POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – With an experienced core and top-end talent, the Marist women's basketball team has high expectations entering the 2019-20 season.
 
Picked first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, Marist checks in at #9 in Graham Hays' Mid-Major poll on ESPN.com, and #11 on the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. The Red Foxes return all five starters from a season ago, a lineup that includes two 1,000-point scorers and three Preseason All-MAAC selections.
 
Now in his 18^th season at the helm, head coach Brian Giorgis has 399 wins with the Red Foxes. He has guided the program to 10 MAAC championships and 13 postseason appearances.
 

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Fans can tune in to all the action on GoRedFoxes.com, with Geoff Brault and Steve Eggink on the call.
• A live stream is available via the Patriot League Network on Stadium.
• GoRedFoxes.com will also provide live statistics.
• @MaristWBB on Twitter will have updates throughout the contest.

 

WHAT'S COMING BACK

• 91 percent of the team's starts.
• 84 percent of the team's scoring.
• 84 percent of the team's minutes played.
• Nine players who were part of the team's rotation.

 

RETURNING STARTERS

 
Rebekah Hand enters her senior season as one of the most accomplished scorers and pure shooters in program history. A First Team All-MAAC selection each of the last two years, the 5-foot-11 guard heads into this season sixth in program history with 1,453 career points, a mark that is just 134 points shy of second place. She is also sixth in program history in career three-pointers made, and has the program's two best single-season marks for free-throw percentage (.940, .941) each of the last two years. Last season, Hand became the first player in NCAA history to have two consecutive free throws made streaks over 50 in her career. She is a Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection this year.
 
In her first two seasons as a Red Fox, 6-foot senior forward Alana Gilmer was named Second Team All-MAAC and First Team All-MAAC. The fifth-year senior also needed just those two seasons to amass 1,000 points as a Red Fox. Gilmer, who ranked fourth in the MAAC in scoring last season at 15.4 points per game, is a versatile threat who can score and contribute in a variety of ways. Gilmer was a unanimous Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection heading into the 2019-20 season.
 
Fifth-year senior point guard Grace Vander Weide is a Preseason Second Team All-MAAC selection who earned Third Team & All-Championship honors last season. The 5-foot-11 Vander Weide set the program record with 15 assists at Quinnipiac last season. She led the MAAC in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio. Vander Weide also led the Red Foxes in steals last season, and was third on the team in scoring and rebounding.
 
Junior forward Willow Duffell showed continued improvement in her sophomore season. After making the MAAC All-Rookie Team as a freshman, Duffell improved her scoring average from 4.8 to 6.6 points per game. She also ranked second on the team last year with 5.6 rebounds per game. Duffell has already appeared in the opening lineup 58 times through her first two seasons.
 
Sophomore Sarah Barcello looks to build off a strong freshman season, one which saw her named to the MAAC All-Championship Team. The 5-foot-11 guard drained 48 three-pointers last season and shot .410 from beyond the arch, which tied for the seventh-best single-season total in program history. Barcello appeared in the opening lineup 19 times last season, and averaged 5.8 points per game.
 

RETURNING RESERVES

 
Fifth-year senior point guard Claire Oberdorf is also an All-MAAC performer for Marist's softball team. The 5-foot-6 Oberdorf started 50 games in her first two seasons before being sidelined by a knee injury in 2017-18. Oberdorf returned to the court last season, and saw action in 19 games. She shot 7-for-17 from three-point range (.412).
 
Junior point guard Allie Best has seen action in 67 games in her first two seasons at Marist, with 13 career starts. The 5-foot-8 Best finished second on the team in assists (93) and third in steals (20) last season while shooting .862 from the free-throw line.
 
Senior guard Hannah Hand missed last season due to injury, but looks to rebound this season. Hand was a starter and MAAC All-Rookie Team selection as a freshman. The twin sister of Rebekah Hand is a career .413 shooter from three-point range and had an .843 mark from the free-throw line.
 
Red-shirt junior forward Molly Smith appeared in 18 games last season. The 6-foot-1 Smith gave the Red Foxes an enormous lift off the bench in their MAAC semifinal triumph over Rider, when she provided five points and seven rebounds in 20 strong minutes.
 
Sophomore guard Kendall Krick appeared in 28 games as a freshman. A high school teammate and longtime friend of classmate Sarah Barcello, the 5-foot-8 Krick averaged just under eight minutes per game. She shot 6-for-16 (.375) from three-point range.
 

NEWCOMERS

 
Marist welcomes four true freshmen for the upcoming season. Trinasia Kennedy is a 5-foot-8 point guard from Binghamton, New York is known for athleticism and strength, and can contribute in a variety of ways. Julianna Bonilla is a 5-foot-9 guard from Waterford, Connecticut is known as a tremendous passer who can also score in a variety of ways. Samantha Bailey is a 6-foot-2 forward from Grand Island, New York brings good athleticism and solid team-first play to the table. Camille Loussedes is a 5-foot-6 walk-on guard who played scholastic ball locally at Arlington High School.
 

COACHING STAFF

 
In his 18^th season as head coach, Giorgis' staff includes three holdovers and one newcomer.
 
Erin Doughty has been part of the program for all 18 of Giorgis' seasons – three as a player, 15 as a coach. She is heading into her second season as associate head coach. Maggie Gallagher is a 2015 Marist graduate who played for the Red Foxes for four seasons, and is now in her fourth season as assistant coach. Elyse Schlump is her second season as the program's director of operations.
 
The lone newcomer on staff is assistant coach Brittany Parker, who nine years of coaching experience with stops at College of Charleston, Western Kentucky, Morehead State, Niagara, and Fayetteville State.
 

SCHEDULE

 
Marist opens the 2019-20 season on Friday, Nov. 8 at Boston University. The Red Foxes will then have back-to-back home games against Albany (Tuesday, Nov. 13) and Elon (Sunday, Nov. 17). After that, Marist will compete in the inaugural MAAC/ASUN Challenge, with contests against North Florida (Friday, Nov. 22) and Lipscomb (Saturday, Nov. 23). The Red Foxes will then close out November at Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 30.
 
December brings home games against perennial mid-major powers Princeton (Saturday, Dec. 7) and Green Bay (Sunday, Dec. 15). Marist closes out its non-conference schedule on Thursday, Dec. 19 at Texas-Arlington, which will serve as a homecoming for the Hand sisters.
 
This season, conference play will consist of 20 games, with each team playing every conference team twice. MAAC play begins after the calendar turns to 2020, with the Red Foxes opening with back-to-back home games against Monmouth (Thursday, Jan. 2) and Saint Peter's (Saturday, Jan. 4). The 20-game slate will conclude at McCann Arena against Siena on Saturday, March 7.
 
The 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships will take place at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the first time. The championships will run from Tuesday, March 10 through Saturday, March 14.