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The Niagara men's basketball team will start its 2013-14 schedule by hosting the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

How To Watch

Friday's game will be a free broadcast on Purple Eagles All-Access with Todd Callen, the Voice of the Purple Eagles, on the call. To access the site, click here.

Season Preview

A new era of Purple Eagle basketball officially started when Chris Casey was named head coach on April 22, 2013. His announcement as coach marks a new chapter in the 107-year history of basketball at Niagara University. Casey replaces Joe Mihalich, who roamed the sidelines for 15 years while taking Niagara to two NCAA Tournaments and three NITs. Casey is no stranger to postseason play, having been a head coach or assistant coach on eight teams who advanced to the NCAA Tournament and other postseason tournaments at the Division I, II and III levels.

Casey inherits a squad returning four players (two starters) from last season's team who won the MAAC Regular-Season Title and earned the program's 14th appearance to the NIT. One of the starters returning is junior guard Antoine Mason. The Queens, N.Y. native was a part of a dynamic sophomore duo that became the first pair of sophomores to reach the 1,000-point club in program and MAAC history and was the first set of sophomores to be named to the All-MAAC First Team in league history. Mason was also named to the NABC Division I All-District 1 team and was the only Purple Eagle named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team. Mason's career-high of 18.7 points per game were second in the conference. He scored in double figures in 28 out of 29 games, including 24 straight. Mason set new career-highs in field goal percentage (44.1), free throw percentage (79.4) and 3-point percentage (31.5).

Another key returner is guard Marvin Jordan, who is the only senior on the team. Jordan has played in the most games (96) and has the most minutes (2,969) on the team. Jordan enters the season 24 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point club. The 3-point specialist has 215 triples in his career, which is third most in program history. He is five 3-pointers away from tying the second place mark and 75 away from tying Tyrone Lewis ('10) for the most all-time.

The two other returners are junior forward Joe Thomas and sophomore guard Tahjere McCall. Thomas, the lone front court player returning, saw action in 28 games last season. McCall played in 32 games last season, only missing Niagara's MAAC Tournament Semifinals due to injury. Rayvon Harris will be eligible to play this season after sitting out last season while redshirting. Harris spent the 2011-12 season at Rhode Island where he played in 16 games.

The Purple Eagles will welcome several new faces to the program this season, from highly touted freshmen to walk-ons. Niagara added a few transfers to the program, notably Marcus Ware and Cameron Fowler, who are eligible to play immediately. Fowler, who redshirted as a freshman last season at Iowa State, was a four-year starter at U-D Jesuit in Detroit where he was a three-time All-Catholic League selection. Ware played four seasons at Monmouth where he averaged 6.7 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. Ware, who redshirted after two games in his freshman season, has one year of eligibility remaining. 

A couple of freshmen are expected to make an immediate impact. Ramone Snowden, a versatile 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard from Virginia Beach, Va., helped lead his high school to two district titles. Wesley Myers was a pivotal member of the Boys & Girls High School team in Brooklyn, N.Y. that won three straight PSAL Class AA titles.