POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Marist University head men's basketball coach
John Dunne has announced the addition of five new Red Foxes to the program for the 2025-26 season.
The five newest Red Foxes are Rhyjon Blackwell, Jordan Gabriel, Ricky McKenzie, Justin Menard, and Myles Parker.
"We're very pleased with our five newcomers," Dunne said. "They touch on several areas of need. They all bring a different skill set; however, what they have in common is their ability to space the floor with their shooting. They should complement our returners very well as we compete for a championship. We're excited to start working with them."
Rhyjon Blackwell – Graduate – Guard – 6-0/170 – Baldwin, NY – USC-Aiken
Blackwell arrives at Marist after playing the last two seasons at University of South Carolina-Aiken. Last year, he averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting .376 from three-point range and .838 from the free-throw line. He drained a team-best 65 three-pointers, was second with 63 assists, and tied for second with 40 steals. At USC-Aiken, Blackwell was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection. He played at McNeese State in the 2022-23 season, where he was limited to nine games due to injury, and he started his collegiate career at Florida Southwestern. A Long Island native, Blackwell attended Baldwin High School, where he was all-county and all-conference as a senior, and Long Island's three-point champion as a junior. He spent his postgraduate year at Combine Academy.
Jordan Gabriel – Freshman – Center – 6-9/225 – Mineola, NY – Perkiomen School
In his postgraduate year at the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, Gabriel averaged seven points and five rebounds for a Top 20 prep program in the country that went 19-10 overall this season. Prior to that, he spent two seasons at Archbishop Stepinac in the New York Catholic League, where he was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior as the team went 26-4. Stepinac won two city and league championships in his time there. Gabriel played AAU for Crown Basketball based out of Long Island.
Ricky McKenzie – Red-Shirt Freshman – Guard – 6-5/205 – Marietta, GA – Kennesaw State
McKenzie comes to Marist after being part of Kennesaw State's program during the 2024-25 season. He played scholastically at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he was a starter for the program's 7A state championship team. As a senior, he averaged 9.2 points per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point range. McKenzie played AAU ball for the Atlanta Celtics.
Justin Menard – Sophomore – Guard – 6-3/175 – Higganum, CT – St. Thomas More
Menard comes to Marist after playing his freshman season at Iona, where he had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5-1 (81 assists, 23 turnovers) while shooting .355 from three-point range and .871 from the free-throw line. He appeared in 31 games, made eight starts, and averaged 22.6 minutes per game. Menard played his final two scholastic years at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Connecticut, where he was All-NEPSAC Class AAA Honorable Mention both years. He transferred to St. Thomas More after reclassifying from the 2023 to the 2024 class, and he previously played at Loomis Chaffee School (Windsor, CT) and Xavier High School (Middletown, CT). At Xavier, he was named team MVP, Conference Player of the Year, and All-State as a sophomore.
Myles Parker – Freshman – Forward – 6-8/195 – Plainfield, NJ – Rutgers Prep
Parker was a four-year member of the varsity program at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey. Playing for a consistently ranked top program in New Jersey, Parker averaged 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals as a senior while being a McDonald's All-American nominee. In his time at Rutgers Prep, he surpassed 1,000 points scored while winning two county championships and one sectional state title. He played AAU for the New Jersey Panthers.
The five newcomers join the following nine returners to comprise the 2025-26 Marist men's basketball roster:
The Marist men's basketball team will be heading into its eighth season under Dunne's leadership this season. Last year, Marist had its fifth 20-win season in program history.
