December 16, 2011
2011/2012 Team Preview: |
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Senior guard Jaron Smith is one of three starters who played for St. Mary's last year. (Photo: Jason Bernstein) |
| Marist Royal Knights Photo Gallery |
By Jason Bernstein Editorial Director |
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For the past couple of years, there was little doubt about the starting lineup Marist head coach Tony Romano would send out to the court. With mainstays such as Marvin Williams, Jarryd Horsley, Josh Treadwell, James Matthews and Justin Rosa, the Royal Knights grew from also-rans to Hudson County finalists in a span of three seasons.
With that quartet gone to graduation and a talented, yet unproven group in its place, Romano know that this season's lineup will be set in pencil, rather than pen.
"I've got a lot of competitive kids on the team and they all want to play," he said. "Through the daily practices, that's how we're going to make our decisions. I could have a number of different lineups from game to game and they understand it.
"This year we got guys who are having to change their roles. They're not just going to be part-time players, they're going to be thrust into more playing time in different roles."
The roster, which Romano called the deepest he's had in a while, was significantly bolstered by the additions of Devyn Ransom, Jaron Smith and Andrew Martinez after St. Mary's closed last spring.
Smith, a 5-foot-10 senior guard; Ransom, a 6-foot-2 junior wing; and Martinez, a 6-foot-4 senior center, are all expect to start for the Royal Knights. Ransom, who might be Marist's top scorer and Smith were reserves at St. Mary's while Martinez was a starter at center.
"I think it's been a pretty smooth transition for the kids," Romano said. "They're all good athletes, they work extremetly hard every day in practice. The biggest adjustment has been the size of the court since Marist's court is a lot bigger than St. Mary's."
Junior Daryl Black enters the starting lineup at forward. Senior Brandon Walsh, the biggest returning contributor from last year's team, is the starting point guard after previously serving as a sixth man.
"Brandon's a real competitive guy," Romano said. "He's a coach on the floor, he's our team leader, our team captain. He initiates the offense, handles the ball, is a good perimeter defender and a good shooter."
Athletic guards Joel Elder and Aaron Smith along with forward Alquan Jones lead an extremely deep bench for Marist.
The Royal Knight will receive an added boost in mid-January in the form of 6-foot-10 junior Manny Suarez, a transfer from Cliffside Park.
"For a big kid he's really got a soft shooting touch. He has some nice range on his shot," Romano said. "He can block shots, he can handle the ball. He has a lot of opportunities ahead of him if he works really hard."
Juniors Kindel Cuttino, Tony White and Chris Alvarez add depth at guard. Brandon Connelly, Shawn Charles and Andy Etienne provide insurance up front.
2011-12 Marist Overview |
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