Entering third season in MAAC, King Rice and Monmouth are eager to cash in on a deep roster and momentum from an 18-win season that labeled Hawk program an up-and-comer. (Photo courtesy of the Asbury Park Press)
When you blend experienced veterans with a young core who took great strides the previous season, great things are expected in return, and deservedly so.
On the heels of an 18-win season that took Monmouth to the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament in just their second season in the league, head coach King Rice replaces only three players from last year's rotation while welcoming a pair of highly touted guards into West Long Branch to help take the next step in establishing the Hawks as not just a formidable foe, but a championship contender.
"When you join a league, you don't know what to expect," Rice candidly stated shortly before the Hawks open their season at Pauley Pavilion Friday evening against Steve Alford and UCLA. "We knew the MAAC was a very strong league and we just tried to keep our heads low, just keep working."
Picked last of eleven teams in 2013-14 upon their arrival from the Northeast Conference, Monmouth bettered that rating to finish ninth, losing to Rider in the preliminary round of the MAAC Tournament but not before fighting the Broncs to the wire. Last season, the Hawks again finished higher than their prediction, tying for third after the consensus from the league's coaches placed them sixth before the ball was tipped.
"If we can continue that trend," Rice declared, "we'll be right where we want to be. Our kids are confident, but that's because we're juniors now, we're more upperclassmen than lower class guys, and our group has been together for a while. Our kids are just excited about the opportunity to compete."
The consecutive upticks, coupled with last season's success for a group of underclassmen, have Monmouth feeling confident in what lies ahead. With the self-esteem boost comes an expansive rotation that ensures playing time for almost everyone at some juncture. In the Hawks' exhibition win over Georgian Court this past Saturday, thirteen players saw the floor, with every player registering both points and rebounds next to their name.
"We like to play a lot of kids," Rice gushed. "We recruit that way. We try to build our team up to put the best team to represent Monmouth on the floor, and now we have some older guys in the program and the younger guys have some guys to look up to."
Coincidentally, the depth and talent on the Monmouth roster bears a striking resemblance to one of the Hawks' MAAC brethren, which; oddly enough, happened to win a conference title in their head coach's third year in the league. While that footnote was not lost on Rice, he remained pragmatic in assessing his own squad's chances.
"What Steve (Masiello) has done the last two years, in coaching terms, has been unbelievable," a complimentary Rice deflected toward his counterpart. "Obviously, we would like to do that (win a championship) and he's done it that way, and he's won the league two times in a row."
"We're learning how to have success in this league," Rice continued. "When you have a lot of kids that can play, it makes you excited, and it should give us a better chance. We thought we were getting better last year and our season came to an abrupt end because the top teams in our league last year were the top teams for a reason. We need to get a lot better to compete with those teams, and we're trying to do that."
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