DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 11, 2018) – The Mercy College men's basketball team opens up their 2018-19 season on Monday, November 12th at Felician. The Mavericks look to get back to the ECC Tournament for the first time since 2015-16 under the leadership of second-year Head Coach Michael Maczko.
Mercy returns seven student-athletes from a year ago and Maczko brings in a solid four-member recruiting class that looks to get the Mavericks back to the ECC Tournament. Mercy was selected to finish ninth in the ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, but the Mavericks finished with five times more wins in Maczko's first year then the year prior so the future looks bright for Mercy.
Leading the returners for the Mavericks is senior Sal Barbetto who averaged 12.5 points per game last season in his first year in Dobbs Ferry. The guard also ranked second on the team with 90 assists and led the team with 47 steals. The native of New City was a fixture in the Mavericks lineup last season, starting all 29 games and will look to remain so in 2018-19.
Also returning to Mercy is sophomore Matthew Alectus who averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 12.0 minutes per game last season. Alectus will look for an expanded role this season after shooting 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from downtown a year ago. Redshirt sophomore Bryan Griffin also returns after posting 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. The forward shot 51.9 percent from the field a season ago and will look to improve upon his numbers in 2018-19.
Senior Daquon Ervin also returns after posting 2.3 points per game and 44 assists a year ago. Senior Amir Atkins and sophomore Shannon Denny also come back after averaging 2.9 and 2.8 points per game, respectively.
Maczko brings in his first recruiting class led by graduate transfer Tawayne Anderson Jr. who transfers to Mercy from Merrimack College. Anderson appeared in 70 games at Merrimack and averaged a career-high 6.3 points per game as a junior. His leadership and presence is a great addition for the team according to Maczko. Also joining the squad is Dondre Barnes who was a 1,000-point scorer at South Atlanta High School. The freshman is a tough, hard-nosed guard that can score it on all three levels says Maczko and was named Player of the Year in 2017-18 in Region 6-2AA.
Korey Lee joins the team from Trinity Pawling and averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during his time there. Lee comes from a basketball family and has a very versatile skill set for his size, according to Maczko. Lamont Williams Jr. was Maczko's first commit and averaged 17.0 points per game at County College of Morris, earning First Team All-Region XIX. Williams will help the Mavericks immediately on the offensive end and is a big time shot maker, says Maczko.
Mercy opens up their 2018-19 season on Monday, November 12th at 7 p.m. at Felician.
