30 In 30: The MAAC

Michael Glover gets all the attention, but it's Scott Machado that will be most instrumental to Iona's impending success. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

As college basketball season continues to draw closer, it's time to profile the mid-major in Daly Dose headquarters' backyard, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. A competitive league every year, the MAAC will be solidifying itself in 2011-12 as one of the top mid-major groups in the country.

1) Iona - My mother's alma mater comes back stronger than ever under second-year head man Tim Cluess, who has come from out of nowhere to build a winner in New Rochelle. Alejo Rodriguez may have left, but Cluess has two conference player of the year candidates left over. Senior forward Michael Glover will no doubt be the favorite after setting the MAAC on fire with his double-double per night averages a year ago, but my pick goes to the man who makes the motor run at the point guard position for the Gaels. A former Danny Hurley product at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey, Scott Machado comes into his senior season on the heels of an electrifying campaign where he finished tied for second in the nation in assists. Machado also managed to score thirteen points per game on average, and have an assist to turnover ratio of better than 2:1. Making it even better for Scott is the return of backcourt partners Kyle Smyth and Jermel Jenkins, both of whom are proven outside shooting threats.

2) Fairfield - The Stags have a new sheriff in town in former Princeton head man Sydney Johnson, who inherits a talented roster in his maiden voyage at the helm following the departure of Ed Cooley to Providence. Both of Fairfield's leading scorers return for year one of the Johnson era, led by junior point guard Derek Needham. While Needham runs the show from the backcourt, leading rebounder and seven-foot senior Ryan Olander (the older brother of UConn forward Tyler) gets things going inside. Sharpshooter guard Jamel Fields could be an X-factor off the bench as he enters his sophomore season.

3) Siena - There are still remnants of the Fran McCaffery regime for second-year coach Mitch Buonaguro, who set the bar high for himself when he took Fairfield to the NCAA Tournament in his first go-round as a MAAC coach back in the 1980s. Do-it-all forward Ryan Rossiter and shooter extraordinaire Clarence Jackson have graduated, but swingman Owen Wignot and senior guard Kyle Downey remain from the Saints teams that made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010 with Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles and Ronald Moore leading the way. Point guard Rakeem Brookins will look to improve off a promising rookie campaign while forward O.D. Anosike, the only other player remaining from McCaffery's tenure, will attempt to pick up the slack for the departed Rossiter.

4) Manhattan - This is not a misprint. The much-chronicled Riverdale program (at least by this site and our Twitter page @DalyDoseOfHoops during the #mcmbbcoachingsummit) is going to surprise a lot of people this year. Yes, the Jaspers only won six games last year; but there's always a surprise team in every conference, and Manhattan is my candidate here. Barry Rohrssen is no longer in charge, but incoming coach Steve Masiello gets four returning starters from the artist formerly known as "Slice." At just 34, Masiello infuses a young team with a youthful sideline presence that was put on display at his introductory press conference. Leading scorer George Beamon is now the Jaspers' top returning rebounder after Demetrius Jemison's eligibility reached its maximum, and sophomore point guard Mike Alvarado returns as the top offensive producer in the backcourt. The player to watch, however, will be fellow guard Kidani Brutus. Brutus enters his senior season having lost 27 pounds, and comes back after a year in which he shot 40 percent from three-point range.

5) Loyola (Maryland) - Jimmy Patsos gets his two biggest contributors back for the Greyhounds in the form of forwards Shane Walker and Erik Etherly, the team's leading scorers and rebounders from a season ago. Robert Olson will likely be the first to get a look at the point guard position now that Brian Rudolph has left, and senior guard J'hared Hall returns with a 41 percent clip from long range a year ago.

6) Rider - Maybe I'm sleeping on Tommy Dempsey and the Broncs this year, but the anticipated resurgence of Manhattan is what pushes Rider back a little in my rankings. Virginia transfer Jeff Jones is now eligible after sitting last season out, and will enter a backcourt looking to replace do-it-all point man Justin Robinson. Senior swingman Novar Gadson is the Broncs' top returning scorer, and he will be aided up front with the return of big men Brandon Penn and Daniel Stewart, completing an all-Philadelphia front line for Rider.

7) St. Peter's - The unlikely MAAC tournament champion loses the core of its team this year. Not just Wesley Jenkins, but each of John Dunne's three other leading scorers as well. In the absence of the top four contributors, junior guard Steven Samuels now steps into the team leader role. However, Samuels is not the only returning starter on what will be a young Peacocks team this season, as junior forward Darius Conley is back as well.

8) Niagara - Before Siena went on their run, it was Joe Mihalich and the Purple Eagles that were the class of the MAAC under one-time leading national scorer Charron Fisher. Since Fisher graduated, things haven't been the same up on Monteagle Ridge. The outlook could be a little more positive this season, as the core of Mihalich's young team last season is back for an encore. After being limited to just three games before redshirting last year, freshman guard Antoine Mason is primed for a big season alongside backcourt partners Marvin Jordan and Malcolm Lemmons. However, the Niagara frontline is suspect, as no player on the roster is taller than 6-8.

9) Marist - The Red Foxes haven't figured out how to right the ship under Chuck Martin in his three years on the bench in Poughkeepsie after he was hired to replace Matt Brady. Four returning starters could help him turn the corner at Marist, led by senior combo guard R.J. Hall. Sophomore sharpshooter Jay Bowie had a solid rookie campaign in which he was the only player on the roster to start every game, and should be better off with another year of experience.

10) Canisius - The Golden Griffins will be better next year when 6-10 big man Freddy Asprilla is eligible after transferring from Kansas State, but Canisius will attempt to make do without him this season. Junior point guard Gaby Belardo, a former South Florida transfer, is the lone returning starter in Buffalo this year, and will attempt to lead a team comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores.