2023-24 Patriot League Previews: Lafayette Leopards

2022-23 Regular Season Result: 11-23 (7-11) tied for 6th

2023 Patriot League Tournament Result: Lost in Championship game at Colgate

Coach: Mike McGarvey (1^st season)

Key Departures: Leo O’Boyle (Forward), Josh Rivera (Forward), CJ Fulton (Guard)

Key additions: Luka Savicevic (Guard), Mark Butler (Guard), Andrew Phillips (Guard/Forward)

Lafayette was a very up and down team last season (probably the most in the league). They went 2-11 in the non-conference. Ripped off a four-game winning streak in early to mid-January. Head coach Mike Jordan was suspended, and Mike McGarvey took over on an interim basis. The program then limped into the Patriot League Tournament losing their final four regular season games. Lafayette finished in a four-way tie for 6^th place with American, Loyola, and Holy Cross, but benefited from head-to-head tiebreakers and was the only team of the quartet to receive a first-round bye. Having to play one less game benefited the Leopards because they caught fire in March. They stayed in the Lehigh Valley for the quarterfinals and knocked off rival Lehigh in Bethlehem. Thanks to seven seed American upsetting Navy the Leopards got to host a nationally televised semifinal game in Easton against the Eagles. I was in attendance for that game, and it was one of the best games I have been to in recent memory. It went to double overtime with both teams having chances to win it. The Kirby Sport Center was electric that afternoon and Lafayette advanced to the championship game to play Colgate. The Raiders easily dismantled Lafayette, but for them to even be in Hamilton with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line is something few would have predicted just three weeks prior.

The Leopards saw three massive departures. Leo O’Boyle graduated and took his extra year at Penn State. O’Boyle was a 1,000-point scorer on college hill and has played a key role as a scorer and leader for the past four seasons. Josh Rivera, who created matchup problems for teams as a strong athletic 6’7 wing who could shoot, drive the ball, and defend moved on to Fordham in the Atlantic Ten. He scored 20+ points six times in Lafayette’s final 15 games and would have been their best player this year had he stayed. Lastly, sophomore CJ Fulton, the team’s leader in steals and assists transferred to College of Charleston to play for Pat Kelsey. Fulton was also second in the league in both assists and steals behind POY Tucker Richardson from Colgate. Those are three massive holes to fill, but the cupboard is not bare for McGarvey as he takes over the head coaching duties in an official capacity this season.

Let’s look at this year’s squad. Kyle Jenkins, Justin Vander Baan, and TJ Berger are returning. McGarvey told me he expects Jenkins and Berger to shoot the ball better this season. Jenkins shot nearly 39% from deep which was a substantial improvement from his previous two seasons, but Berger only made 28.7% of his threes. Both will need to be proficient shooters from deep to keep the offense balanced and give Lafayette a chance in games against the better teams in the league. Vander Baan improved drastically towards the end of the season. The true seven-foot Boston College transfer anchored the middle for Lafayette blocking 37 shots and pulling down over three rebounds per game. He also proved useful in pick and role and pick and pop situations that the Leopards ran.

The Leopard’s identity was defense and ball movement last season. Lafayette was in the top 30 nationally in assists per game and ball movement will be prevalent in the offense again this season. McGarvey told me in our conversation that defense was the calling card last season, and that it is the focus again this year. The Leopards were second in the league in scoring defense, and defense was a what kept them in some of their buy games. Lafayette is very big positional wise and can match up just fine with most teams in the league. McGarvey mentioned that the coaching staff haven’t had to urge players to play hard defensively in practice. He said they were so close last year that is keeps them hungry.

The point guard position is still up for grabs but expect it to be filled by either transfer Luka Savicevic, freshman Mark Butler or a combination of both. Eastern Michigan transfer Savicevic saw his numbers decrease in his second season in Ypsilanti, but perhaps a change of scenery on College Hill will allow the Macedonian to flourish. McGarvey mentioned that he prioritized shooting in this this year’s recruiting class because he lost a lot in that department from the previous season.

Lafayette ranked 347^th in the country in free throw percentage and second to last nationally in free-throws made. When I talked with coach McGarvey he emphasized the desire to get that number up. Saying that they needed to get better at making both free throws and layups, and it has been something they have been working on for some time. Free throws weren’t the only offensive component the team from Easton struggled with. For as good as the defense was Lafayette struggled to put up enough points, rarely scoring seventy and usually putting up totals in the low to mid-sixties. They ranked last in the Patriot League in scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Given the fact that their three biggest offensive threats are now playing elsewhere it leaves an even bigger question mark of who will be the leading bucket getter night to night. McGarvey said they are deeper than last year’s team which helps in the case of injuries, but being balanced also means one doesn’t have a guy to take over and win you games which can sometimes be detrimental in big game situations.

Lafayette has the pieces to stay out of the basement of the conference especially with a handful of programs rebuilding from scratch, but it remains to be seen if they have enough to crack the upper tier of teams. A lot of it will come down to how well do the guys not named Berger, Jenkins, and Vander Baan adjust to and perform in bigger roles because those three should be fine and win them some games, but if Lafayette wants to seriously compete, they will need quality play from other role players to elevate them. I think a fair prediction for the Leopards is a middle of the pack finish.

I expect Lafayette to finish 5^th.

I’ve put a lot of effort into these previews. Many hours were spent researching, interviewing, and writing in depth previews for all ten of the Patriot League men’s basketball teams. I enjoy covering the conference and my goal is to provide the best national coverage of Patriot League Men’s Basketball. If you enjoyed the coverage and would like to support my work my PayPal username is @HappeningHoops while obviously not expected any and all donations are always welcomed. Thank you!

All Team Previews

1. Colgate
2. Lehigh
3. American
4. Loyola
5. Lafayette
6. Holy Cross
7. Navy
8. Bucknell
9. Boston
10. Army