2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

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

MEN’S ROSTER

QUICK FACTS LOCATION LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ NICKNAME BRONCS COLORS CRANBERRY, WHITE, GRAY YEAR FOUNDED 1865 PRESIDENT DR. GREG DELL’OMO ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DON HARNUM HOME ARENA ALUMNI GYMNASIUM (1650)

No.

Name

Cl. So. So.

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown

0 2 3 5

Christian Ings

G 6-2 176 Philadelphia, PA G 6-2 165 Philadelphia, PA G 6-5 185 Carson, CA G 6-0 180 Austell, GA

Allen Powell

Rodney Henderson, Jr.

Gr.

Dwight Murray, Jr.

Jr. Jr.

10 11 12 13 14 15 20 22 23 24 25 35

Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson

F

6-8 210 Delta State, Nigeria

Tyrel Bladen

R-So. F

6-10 230 Coatesville, PA

Jordan Smalls

Fr. Fr.

G 6-7 185 Jonesboro, GA G 6-4 205 Cheltenham, PA G 6-7 180 Baton Rouge, LA G 6-0 185 Allentown, NJ G 6-4 180 Clinton, NC G 6-2 185 Queens, NY G/F 6-6 200 Beacon, NY

Jaelen McGlone

Dontrell McQuarter

Jr.

R.J. Weise

Fr.

Jeremiah Pope

Jr.

Elijah Perry

Fr.

Malachi de Sousa

Jr.

Lawrence Foreman

Fr. Fr. Fr.

F

6-9 235 Kingston, Jamaica

Corey McKeithan

G 5-10 165 Windsor, CT

Nehemiah Benson

F

6-7 215 Streetsboro, OH

Head Coach: Kevin Baggett (Saint Joseph’s ’89) – 9 th Season Associate Head Coach: Dino Presley (Kutztown ’93) – 7 th Season Assistant Coaches: Geoff Arnold (Saint Joseph’s ’86) – 2 nd Season, Marlon Guild (Hartford ’05) – 7 th Season Director of Basketball Operations: Ben Kay (Drexel ’12) – 3 rd Season Director of Player Development: Roy Blumenthal (West Chester ’83) – 2 nd Season

PLAYER TO WATCH Dwight Murray, Jr. is the Broncs swiss army knife, as he’s the team’s leader in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. An impact transfer from Incarnate Word this season, Murray has flirted with triple-doubles twice in 2020–21 (through Jan. 23) with double-dou- bles at Manhattan and against Marist to go along with seven assists both times. He was named MAAC Player of the Week on Jan. 25. NOTABLE ALUMNI A reserve basketball player for three seasons at Rider, Richard “Digger” Phelps later served as a graduate assistant for the 1963–64 teamwhich snapped NYU’s 23-year home court winning streak and was credited with the scouting report for that upset. He served as an assistant under Dick Harter at Penn and coached Fordham to a 26-3 record in 1970–71 (3rd in NCAA East Regional). Phelps went on to Notre Dame and posted a 393-197 record (419-200 overall) over 20 seasons in South Bend, including 13 campaigns with 20 or more wins. Fifteen of his teams earned NCAA tournament berths. He was the winningest coach in Notre Dame history until Jan. 3, 2018, when Mike Brey earned his 394 th victory. Phelps coached the Irish to seven victories over teams ranked No. 1 at the time.

HEAD COACH KEVIN BAGGETT Two-time MAAC Coach of the Year Kevin Baggett is in his 9 th season as the Rider University head basketball coach in 2020–21. He currently ranks third all-time in wins at the school. ‘Baggs’ is a two-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2015 and 2018) and has been a finalist for three different National Coach of the Year Awards– theBen Jobe Award, the JoeB. Hall Awardand theHughDurhamAward. Baggett has led his players to 19 All-MAAC honors and two MAAC Sixth Player of the Year awards. His 19 wins in 2012–13 were the most by a Rider rookie head coach since Bob Greenwood led Rider to a 20-win season in 1962–63. The only other Rider basketball coach to compile 19 wins in his rookie campaign was the legendary Clair Bee in 1928–29. Rider has made five National Postseason Tournament appearances under Baggett, including an NIT appearance in 2017–18, CBI bids in 2012–13 and 2014–15, and a CIT berth in 2013–14. Baggett hails fromBurlington, NJ and was a 2006 inductee into theSouth JerseyHall of Fame. Hewasamember of theSaint Joseph’s1985–86basketball team that compiled a 26–6 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Saint Joseph’s in June, 1989.

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