For Marist, one win could lead to more in MAAC tournament

No MAAC tournament has been won from No. 11 seed, but John Dunne believes if his Marist team could win its opener, that anything else is possible. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Marist found itself in need of any jolt it could get on December 30, waking up the morning after a loss to Columbia 1-8 on the season and in possession of a young team that looked, to the untrained eye, a year or two away from contending in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Over two months later, the Red Foxes are not leading the league entering the postseason with six more wins to their credit, but have improved enough to where the progress is tangible to their head coach, who has been on this journey for over a decade and has a bejeweled testimonial to show what it takes to win.

“We don’t quit,” John Dunne proudly said before Marist descends upon Atlantic City Tuesday night, facing Niagara in the opening round of the MAAC tournament. “Nobody can accuse us of being quitters, man. At the end of the day, our growth, individually and collectively, has really been on a major incline. There’s definitely room for improvement for sure, but we know when we’re not turning it over, we can be hard to beat.”

“We’re significantly better now than we were at the start of conference play. We’ve gotten better, our willingness to prepare to win has been extraordinary, so I’m proud of the guys in that regard.”

Dunne, the affable grinder who struck gold in 2011 winning a MAAC title with Saint Peter’s and returning the Jersey City institution to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years, has built his Marist program the same way two years into his tenure in Poughkeepsie, with a group of players who defend at a higher level and present a challenge in matchups simply due to its commitment to defensive principles.

“Marist is really well-coached,” Niagara’s Greg Paulus said of the team who swept his Purple Eagles during the regular season. “They’re disciplined, and they do a good job not only playing inside-out, but they also have some really good perimeter shooters as well, which makes it difficult for us to guard in general. They’ve done a good job making runs at different points of the game, and we just haven’t been able to respond.”

The shooting of Tyler Sagl, Matt Herasme and Braden Bell has propelled Marist to greater heights than some may have envisioned this season, but two other players central to the Red Fox core have made an even bigger contribution. Point guard Michael Cubbage’s all-around game has been complemented by an improved rebounding display, and center Jordan Jones ranks fourth in the MAAC in field goal percentage, shooting nearly 54 percent from the floor.

“I think he’s gotten better as the year’s gone on,” Dunne said of Cubbage, whose play and demeanor bears a striking resemblance to one of his former point guards at Saint Peter’s, Trevis Wyche. “When he’s shot the ball well, we’ve played well, but where he’s really grown this year is just his floor game. I think the game was very fast for him earlier in the year, and I think his vision and his pace has gotten a lot better over the course of the year. He’s got a nose for the ball on the defensive glass.”

“Jordan’s another guy that, coming from Charleston Southern, he wasn’t a guy they threw the ball into. We saw that he had some skill with his back to the basket, with pretty good finesse. We knew it was going to take some time for him to get comfortable in that role — I think for a semester, he was playing too fast and trying to do too many different things — but as league play has gone on, he’s learned to play at his pace. There’s no mystery. We need him to play well.”

No team seeded 11th has won the MAAC tournament since the conference expanded in 2014, but twice before, a No. 11 seed has managed to reach the quarterfinals, including Marist in 2015. While Dunne is never one to think too far ahead or get too high or low, he recognizes the potential for one win being a momentum boost.

“I think we’re confident, but I don’t think we’re overconfident,” he said. “We just want to get the first one. If we can get the first one, anything can happen from there.”