POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Marist head men’s basketball coach John Dunne has announced the addition of eight new players to the program for the 2024-25 season.
The Red Foxes’ newest additions at the guard positions are Martin Kawa, Elijah Lewis, Caleb Mackrey, Travis Roberts, Jagger Bascombe, and Antoni Vlogianitis. Up front, the Red Foxes have added Parby Kabamba and Tarik Watson.
“We’re really excited about the group of newcomers,” Dunne said. “We believe our new guards and wings have the necessary skill and shooting ability to enhance our play on the offensive end. With this recruiting class, we wanted to make it a priority to improve our shooting. We believe we’ve accomplished that goal.
“We are also enthusiastic about the additions of the frontcourt newcomers, Parby Kabamba and Tarik Watson. They are a tough, physical, and unselfish duo who we believe have great potential with their skill. We will look for them to enhance our effort on the backboard.”
Martin Kawa – Junior – Guard – 6-4/185 – Stafford, VA – Richard Bland College
Kawa played his last two seasons at Richard Bland College in Viriginia, where he started all 61 games he appeared in. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 19.1 points per game while shooting .435 from the field, .355 from three-point range, and .770 from the free-throw line. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game last season. The previous year, Kawa averaged 14.0 points per game. Kawa played scholastically at Colonial Forge High School.
Elijah Lewis – Junior – Guard – 6-5/170 – Watchung, NJ – Adelphi University
Lewis played the last two seasons at Adelphi University. He was Second Team All-Northeast 10 as a sophomore, All-Northeast 10 Rookie Team selection as a freshman. In his sophomore year, Lewis averaged 16.7 points per game. He ranked third in the conference with a .510 field goal percentage, and he also shot .401 from three-point range and .854 from the free-throw line. As a freshman, Lewis averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, and boasted a .430 three-point field goal percentage. Lewis played scholastically at Watchung Hills Regional, where he was a 1,000-point scorer and set the school record for points scored in a game.
Caleb Mackrey – Junior – Guard – 6-3/180 – Lake Worth, FL – Hillsborough Community College
Mackrey joins the Red Foxes after playing the last two seasons at Hillsborough Community College. This past season, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is a graduate of Olympic Heights Community High School, where he averaged 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals as a senior.
Parby Kabamba – Freshman – 6-6/210 – Democratic Republic of Congo – South Kent
Kabamba has playing experience with NBA Academy Africa and played last season at South Kent School in Connecticut. He also played in the Basketball Without Borders Africa in 2022, followed by the Basketball Without Borders Global in 2023. For his high school career, Kabamba averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He played for the NY Jayhawks AAU program as well.
Travis Roberts – Junior – Forward – 6-6/205 – Waldorf, MD – Jacksonville State University
Roberts played the previous two seasons at Jacksonville State University, which competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference his freshman season and Conference USA his sophomore year. He played in 31 games each of the last two seasons, and his career percentages are .362 from three-point range and .800 from the free-throw line. Roberts scored a career-high 15 points at East Tennessee State on Dec. 3, 2022. Roberts played scholastically at Bishop Walsh School, where he was considered one of the top prospects in the state of Maryland coming out of high school.
Tarik Watson – Freshman – Forward – 6-8/220 – Middletown, NY – Hillcrest Prep
Watson enjoyed an outstanding senior year at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona, where he averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.9 blocked shots per game. Prior to his time at Hillcrest Prep, Watson played at the legendary Roselle Catholic program in New Jersey for two years. There, he won a Tournament of Champions and state championship. Watson played for New Heights Lightning AAU program on the Nike EYBL circuit.
The Red Foxes will have two preferred walk-ons on this year’s roster in Bascombe and Vlogianitis.
Jagger Bascombe – Freshman – Guard – 6-2/175 – Franklin Square, NY – St. Mary’s
Bascombe is coming off a senior season in which he averaged 20.7 points per game. He scored a season-high 39 points against Hills East, and then a playoff best of 31 points against Chaminade. He was named CHSAA State Class AA Player of the Year. He was also honored as a Class AA First Team All-State selection, was a CHSAA First Team selection, and was the winner of the Tom Konchalski Classic Sportsmanship Award.
Antoni Vlogianitis – Freshman – Guard – 6-4/165 – Garden City, NY – Avon Old Farms
Vlogianitis spent a post-graduate season at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut during the 2023-24 season. Prior to that, he attended Chaminade High School, where he averaged 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game as a senior. He was named the NSCHSAA championship game MVP as his team defeated St. Anthony’s to win the title. That year, he was named All-NSCHSAA First Team and was also MVP of the Gary Charles Hoop Classic.
The eight newcomers join seven returners to comprise the 2024-25 roster:
Marist is going into its seventh season under Dunne’s leadership in 2024-25. The Red Foxes had their highest win total (18) in 16 years last season, and their best seed (#3) in the MAAC Championships in 17 years. Season tickets for the 2024-25 are now on sale.