NBA teams. Smits, who is in the top five in Marist team stats in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots, was taken No. 2 overall in the 1988 draft. Jared Jordan, the school’s all-time leader in assists, was taken in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He never played in a regular season NBA game.

What Was the Worst Season for Marist?

While fans can debate if the Red Foxes were better in 1986 or 1987, the two seasons the team made the NCAA Tournament, there is no doubt which team has been the worst Marist squad to hit the court. The 2009-10 Red Foxes opened with 11 straight losses before defeating Manhattan on January 2nd, 2010. It was the lone victory for the team that season, as Marist closed the season with 18 consecutive losses.