PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Mercy University Men's Basketball Team opens its 2026-27 season on Tuesday, November 10th when they play at Pace University at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10th 7 p.m.
Records (2025-26): Mercy (3-23), Pace (16-11)
Location: Pleasantville, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Pace
Mercy dropped a 74-65 decision at Pace on November 16, 2022.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy enters the 2026-27 season picked eighth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 3-23 last season. The Mavericks are looking to make the ECC Championship for the first time since 2021 and make it for the first time without every team making it since 2016.
Second-year Head Coach Charles Marquardt and the Mavericks return five student-athletes from last year's team and add 11 newcomers. Leading the returners is junior Kohen Rowbatham who was named Third Team All-ECC and MBWA All-Met Honorable Mention after averaging a team-high 20.5 points and 2.7 assists per game last season. Rowbatham ranked second in the ECC in points per game. Also, returning is senior Jordan Trahan who averaged 15.5 points per game and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game last year. Sophomore Tyrell Miller returns after averaging 2.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 2.0 blocks per game. Junior James Connolly is back after posting 2.6 points per game and senior Daniel Boateng returns after playing in 23 games with 1.8 points per game.
Mercy also welcomes four transfers and seven freshmen. Junior Jaden Battle joins the Mavericks from Roberts Wesleyan University and Merrimack College. Battle played in 21 games last season at Roberts Wesleyan, averaging 5.5 points per game, helping lead the Redhawks to the ECC Championship Final. Junior Yunosuke Matsuda joins the Mavericks from Northern Essex Community College where he was named Region 21 Honorable Mention and won the Region Championship twice. Matsuda averaged 6.8 points and 3.9 assists per game with Northern Essex last season. Junior Said Adam joins Mercy from Genesee Community College where he averaged 12.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season. Graduate student Matthew Filipowski comes from Division I Harvard University where he played five games during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
The Mavericks also welcome freshmen Brennan White, Karon Bailey, Kem Dankyi, Seediya Jabbi, Amosun Toluwalase, and Maks Mazzoni. White joins Mercy from Metairie Park Country Day School where he was named First Team All-District, and State Championship MVP as a senior. Bailey comes from St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland where he earned All-MAC honors as a senior. Dankyi joins the Mavericks from St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Maryland where he received All-Conference and Team MVP honors as a senior while scoring over 1,000 career points. Jabbi was named All-Section and All-League as a senior at the Barack Obama School for Social Justice. Toluwalase was a varsity player at Holy Cross High School for four years and Mazzoni joins the Mavericks from Slovenia.
Mercy looks to win their season opener for the first time since 2017. The Mavericks look to beat Pace for the first time since 1997.
Scouting the Setters
Pace was picked fifth in the NE10 Preseason Poll after going 16-11 last season, qualifying for the NE10 Championship. Leading the returners for Pace is Ben Manuel who averaged 6.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game last season. Saif Saleh returns after posting 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and Jayden James is back after averaging 4.9 points per game.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Friday, November 13th when they play at Holy Family at 7:30 p.m.
