2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Digital Program

2023–24 NIAGARA MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

QUICK FACTS LOCATION NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY NICKNAME PURPLE EAGLES COLORS PURPLE AND WHITE YEAR FOUNDED 1856 PRESIDENT REV. JAMES J. MAHER, C.M.

MEN’S ROSTER

WOMEN’S ROSTER No. Name Cl.

PLAYER TO WATCH Aaliyah Parker is coming off a season in which she averaged 16.9 points per game in 2022-23 along with 7.7 rebounds per game and 3.7 steals per game. She led the MAAC in scoring and steals while being third in rebounding. She finished second in the country in steals per game and sixth in the county in total steals. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, she was named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year by the league's coaches. She also earned Preseason All-MAAC First Team honors. As a freshman in 2021-22 she was the unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year while being named to the All-Rookie Team. In 2022-23 she was named to the MAAC First Team. In the 2023 MAAC Tournament she turned in the first triple double in MAAC Tournament history with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 steals. She became the 26th Purple Eagle to reach 1,000 career points joining her sister Angel Parker in 2023-24. They are the only set of sisters in Niagara history each reach 1,000 career points at Niagara. NOTABLE ALUMNI Victoria Rampado was inducted into the Niagara Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 following a historic five year career (2013-18) with the Purple Eagles. The forward made an immediate impact on the court, earning MAAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in her first season. Rampado would earn All-MAAC Second Team honors as a sophomore and redshirt junior, where she led the MAAC in scoring with 16.8 points per game. In her final season at NU, Rampado was named MAAC Player of the Year, becoming the 12th player in MAAC history to earn both MAAC Rookie and Player of the Year honors after averaging 20.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She became the program's all time leader in points and rebounds on Feb. 18, 2018, against Monmouth, and currently remains atop both categories with 1,823 points and 909 rebounds.

No.

Name

Cl. Gr. Sr. Sr. Gr. So.

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown/High School/Previous School

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown/High School/Previous School

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ATHLETICS SIMON GRAY HOME ARENA FRANK AND BARBARA LAYDEN COURT AT THE GALLAGHER CENTER (2,100)

1 2 4 5

Randy Tucker Lance Erving

G 6-4 185 Rock Island, IL/Green Bay

0 1 3 4 5

Chardonnay Hartley

So. So.

G 5-3 Harlem, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin Memorial/Longwood (Big South)

G 6-3 190 Leesburg, FL/Chipola Community College G 6-2 185 Ankeny, IA/Indian Hills Community College

Shelby Fiddler

G 5-9 Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry H.S.

Braxton Bayless

Lexi Roe

Jr.

G 5-7 Manilus, NY/Fayetteville-Manilus H.S.

Luke Bumbalough

G 6-1 180 New Castle, IN/Ball State G 5-10 160 Chicago, IL/De La Salle G 5-9 155 Chicago, IL/Brother Rice G 6-5 195 Denver, CO/Loyola Marymount

Ary Hicks

So.

G 5-5 Punta Gorda, FL/Charlotte H.S.

10 11 12 13 15 20 24 30 55

Jalen Brown

Aaliyah Parker Ameila Strong

Jr.

G 5-9 Cheektowaga, NY/Cardinal O’Hara H.S.

Ahmad Henderson II

Fr.

10 11 13 14 15 20 21 23 25

So. Gr. Gr.

F

6-2 Niagara Falls, NY/Cardinal O’Hara H.S.

Kwane Marble Jr

Gr.

Angel Parker

G 5-5 Cheektowaga, NY/Cardinal O’Hara H.S.

Dre Bullock

Jr.

G 6-6 190 Franklinton, NC/LA Tech

Destiny Strother Alyssa Rossignol

G 5-9 Flint, MI/Carman-Ainsworth/Pittsburgh (ACC)

Yaw Obeng-Mensah

Sr.

F

6-7 215 Toronto, Ontario/UMBC

Fr. Fr.

F/G 5-11 Enfield, CT/Enfield

Malik Edwards

Jr.

G 6-2 180 Philadelphia, PA/William Penn (NAIA)

Kylie Buckley

F

6-1 Livonia, N.Y./Livonia

Aime Rutayisire

So.

F F F

6-8 230 Adelaide, South Australia/Barton (NJCAA) 6-8 210 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin High School

Marlie Dickerson

So.

G 5-10 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin

Donovan Hill

Fr.

Lore Porter

Sr.

G 5-9 Woodbridge, VA/New Hope Academy

Harlan Obioha

So.

7-0 280 Hoxie, KS/Hoxie High School

Jade Rutledge

So.

F F

5-10 Buffalo, NY/Cardinal O’Hara 6-0 Columbus, OH/Northland H.S.

Saige Glover

Sr.

PLAYER TO WATCH A key member of the Niagara front count, Obioha has made major strides in his second full season with Niagara. As a redshirt-freshman, the 7-footer averaged 10 minutes a game with three points and three boards per game. This season, Obioha has started each game as a member of the Niagara frontcourt, averaging over 20-minutes a contest with nearly 10 points and eight rebounds per game. He has recorded multiple double-doubles and set career-highs in points and rebounding during the season and was named MAAC Player of the Week in early December. NOTABLE ALUMNI Joe Mihalich was at the helm of the Niagara men's basketball program from 1998-2013 and compiled 265 wins, which is the most in MAAC history. In his time on Monteagle Ridge, Mihalich led the Purple Eagles to two NCAA tournament appearances, three NIT appearances, two MAAC Championships and four MAAC regular season titles. He was named the MAAC Coach of the Year three times and the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 1 Coach of the Year twice and was the 2012-13 Skip Prosser Man of the Year. Mihalich was inducted into to the Niagara Hall of Fame in 2021.

Head Coach: Greg Paulus (Duke ‘09) – Fifth Season Associate Head Coach: Kevin Devitt (DePaul ‘10) – Fourth Season Assistant Coaches: Chris Buchanan (Arizona ’15) – First Season, Tyler Kelly (Florida Southern ’15) – Second Season, Austin Kelley (St. Bonaventure ‘11) - Fourth Season

Head Coach: Jada Pierce (West Chester, ’97) – Ninth Season Assistant Head Coaches: Brianna Chambers (Cal State – Bakersfield, ’02) – Sixth Season, Lester Harbin (Lees-McRae, ’06) – Seventh Season

Assistant Coach: Kayla DeCriscio (Pitt –Johnstown, ’16) – Fifth Season Director of Operations: Skyler Nuffer (Niagara ’21) – First Season Athletic Trainer: Tory Trzyna (Canisius ’16) – Third Season Sports Information Director: Dan Richeal (Niagara ’20) – Second 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 is in his fifth season the helm of the NU squad in 2023-24. Paulus, who developed his craft after 14 years of playing and coaching at some of the most prestigious programs in collegiate athletics, joined the Purple Eagles staff in May 2019 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He was named head coach in November 2019. Paulus was named to The Athletic 40 Under 40: Rising Stars in Men’s College Basketball list, released by the publication on Nov. 23, 2021. In Paulus’ tenure, Niagara has become one of the most competitive teams in the MAAC, including three-straight seasons as the No. 5 seed in the MAAC Championship. 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 Year Award which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball.

HEAD COACH JADA PIERCE Niagara women’s basketball head coach Jada Pierce is in her ninth season at the helm of the Purple Eagles after being introduced as the eighth head coach in Niagara history in July of 2015. Through eight seasons as the leader of the Purple Eagles, Pierce has coached multiple All-MAAC selections, including 2017-18 MAAC Player of the Year and unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection Victoria Rampado and 2021-22 unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year Aaliyah Parker. In 2023 Angel and Aaliyah Parker were All-MAAC First Team selections. Pierce has also seen 46 of her student-athletes earn MAAC All-Academic recognition for their work in the classroom. Pierce entered 2023-24 with 96 career wins. In 2022-23 Pierce led Niagara to their first Division I era postseason appearance as the Purple Eagles earned a bid to the WNIT. Niagara finished MAAC play in 2022-23 with a program record 16 wins and earned the second seed in the MAAC Tournament. Niagara led the country in forced turnovers per game, steals per game, and turnover margin.

@NUPURPLEEAGLES @NIAGARAMBB @NIAGARAWBB @NUPURPLEEAGLES @NIAGARAMBB @NIAGARAWBB

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2024 | HERCULES TIRES MAAC MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 61