Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 2009-10 Preview

The MAAC this year is an interesting one.  First of all, this is the strongest the league has been in a long time from top to bottom.  However, there are three strong teams that stand out from the rest of the pack.  Siena, Niagara and Rider return so much and all three teams competed in postseason play last season.  And Siena deserves to be included in conversation regularly with the Gonzaga’s of the world.  What Siena has accomplished in recent years in remarkable for a MAAC team.  But this year some other teams have stepped up their game and will make the top 4 finish in league play extremely competitive.

The best part about the MAAC this year is the parity after you get past the top three teams.  From 4 to 10, it’s wide open!  Here are how the league coaches voted on each team, along with my thoughts and analysis.

10. Marist Red Foxes - Chuck Martin

Red Foxes second-year head coach Chuck Martin has been talking a lot this offseason about All-MAAC Rookie selection R.J. Hall.  The coaching staff needed him to get bigger and stronger this offseason – and according to Martin, Hall did so indeed.  Hall needs to be more consistent as a sophomore this year in the MAAC. Martin is also excited about the size that he’s added to the roster.  And from that size he is most excited about Casiem Drummond, a 6′10″ transfer from Villanova who becomes eligible midseason.

Now the bad news.  The Red Foxes finished at the bottom of the league last year and lost their best player in Ryan Schneider.  Marist was 1-13 on the road last season and never played consistent basketball.

Marist will have nine new faces on the court this season, so the rebuilding since former coach Matt Brady left for James Madison is still in its early stages.  Their fans need to be patient and allow Martin to get another recruiting class or two in there before Poughkeepsie begins to panic.

Marist needs to add some players alongside Hall and Drummond sooner rather than later.

9. Iona Gaels - Kevin Willard

The Iona Gaels, led by second-year head coach Kevin Willard, lost leading scorer Gary Springer to graduation.  However, Springer only averaged 12 ppg on a team that only won 12 games.  It is Iona’s youth that will carry this team.  The team’s core is mostly freshmen and sophomores and Willard is quietly building a foundation for a future league contender.

One bright spot for Iona last season was the emergence of MAAC Rookie of the Year Scott Machado.  Machado thrives in the Gaels’ up-tempo attack, yet had to try and score a lot more last season more than he’ll have to this year.  This year Machado can concentrate more on helping the younger guys out, Willard said.  And young guys the Gaels have indeed, as Iona has to blend six newcomers into the mix.

Iona will be tested early as the compete in the Old Spice Classic along side teams such as Alabama and Michigan.  The Gaels will play on ESPN three times and open up against Florida State, a preseason top 25 program.

How Iona’s youth plays the second half of the season is truly going to measure what part of the standings the Gaels finish in.

As much as the roster has been improved the last two seasons, the Gaels are still mostly made up of freshmen and sophomores.  Look for years 4 and 5 to be Willard’s best.

8. Manhattan Jaspers - Barry Rhorssen

It looked like last season was going to be Manhattan’s best since former coach Bobby Gonzalez left for greener pastures at Seton Hall.  And then the wheels fell off – the Jaspers lost their final three games of the season, including another first round loss in the MAAC Tournament.  And then it got worse – one of their top players, Chris Smith, transferred to Louisville.  However, the summer brought good news.

Rhorssen is very excited about the addition of JUCO transfer Rico Pickett.  He likes the fact that he’s adding an experienced player to an experienced team.  Pickett played his freshman year at Alabama and should be an impact player in the league.  Leading the way for the Jaspers this year will be Antoine Pearson and Darryl Crawford.  Crawford was All-MAAC Thirrd Team last season.  He finished 7th in the league in scoring - and was the team’s scoring leader last season.  Speaking of experience – Rhorssen loves the fact that his seniors are his best players, something he hasn’t been able to say the past few years.

The Jaspers have also had a very newsworthy preseason in terms of newcomer Kevin Laue, who is 6′10 and was born with one hand.  Kevin’s story has been featured recently on CBS News and in Sports Illustrated.  “What Kevin lacks in certain areas, he makes up for it with his heart,” said Rhorssen.

Manhattan has some good older players, yet was still picked at the bottom of the league.  What’s going to happen next year when they don’t have Pearson or Crawford?

7. Canisius Golden Griffins - Tom Parrotta

The good news in Buffalo is that Canisius returns their entire roster from last season.  The bad news is that they lost 20 games last year and only shot 28 percent from three-point range.

However, fourth-year coach Tom Parrotta is thrilled that for once, his team is not considered young. “We have some veteran leadership for once,” said Parrotta.  Canisius returns some nice pieces with All-Conference players Greg Logins and Frank Turner.  The Griffs also have a nice frontline, highlighted by rebounding machine Chris Gadley.  However, Canisius has 6 juniors on this team, so next season, as opposed to this season, will be Parrotta and Co.’s best thus far.

Although Canisius has some good veterans, they’re still one or two players away.

6. St. Peter’s Peacocks - John Dunne

The Peacocks return their top three scorers from last season – which is the main reason they haven’t been picked this high in the October since former great Kiki Clarke was playing in Jersey City.  Junior Wesley Jenkins, All-MAAC third Team, was 10th in the league in scoring last year.  Nick Leon was fourth in the league last year in three-point shooting percentage.  And Ryan Bacon was second in the conference in rebounding and blocked shots.

Dunne likes his newcomers but has been talking about his returners much more.  “Inside scoring” is an area that Dunne and the coaching staff feel they have improved.  And no matter what coach in the league you speak to, when asked about St. Peter’s, they all eventually say the same thing: “John Dunne can coach!”

On Nov. 17th they tip off against Monmouth on ESPN at 6:00 am in the morning as part of ESPN’s 24-Hour Marathon.  Dunne said the alumni, students and fans are pumped up about it.  The coaching staff is going to treat it like a regular early morning practice in terms of preparation.  “We’ll get there an hour before the game, eat some bagels, warm up for 20 minutes and play,” said Dunne.  “I think it’s unrealistic to get your kids there at 3:00 am in the morning.”

Personally I feel that the Peacocks will finish higher than sixth this season.  I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they finished 5th or 6th.

5. Loyola Greyhounds – Jimmy Patsos

Jim Patsos at Loyola returns 3 of his top 4 scorers, including junior Jamal Barney, who led the conference in scoring last season.  Patsos has also raved about Brett Harvey this offseason.  Harvey led the nation last season in free throw shooting (91%) and had a great summer playing for Bruce Pearl in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where the team won the gold medal.

As much as Loyola has been known for their transfers in terms of recruiting; it is interesting to hear Patsos’ take on the subject.  “Transfers don’t adjust as quick as you’d like all the time.  Fans think these kids are gonna come in from the Big East or ACC and just dominate.  It’s not as easy as you think.  We have the 13^th-ranked league in the country and it’s tough,” said Patsos.

The Greyhounds always play you tough.  It’s a personality that they take from their coach.  But Loyola is known to be inconsistent at times during conference play.  I think that the experience of Harvey and Barney will help this season in terms of consistency.  But Patsos’ group will still finish in the middle of the pack – that’s how good the league is this year.

4. Fairfield Stags - Ed Cooley

The Stags finished 4th last season and they’re picked to do the same again this year.  Fairfield returns All-MAAC Third Team selection Greg Nero.  Cooley is also expecting big things this year eventually out of Yorel Hawkins.  As if Cooley didn’t get hit with the injury bug enough last season, he spoke about how Hawkins had to have his appendix removed early in practice and has missed some valuable practice time.

Last season Cooley managed go 9-9 in league play with his team despite a depleted roster.  The Stags lost players because of disciplinary problems and season-ending injuries.  Point guard Herbie Allen did a good job filling in for the suspended Jon Han down the stretch.  If Fairfield can stay healthy, they will be battling the top 3 teams in the conference.  This team can rebound and they can defend, and Cooley has already shown that he can coach.

“It should be an interesting season”, said Cooley on MAAC Media Day.

3. Rider Broncs - Tom Dempsey

Tom Dempsey’s Broncs went 12-6 in the MAAC last season, and truly believe they can win the league this year.  And the reason they think that is because they have Ryan Thompson and everybody else does not.  Selected as the preseason player of the year for the league, Thompson was 2nd in the league in scoring last season and finished in the top 10 in nine statistical categories.

However, the most important thing that’s been done at Rider in recent years is because of the head coach.

“The most important thing we’ve done here with our program is making Ryan a point guard,” said Dempsey.  “Your money guy has to have the ball in his hands the most.”

Rider is coming off back-to-back postseason tournament appearances. They played in the CBI in 2008 and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2009.  Yet all the talk in Jersey this winter will be about Rider trying to make the NCAA Tournament.  It was clear at Media Day that they think that this is their year.

“We’ve got a great player, a balance of youth and experience and some great guys that will take the pressure of Ryan,” said Dempsey.  “All the pieces are there.”

Rider’s offense will be impressive and Thompson has a chance at getting drafted.  But what needs to be improved is the defense.  Rider gave up 71 points per game last season, which was ninth in the MAAC.  If Dempsey and the Broncs could take care of both ends of the floor, it can be a special senior season for Thompson.

2. Niagara Purple Eagles – Joe Mihalich

Some coaches in the MAAC quietly feel that the Purple Eagles are the best team in the league.  They return 4 out of 5 starters from a team that won 14 conference games and earned an NIT berth.  Mihalich’s crew won 26 games last year – the most at Niagara in 60 years.  Unfortunately they ran into Siena in the MAAC Tournament.

Mihalich loves to talk about how much Tyrone Lewis and Bilal Benn “love the game” of basketball.  As great as they are as players, Mihalich said he literally has to kick them out of the gym sometimes.  Lewis is one of the best all-around players in the league and it seems like Bilal Benn beats you in every statistical category.  Another key returner is Anthony Nelson, who led the MAAC in assists during conference games last season.

A knock on some of Mihalich’s teams in the past have been their defense, but that’s not the case with this group.  Last season the Purple Eagles led the league in steals and was fifth in the country in that category.  What the Purple Eagles need to improve is their perimeter game.  Niagara barely shot 30 percent from behind the arc last season.

1. Siena Saints – Fran McCaffery

The Saints return 4 out of 5 starters from the team that nearly went to the Sweet Sixteen last season.  Fran McCaffery and Company have won their first round game each of the last two years in the NCAA Tournament and are starting to be called the “Gonzaga” of the East.  The Saints nearly knocked off Louisville in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.  Keep in mind that when McCaffery took over, Siena was coming off a 6-24 season.

The coaching staff can’t say enough about senior point guard Ronald Moore.  He looks phenomenal in practice every day and is truly the leader of the team.  Moore’s leadership will be needed since the team goes to battle this season after graduating player of the year Kenny Hasbrouck.

But it is up front where Siena shines.  The frontline of Edwin Ubiles, Ryan Rossiter and Alex Franklin could take on any frontline in the A-10, let alone the MAAC.

Yes they lose Hasbrouck, but this special group from last season returns every other key component.  It will be enough to win the league and send McCaffery to his third straight NCAA Tournament.  But can this group win yet another game in the first round or more?  That remains to be seen.