2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

2020–21 NIAGARA MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

QUICK FACTS LOCATION NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY

MEN’S ROSTER

NICKNAME PURPLE EAGLES COLORS PURPLE AND WHITE YEAR FOUNDED 1856 PRESIDENT REV. JAMES J. MAHER, C.M. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SIMON GRAY HOME ARENA FRANK AND BARBARA LAYDEN COURT AT THE GALLAGHER CENTER

No.

Name

Cl.

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown

0 1 4

Justin Roberts

R-Sr. R-Sr.

G 5-10 189 Lawrence, KS

Kobi Nwandu

F

6-6 210 York, PA

Tahjae Hill

Fr.

G 6-2 180 Hilton, NY G 6-2 160 Queens, NY G 6-3 180 Hartford, CT G 5-9 175 Boston, MA

10 11 12 13 15 20 22 24 32 33 34

Marcus Hammond

Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. So. So.

Raheem Solomon

Shandon Brown

Touba Traore

F F F

6-11 210 Bamako, Mali 6-6 200 Worcester, MA

Greg Kuakumensah

Jordan Cintron

6-8 220 Bronx, NY

Nick MacDonald

G/F 6-5 185 Amherst, NY

Trey Syroka

G 5-10 150 Toledo, OH

Will Engelhardt Steven Levnaic

F

6-7 205 Syracuse, NY

R-So. G 6-2 180 Hamilton, ON

PLAYER TO WATCH Marcus Hammond became the 14 th Purple Eagle to earn All-MAAC First Team honors at the conclusion of the 2019–20 season. He averaged career-highs in points (14.3 ppg), rebounds (4.6 rpg), and assists (2.9 apg) to lead the Purple Eagles in all three categories during the 2019–20 season. Hammond, who was one of four unanimous selections to the 2020–21 Preseason All-MAAC First Team, is posting career-high numbers in points and rebounds while pacing the Purple Eagles in nearly every statis- tical category. The Queens native ranks among the leaders in the MAAC in scoring, 3-pointers made, free throws made, assist-to-turnover ratio, rebounds per game, and minutes played. NOTABLE ALUMNI Hubie Brown played on three NIT Tournament teams from 1951–55. He had a successful professional basketball coaching career and was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year Brown has had an outstanding broadcasting career with CBS, TNT and ESPN and was awarded the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award in 2000. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor in 2005 and was also inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor in 2006. Brown was inducted into the Niagara University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, inducted into the MAAC Basketball Hall of Fame Honor Roll in 2012, and received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Nicholas Kratholm

Sr.

F

6-9 220 Louisville, KY

Head Coach: Greg Paulus (Duke ’09) – 2 nd Season Assistant Coaches: Bryan Smothers (Wayne State ’11) – 2 nd Season,

Brett Ervin (West Virginia Wesleyan ’14) – 2 nd Season, Kevin Devitt (DePaul ) – 1 st Season Director of Basketball Operations: Austin Kelley (St. Bonaventure ’11) – 1 st Season

HEAD COACH GREG PAULUS Greg Paulus is highly regarded in college athletics for his dedication to the holistic development of student-athletes. His stellar resume includes eight NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament appearances as a player and a coach. Paulus made the 2019–20 Purple Eagles one of the most competitive teams in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles surpassed preseason predictions with Paulus having the Purple Eagles contending near the top of the conference all season and winning ten games against conference opponents. Niagara won a game in the MAAC Tournament for the first time in three seasons after beating Marist in the first round. The Purple Eagles ranked statistically in the top-25 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.6), in fewest total turnovers (338), in turnover margin (3.3) and 3-point field goal percentage (.372), while leading the MAAC in all four categories. Niagara had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13) in the MAAC as well. Under Paulus’ tutelage, sophomore Marcus Hammond had a career-season en route to being named to the All-MAAC First Team. Paulus’ accomplishments during his maiden voyage as a head coach were recognized by the college basketball industry as he was the recipient of the 2019–20 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the the Award which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball. The program was recognized for its outstanding academic year with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award. The award honors programs that had a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for the 2019–20 season; the Purple Eagles finished with a 3.3 GPA.

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