NORTH ANDOVER – Merrimack College went all out for the Warriors’ 2025-26 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener against Rider University.
It was “Blue Out” night with players taking the court in dazzling “North Carolina” blue uniforms — like every team around, Merrimack now rocks their third “uni” — while fans scored matching shirts for free.
The energy was electric, with a free throw contest during a TV timeout (the guys in hot dog suits out-shot the ladies and snagged some free grub), a 28-member dance squad, a spirited 25-member cheerleading team, and about 50 rowdy students (plenty who looked like football players) making life miserable for Rider players under the home basket.
This isn’t your father’s Merrimack basketball. Frankly, it’s not your father’s Merrimack College, period.
For the past six or so years, the change has been unmistakable. Fifteen thousand fans turned out for Homecoming football just six weeks ago. New campus buildings keep springing up. And the academic and grad programs are now competing with the big leagues.
“It’s really cool to see the campus like it is for big games,” said standout freshman Kevair Kennedy, who dropped 19 points and remains the team’s second-leading scorer. “Home games like this feel special,” added Kennedy, a Philly native. “I loved the blue shirts, the loud music. Bring it on some more.”
Hockey is still king in North Andover after 36 years in Hockey East, but with college basketball fever gripping the country, Merrimack’s thinking hoops right now—and what that really means is March Madness. The Big Dance. Millions tune in, and around 92 million fill out those brackets dreaming upsets.
Head coach Joey Gallo is the man at the helm. Fresh off another contract extension (with what has to be a hefty raise), the Merrimack alum (class of 2004) has kept the program at the top since taking over from mentor Bert Hammel in 2016. He won Merrimack a Northeast-10 title in 2019, and after jumping to Division I, collected three Northeast Conference regular season crowns in four years, and the 2023 NEC tournament.
Even more impressive, each of the past four seasons—including last year’s MAAC debut—he’s lost his best player (one year, his top three) to the transfer portal, yet Merrimack hasn’t skipped a beat. Last season they finished second (14-6) and reached the conference tournament semis.
Despite losing MVP runner-up last year, Budd Clark, to Seton Hall and being picked seventh out of 13 in the preseason poll, the new-look Warriors look even sharper. They landed the league’s top freshman, Kennedy —another Philly Catholic League point guard just like Clark.
Kennedy put up 19 as Merrimack edged Rider 68-66, barely hanging on after almost squandering an eight-point lead in the final two minutes.
The other big scorer, D2 transfer and sharpshooter Ernest Shelton, had a quiet night—just two of nine shooting for six points, his season low. Rider keyed on him, and it showed. Grad transfer Andres Marrero, fresh from La Salle, picked up the slack, pouring in 23 in under 29 minutes.
The win wasn’t pretty — Merrimack was outrebounded 41-19 and its bench got smoked, 18-0. But they forced 15 turnovers (to Rider’s eight) and swiped eight steals to Rider’s four.
This was just the first in a long stretch of tough MAAC games ahead. But Merrimack basketball has always been about grit, a legacy started by Hammel and carried on by Gallo. Here, if you don’t play defense, you don’t play.
“It was a lot of fun seeing the excitement, the blue T-shirts everywhere,” said Gallo. “(New athletic director) Joe Foley has created a great game-day atmosphere here. Not just basketball, but all sports. It felt special tonight. Of course, it always does when you win.”