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Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball senior Arlandus Keyes recently chatted with PressBox about playing in the NCAA Tournament in March, why the JUCO route was so beneficial for him and more. The 6-foot-2, 173-pound guard averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range for the Mountaineers in 2024-25. Keyes is a native of Florissant, Mo.

PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?

Arlandus Keyes: My cousins, I hooped with them a lot growing up. My mom, [Tiffany], didn’t really want me in sports, but I got into it later. Once I started playing for an organized team, I kind of fell in love with the game. … Low-key I was always in trouble. Basketball was really just my main source of staying out of trouble. If I want to play basketball, I’ve got to have good grades and do the right things.

PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?

AK: I would probably say my brother and my closest friend, [Missouri State forward Darrion Sutton]. Me and him played basketball a lot together growing up. Just playing in the park to playing organized together and us separating to going our separate ways from high school, I feel like we just always [were] dedicated to being in the gym together and helping each other get better.

PB: Why did you initially choose to go to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa?

AK: I chose the JUCO route because low-key it was the best option for me at the time. I didn’t really know JUCO, but my mentor basically told me that it would be the best fit for me right now because I was homeschooled and I didn’t have any good schools reaching out to me. It was really just good JUCOs, so I just ended up going the JUCO route.

PB: Why did you choose to go to the Mount?

AK: I chose to go to the Mount because when I came on my visit up here, it just felt like home already. The coaches are great. Of course, it’s a new coaching staff. Of course, it’s a new culture of getting away from JUCO and being part of a bigger program. I just felt like the love was genuine when I first got here and everything just went great.

PB: What’s your favorite thing about the Mount?

AK: I would say the people. I feel like I can talk to anyone, whether it’s the president, athletic director, anybody. I can be myself, if that makes sense.

PB: What was it like to beat American University in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament in March?

AK: That was great. My teammates were really happy last year, us making it that far. I feel like we were getting doubted the whole season. We had an up-and-down season, but we all had the same, common goal, which was winning. We ended up winning. It was just all smiles after that. We just all wanted to help each other out in any way possible. It was just all smiles. No one was mad at each other. We’re happy to be there.

PB: Was it a learning experience playing Duke in the first round?

AK: Very big learning experience, but it also gave me a lot of confidence. It was a learning experience because the majority of those guys went to the NBA. Me looking back a couple years ago when I was getting recruited out of high school, I didn’t even think I would be in that situation. Therefore, playing against those top guys was just a great experience. I wasn’t learning from them, but [there are] of course a couple things. They’re always talking and [doing] the little things.

PB: Who is your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?

AK: [Anthony Arrington]. He’s a transfer guard. He came from Wofford. Me and him get along. We’ve kind of got the same goal, which is winning. We play the same position, but I feel like we have the same mindset of we don’t really care who starts, we don’t really care who scores the ball. We just want to win.

PB: What advice would you give to younger players looking to play in college?

AK: Don’t always look for the option of just wanting to go D-I straight [out of high school]. If it’s a D-II college or anything, look into it. JUCO really changed my life. I would say JUCO is a good start for people getting into the college basketball life.

PB: Why can the JUCO route be a positive step for a player’s development?

AK: I feel like the JUCO route is good for people struggling in school. Or say you were a bench player in high school and you went JUCO, it’s your decision on whether you want to get better or not. You’re sharing dorms with your teammates. You’ve got to get along with your teammates. Your parents are not there. You’re in a small community where it’s literally just basketball and school, small town and all of that. I just feel like it can really change your perspective and make you grow up faster mentally — fighting adversity with basketball. JUCO is just grit and grind. There’s nothing else to it.

PB: What is it like being recruited from the JUCO ranks?

AK: I would say it’s basically like getting recruited out of high school, except you’re going against some of the players that were good enough to go D-I but their grades were really, really bad. Or maybe they’re just finding a love of basketball and they just want to explore how far they can go. The JUCO I went to, I would say it was really great because [head coach Bryan Bender’s] main focus was getting us to the next level.

PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?

AK: I’m really into basketball, so I feel like the ball will never stop dribbling for me unless I get really, really old. I feel like I have a really good resume from going to March Madness last year, being in the [NJCAA Division II] Final Four. Back home, I would really love to help little kids, encourage them and stuff like that. I feel like I would have something to do with teaching little kids the game — not just about the basketball going in the hoop but mentally.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mount St. Mary’s Athletics

Originally published Oct. 15, 2025

St Mary’s University, London, welcomed students, staff, alumni, and members of the local community yesterday for the annual Patronal Feast Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

St Mary’s University, London, welcomed students, staff, alumni, and members of the local community yesterday for the annual Patronal Feast Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

This year’s Feast Day had special significance as it formally concluded the University’s 175^th Anniversary celebrations. To mark the occasion, St Mary’s Chancellor HE Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrated Mass in the University Chapel, with the Chair of the Board of Governors Rt Rev Richard Moth, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

The Mass began with a formal procession of academic and support staff into the Chapel followed by the concelebrating clergy, including Mgr Paul McPartlan, Rector of Mater Ecclesiae College, which is based at St Mary’s.

The University was delighted to welcome four professional singers to join the University Choir, funded by the generous sponsorship of the Catholic Association for Performing Arts, for the Mass. Under the direction of Edward Tambling and accompaniment from organist Mark Underwood, they performed a range of choral pieces, including the Monstra te esse Matrem, the official anthem for St Mary’s written by celebrated composer Sir James MacMillan. At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Vincent Nichols was presented with a print of the one of the original watercolour paintings of the plans for the University Chapel by famed architect Sir Albert Richardson, in recognition of his contributions to the University community as Chancellor during the 175^th Anniversary.

To continue the festivities, the University hosted a special festal lunch in the 1850 Students’ Union building for students, guests and academic and support staff to celebrate their dedication, service, and commitment throughout the year.

Reflecting on the significance of the day, St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony McClaran said, “Our Patronal Feast Day is a moment of celebration and reflection for the St Mary’s community. It brings together students, staff, alumni, and friends in thanksgiving and in hope. This year, as we conclude our 175th anniversary, I am especially grateful for the spirit of unity and service that continues to shape our University."

This year’s Patronal Feast Day once again highlighted the strength of the St Mary’s community, uniting faith, tradition, and celebration at the close of an important milestone in the University’s history.

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WEST Brom boss Ryan Mason pointed to the sale of Tom Fellows as he slammed a "bitterly disappointing" first-half performance at Saints.

The Baggies were beaten 3-2 at St Mary's despite a spirited late fightback, after Tonda Eckert's side raced to a three-goal lead by half-time.

Mason is under increasing pressure as boss at The Hawthorns, with Albion slipping to 16th in the Championship standings after 20 matches.

The former Spurs man accepted results must improve, but pointed to the sale of Fellows, who switched West Brom for Saints, this summer.

Sport Republic paid £8million for the 22 year old winger, who was one of the league's best players last campaign and an England youth international.

After the match, Mason said: "I don’t read the press, so in terms of rumours, it’s irrelevant. I’m not a coach or a person who makes excuses in life.

"There's a responsibility when you represent this club, and I don't think people will look at the fact that we had to sell a lot of players because of the situation we were in.

"And that's rightly so, but one of them was playing today for Southampton, and they paid a lot of money for him. But that side of it is not important.

"There's still a level of expectation, regardless of things that have happened, when you represent this club. The squad's certainly good enough to be in a better position than what we are in the league. I know that.

"I think everyone knows that. It wasn’t good enough tonight. We’ve lost another game of football away from home.

"To lose the amount of games we’ve lost away is well below the standard that we’re trying to set, as well as the expectation. It’s bitterly disappointing.

“I hated the first half. We’ve gifted Southampton goals. The second half is a different story, but that’s irrelevant because I know what this group can do.

"The first half is unacceptable in many different ways. It needs to be fixed. We need to try and fix it as quickly as possible because it's far from acceptable.

“We were well off it in the first half. In terms of things like belief, quality and humbleness to suffer in certain moments, we didn’t have that ability.

"To concede three goals in the way we did and give the opposition a three-goal head start is extremely difficult to come back from.

"We showed fight, personality and quality in the second half, but that’s irrelevant because the first half is the only thing I’m thinking about.”

The old St. Mary's Hospital could become housing for older adults − some of whom might even have been born there.

Once a thriving health care hub, St. Mary's served patients in Knoxville for decades until it closed in 2018. Parts of the complex, near Fulton High School, were demolished in 2020, but the buildings left on the site are slowly becoming filled and serving new uses.

Lincoln Memorial University opened its College of Dental Medicine at LMU Tower, the former Magdalene Clark Tower Building, in 2022. The following year, the first tenants moved into the city's Public Safety Complex also added at the old St. Mary's campus. In 2024, the McNabb Center opened its EmPATH facility in the complex.

The historic centerpiece of the hospital is joining the list of reutilized health care spaces, along with other land around it.

In October, Knoxville's Community Development Corporation and developer Dominion, which is funding the project, met with Oakwood–Lincoln Park community members to discuss plans for the site.

Concepts being explored include new townhomes or duplexes, housing for seniors inside the historic hospital building, a public park and a dog park that would be open to residents and the neighborhood, Knoxville's Community Development Corporation CEO Ben Bentley said.

"We want to preserve of the hospital because so many people both in that neighborhood, and really across Knoxville, have experience and history with that site," Bentley said. "They may have had a loved one cared for there or they may have had a child born there and so there's a lot of emotional attachment. So that building and the preservation of it was really important."

The new housing would be on the portion of the site that is directly connected to the surrounding residential area, around where the parking lot along East Churchwell Avenue is now.

At this point in the project, the developer will continue to refine designs before the community is consulted again with a groundbreaking anticipated in fall 2026.

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email: [email protected]. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.

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St Mary’s University, London (SMU) and South Thames Colleges Group (STCG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formally launch a historic partnership between the two organisations to drive skills training and economic growth in London.

St Mary’s University, London (SMU) and South Thames Colleges Group (STCG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formally launch a historic partnership between the two organisations to drive skills training and economic growth in London.

With local communities at its heart, the new partnership will see the two organisations collaborate closely to deliver an enhanced experience and outcomes for students and sees the constituent colleges of STCG become Associate Colleges of SMU.

The partnership formalises the relationship between SMU and STCG as the organisations develop opportunities for progression, articulation, validation and franchise arrangements across areas of shared academic portfolio.

Over time, the organisations aim to create a comprehensive range of academic and vocational pathways, including apprenticeships, from level two through to level six.

Through collaboration with employers, the partnership aims to deliver enhanced skills training across South and South-West London, supporting social mobility and economic growth.

Speaking of the partnership, St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony McClaran said, “I am proud to be signing this agreement with our colleagues at South Thames Colleges Group to guide the development of the partnership between the two institutions. Working together, we will deliver outstanding education opportunities for our communities for generations to come.”

Group Principal and CEO of STGC Peter Mayhew-Smith added, “It’s a real pleasure to work with our partners and friends at St Mary’s University. This new agreement will give us even better ways to support our students, enrich their experiences and help them to progress to fantastic HE programmes. It’s a big benefit to us all and we look forward to a long, happy future of collaboration.”

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