DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 27, 2025) – The Mercy University men's basketball team plays at ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, March 1st at 4 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, March 1st 4 p.m.
Records: Mercy (7-17, 6-9 ECC), St. Thomas Aquinas (21-8, 12-3 ECC)
Location: Sparkill, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Mercy dropped a 75-73 decision to St. Thomas Aquinas on January 25, 2025.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy was selected ninth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 2-24 overall and 1-15 in ECC play last season. The Mavericks are looking to make their first ECC Championship appearance since 2021. Mercy has not qualified for the ECC Championship without every team making it since 2016. The Mavericks are looking to win their season opener for the first time since 2017. Leading the returners for third-year Head Coach Chris Watts is senior Taj Chiles who averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season. He led the team in assists and steals per game and was third in points per game. Chiles ranked fourth in the ECC in assists per game last season. Also returning for the Mavericks is senior Max Mitchell who averaged 3.9 points per game in seven games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Junior Jamal Jacobs returns after appearing in all 26 games last season and junior Thomas Mandell and sophomores Zein Wahdan, Derek Long and Aston Sannasi also return after playing in a combined 188 minutes last season. Leading the newcomers for Watts is junior TJ Holloway who transfers from Division I Central Connecticut State University. Holloway appeared in 22 games averaging 1.2 points per game in two seasons. Junior Sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola joins Mercy from Quincy College where he averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Watts also brings in a strong freshman class led by James Connolly, Nathan Robertson and Ethan Robertson.
The Mavericks are coming off an 86-68 loss to Molloy on Saturday. Mercy has five more wins than all of last year and started 2-0 in ECC play for the first time ever. The Mavericks have their most ECC wins in a season since the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks have been led by sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola who is averaging 10.6 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting with 5.7 rebounds per game. Senior Taj Chiles is averaging 7.0 points per game and leads the team with an ECC-best 6.0 assists per game. Chiles is currently ranked No. 9 nationally in the assists per game and No. 18 in total assists (145). Freshman Nathan Robertson is netting a team-high 16.5 points per game on a team-high 51.0 percent shooting to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Junior TJ Holloway is averaging 11.7 points per game with 4.3 rebounds per game and freshman Ethan Robertson is averaging 16.3 points per game and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Derek Long and senior Max Mitchell are averaging 7.2 and 4.7 points per game, respectively. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the sixth time on Monday and Ethan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time last week and Makanjuola was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week for the second time. Chiles and Holloway were named to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time on February 10th and Ethan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Makanjuola and Chiles were named to the ECC Honor Roll on November 11th and Holloway was tabbed to the Honor Roll on November 18th. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 2nd and Makanjuola was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 9th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Player and Rookie of the Week on December 16th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 23rd and Ethan Robertson was named to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson has been named MBWA Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention twice. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the third time on January 13th and was tabbed MBWA Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention on January 14th. Nathan Robertson was named to the ECC Honor Roll on January 13th. Makanjuola was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on January 20th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed Rookie of the Week for the third time. Long was named to the ECC Honor Roll for the first time on January 20th. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time on January 27th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time on February 3rd and Chiles and Makanjuola were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Mercy is 2-40 in their last 42 meetings against STAC and have dropped 24 straight meetings to the Spartans. The Mavericks last beat STAC on February 13, 2013. With a win, Mercy would have their most ECC wins in a season since the 2015-16 season. The Mavericks need to win Saturday in order to secure their first ECC Tournament berth without every team making it since the 2015-16 season.
Scouting the Spartans
St. Thomas Aquinas is coming off an 87-84 win over Goldey-Beacom on Wednesday for their sixth straight win. The Spartans were picked in a tie for first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 25-6 last season. STAC is the five-time defending ECC Champion and have won eight of the last nine ECC titles. The Spartans are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year. STAC is ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA East Region Rankings. STAC is led by one-time ECC Player and Defensive Player of the Week Hartnel Haye who is averaging a team-high 12.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Luis Risquez is second with 11.9 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting and Shaun Arnold is third with 11.3 points per game. Derrick James and Troy'reon Ramos average 10.8 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. James dishes out a team-high 4.8 assists per game Arnold averages a team-high 2.3 steals per game.
