Strong start for revamped Molloy

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Ranked seventh out of 11 teams in the East Coast Conference men’s basketball preseason poll, Molloy College will carry some confidence into the ECC schedule after winning five of its first six games out of the gate.

“We might not have anyone who scores a glowing number every night, but we have balance and depth,” Lions head coach Charles Marquardt said. “We’ve got a competitive group, and the mindset is positive. They play pretty hard when the lights go on.”

The Lions, who lost some key contributors from last season’s 17-13 squad including all-time leading scorer John Petrucelli, have found ways to win the close ones in the early going. They beat Pace and Saint Michaels by two points apiece, topped Chestnut Hill by five, and Nyack by eight.

“Winning early helps the confidence,” said Marquardt, who brought back a strong mix and added he can go as deep as 10 players. “A bunch of these guys have played together for a couple of years now. I don’t know externally what people thought of us, but we can be a surprise.”

Molloy had a November to remember, starting with a come-from-behind 59-57 victory over Pace University in the opener as part of the St. Thomas Aquinas Classic. Junior Maurice Gatson came off the bench to lead the Lions with 13 points, while junior Brandon Williams (12) and senior Matt McLeod (10) also scored in double figures.

The coach said Williams, a junior point guard out of Baldwin High School, is doing a “pretty good job leading us.” Through six games, he was leading the Lions in scoring (16.0 ppg), assists, steals, and minutes. “Brandon looks and feels more comfortable,” Marquardt said. “He’s our main ball-handler and a real strong defender.”

Sophomores Jaylen Morris and Charlie Marquardt have brought their games to another level after contributing off the bench as freshmen. “They’ve done really well handling bigger roles,” the coach said. 

Morris had the game-winning bucket with 1.8 seconds remaining to give the Lions a 79-77 win over Saint Michaels. He had 15 points and eight rebounds in the contest, while Williams and Marquardt added 19 apiece. “Jaylen’s very strong fundamentally and likes to go to the rim,” the coach said of Morris, who has averaged 13.7 points and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds per game while making good on all 15 of his free throws. “He’s a good defender as well.”

Molloy’s biggest threat from the outside, Marquardt, the coach’s son, has nailed 15 shots from behind the arc while averaging 10.7 points. Four of his treys came as part of another 19-point performance, helping the Lions beat Chestnut Hill, 71-66. “He can really shoot it and helps us stretch defenses,” the coach said.

McLeod, a 6-foot-3 guard, reached a milestone last month when he became the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. His big moment came in an 80-77 loss at Caldwell University. “Matt’s a multiple threat,” Marquardt said. “He’s a pretty big guard, and when he gets going he can really fill it up.”

In the paint, the Lions are getting steady contributions from 6-8 freshman Shandy Casimir, seniors Miles Prendergast and Richard Zoller, and juniors Kevin Bowles and Chucks Obunse. “They’re all giving us quality minutes,” Marquardt said.

“We’re mostly playing small-ball and forcing teams to match up against us, rather than the other way around,” Marquardt said. “We have unity and chemistry, so we’re hopeful we can keep it going when the conference games begin.”

The University of Bridgeport topped the ECC preseason rankings, followed by LIU-Post and St. Thomas Aquinas. Bridgeport beat the Lions in the ECC semifinals last March, 79-75, after the teams split regular-season meetings. The Purple Knights visit Molloy on Jan. 22.