MAAC Monday: Season-to-date reviews, stat leaders, power rankings

MAAC Monday returns for the holidays to catch everyone up on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference season to date with brief team capsules in the opening segment for each of the 11 MAAC members as conference play resumes for good on Friday with five league games spread out across the penultimate day of 2022. From there, individual stat leaders are reprised before the final set of power rankings for the calendar year is unveiled. Team capsules are presented in the order in which each school was picked in October's preseason coaches’ poll, starting with the first-place selection:

Iona: Outside of an uncharacteristic mishap against SMU where the Gaels lost a second-half lead, the preseason MAAC favorite has performed up to par with the high expectations laid upon it from the start of the offseason. Even more impressive is how Iona has developed ahead of schedule with a much younger roster for which Rick Pitino deliberately scheduled lightly in November, so that his vaunted player development sessions could have a much greater effect. The evolution of Walter Clayton, Jr. into a potential player of the year in the MAAC has been something to behold, and Daniss Jenkins has looked on multiple occasions as though he could have commanded a Pitino backcourt at Kentucky or Louisville. Each of Iona’s freshmen has produced in low-leverage situations thus far, and the Gaels’ authoritative takedown of Saint Louis on December 6 served notice that not only is there a clear MAAC favorite in New Rochelle, but a potential mid-major darling come March.

Manhattan: More than enough pieces have been written about the tumultuous start to the season in Riverdale, so that will not be spoken about here. What will be mentioned is how RaShawn Stores has kept the core of the Jaspers together and gotten it to a 2-0 MAAC start that has been largely swept under the rug for various reasons. Sooner or later, there will be no denying that Manhattan is a fundamentally sound team that competes on a nightly basis, and a team that could place itself among the top half of the league as long as it handles its business.

Rider: Kevin Baggett has overseen a late-blooming Broncs cast this year, a roster that lost four of its first five — including a heartbreaker at Providence in its season opener — before the familiar confines of Alumni Gym sparked a resurgence with wins in four of Rider’s last five contests and the arrival of Allen Betrand as the third piece to a scoring punch headlined by Dwight Murray, Jr. and his fellow Georgia native, Mervin James. The trio has made up for the quiet season Allen Powell has had to date, while the return of Tyrel Bladen and addition of Tariq Ingraham has gone a long way toward solidifying the 

Broncs’ front line, which was carried almost solely by Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson last year.

Quinnipiac: After an opening-night win at Rhode Island to ignite a 7-0 start, the Bobcats were the darling of the MAAC as it looked like Baker Dunleavy had put together his most talented team even in the face of depth issues that have forced him to play only 10 men. Quinnipiac has hit the skids in recent weeks, dropping four of six and both of its first two conference games, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. From the reemergence of Luis Kortright at point guard, allowing Dezi Jones to play off the ball, and the interior tandem of newcomers Ike Nweke and Paul Otieno, Dunleavy has perhaps his deepest roster from a skill standpoint to offset the thin number, and that still does not account for program stalwarts Matt Balanc, Tymu Chenery, Savion Lewis, JJ Riggins and Tyrese Williams.

“It gives us a good ceiling in terms of our guard play,” Dunleavy said of the interchangeable nature of Kortright and Jones as floor generals. “But it doesn’t guarantee anything. You still have to execute. It starts on the defensive end, just being able to consistently get a couple more stops, being a little bit more connected offensively, and then having more body movement and ball movement when we’re at our best. The highs are better than I thought they would be and the lows are right where I thought they’d be, so I think it’s more about our consistency.”

Fairfield: Jay Young has admitted there are several parts of the Stags’ defense — the calling card of the former Steve Pikiell assistant since arriving in 2019 — that he needs to shore up, a major reason why Fairfield has just begun to hit its best stride after a sluggish November and inconsistent December. The addition of Caleb Fields has given Young a competent ball handler who has been able to create opportunities for his teammates, and Supreme Cook has emerged as one of the MAAC’s best big men. Still, the outside shooting — a discipline in which Jake Wojcik and TJ Long excelled last year — has been noticeably lacking, to the tune of a 27 percent clip that has left Young shaking his head at how to remedy it.

“We’re getting shots,” he told Daly Dose Of Hoops’ Pete Janny following a December 14 loss to Yale. “We have guys who just haven’t hit them this year for whatever reason. We’ve just not gotten consistent play from our backcourt, and it’s frustrating.”

Siena: The Saints’ showing in Orlando — where Carmen Maciariello’s unit got its head coach the first two wins of his career against Power 6 opponents when Florida State and Seton Hall fell victim to Siena in the ESPN Events Invitational — established them as the top contender to Iona going into the second half of the year. Javian McCollum has taken the leap many expected from him as a sophomore, and a healthy Andrew Platek has only bolstered the Saints’ 3-point shooting, an area that struggled at times last season. If the defense of Jared Billups can progress to where the guard remains an underrated complement to Jackson Stormo, Siena could prove to be a matchup nightmare for the majority of the league.

Marist: The Red Foxes stood at .500 three weeks ago, yet have now dropped three straight — including both of their MAAC openers against Manhattan and Rider — to set up a pivotal battle on the road Friday against a Fairfield team coming into its own. John Dunne’s non-conference schedule came under fire from some for not being challenging enough, but with a retooling Marist team, what it has done is allow Dunne to take advantage of 6-foot-11 graduate transfer Patrick Gardner’s dominance as a rim protector and brute force in the paint. Already ranking in the top five in the MAAC in both scoring and rebounding, the Long Islander may go down as Dunne’s best big man over his 17-year head coaching career.

Niagara: The Purple Eagles are winners of three of their last four heading into a weekend homestand against Mount St. Mary’s and Rider that should undoubtedly give better clarity as to the potential of a group featuring 10 new pieces that head coach Greg Paulus was adamant about wanting to develop during the non-conference season. The emergence of Aaron Gray in his first Division I campaign, along with the resurgence of Sam Iorio, has given Niagara a stable frontcourt to offset one of its major question marks entering the year. In the backcourt, Noah Thomasson has had the senior season many felt he would, becoming one of the premier scoring guards in the MAAC.

Saint Peter’s: A non-conference finale loss to Maryland aside, Bashir Mason's Peacocks are re-entering the MAAC schedule with positive momentum on the heels of two wins in mid-December, the latter over upstart Quinnipiac. Saint Peter’s has fought off the injury bug in recent weeks, forcing the already defensive-minded Mason to adjust his tactics and employ a smaller, more physical lineup that has allowed fifth-year senior Isiah Dasher to emerge as the breakout leader of last year’s Cinderella.

“He’s being challenged to be different this year,” Mason said of Dasher, his fellow Jersey City native. “I’m watching him legit just grow up right in front of my eyes and embrace everything we’re talking about, so I’m excited for him.” 

“With everything we’ve got going on right now, this is how we’ve got to grind games out,” Mason added after his team closed its 63-56 win over Quinnipiac on December 18 by scoring eight of the game’s final nine points after the Bobcats tied the score at 55 in the waning moments of regulation. “It’s slow progress, but these guys are growing up right in front of me. They’re showing me that we’ve got some grit, we’ve got some toughness. It’s on me and our staff to coach these guys and just be positive as we still gain our identity.”

Mount St. Mary’s: The Mountaineers return to MAAC play looking to reverse their fortunes after losing four of five following a 15-point win over Saint Peter’s in The Mount’s conference opener. However, each of the setbacks came by single digits, and Dan Engelstad’s team was without the services of Jalen Benjamin and Dakota Leffew for a portion of that stretch, so it is certainly not inconceivable to suggest that the results could have gone The Mount’s way with a full contingent. Spending the new year in Buffalo will be a tall order for the new kid in town, but the opportunities to climb back toward the top of the standings are plentiful in the early part of the league campaign.

Canisius: Since alternating losses and wins over their first four games, the Golden Griffins have dropped seven straight following a November 20 win over Division III Fredonia, and have been somewhat mercurial over the past month, staying in games as they did against Siena, Toledo and Florida Gulf Coast; but have simultaneously been routed against the likes of Buffalo, Iona and Penn State. Freshman point guard Tahj Staveskie has been a breath of fresh air as a third scorer alongside the experienced hands of Jordan Henderson and Jamir Moultrie, but on the whole, the Griffs have yet to take the next step collectively.

“I think it’s a maturity thing,” head coach Reggie Witherspoon said following Canisius’ December 4 loss at Iona. “We’ve had times where we’ve been able to deal with what the other teams’ desires are. I think our team learns how hard you have to play and what you have to do when you’re met with a resistance from your opponent.”

Scoring Leaders

1) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (19.3 PPG)

2) Patrick Gardner, Marist (17.4)

3) Javian McCollum, Siena (17.3)

4) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (17.0)

5) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (16.5)

6) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (15.9)

7) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (15.5)

8) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (15.0)

9) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (14.8)

10) Jordan Henderson, Canisius (13.6)

Rebounding Leaders

1) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (8.4 RPG)

2) Patrick Gardner, Marist (7.6)

3) Malik Jefferson, Mount St. Mary’s (7.5)

4) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (7.4)

5) Ike Nweke, Quinnipiac (6.7)

6) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (6.6)

7) Mervin James, Rider (6.5)

8) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (6.5)

9) Jared Billups, Siena (6.4)

10) Sam Iorio, Niagara (6.1)

Assist Leaders

1) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (4.9 APG)

2) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (4.3)

3) Javian McCollum, Siena (4.3)

4) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (4.2)

5) Luis Kortright, Quinnipiac (3.9)

6) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (3.8)

7) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (3.6)

8) Jaylen Murray, Saint Peter’s (3.2)

9) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (3.2)

T-10) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (3.0)

T-10) Tahj Staveskie, Canisius (3.0)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Corey Washington, Saint Peter’s (.763)

2) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (.588)

3) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.584)

4) Jacco Fritz, Canisius (.569)

5) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.567)

6) Malik Jefferson, Mount St. Mary’s (.565)

7) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.557)

8) Sam Iorio, Niagara (.524)

9) Ike Nweke, Quinnipiac (.523)

10) Marques Watson, Manhattan (.494)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders

1) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.978)

2) Mervin James, Rider (.889)

3) Javian McCollum, Siena (.875)

4) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.809)

5) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.806)

T-6) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (.795)

T-6) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.795)

8) Jared Billups, Siena (.761)

9) Isiah Dasher, Saint Peter’s (.740)

10) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (.734)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Jaylen Murray, Saint Peter’s (.500)

2) Andrew Platek, Siena (.475)

3) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.451)

4) Allen Betrand, Rider (.444)

5) Bryce Moore, Niagara (.429)

6) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.423)

7) Jamir Moultrie, Canisius (.419)

8) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (.418)

9) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (.404)

10) Dezi Jones, Quinnipiac (.400)

Steal Leaders

1) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (2.3 SPG)

2) Luis Kortright, Quinnipiac (1.8)

3) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (1.6)

4) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.5)

5) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (1.5)

Blocked Shot Leaders

1) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.6 BPG)

T-2) Stephane Ingo, Marist (1.6)

T-2) Jackson Stormo, Siena (1.6)

4) Osborn Shema, Iona (1.3)

5) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (1.3)

Power Rankings

1) Iona (9-4, 2-0 MAAC)

Last Game: Sunday 12/25 vs. Pepperdine (W 76-66)

Next Game: Sunday 1/1 vs. Saint Peter’s, 4 p.m.

2) Siena (7-5, 1-0 MAAC)

Last Game: Thursday 12/22 at American (W 64-61)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 at Quinnipiac, 4 p.m.

3) Rider (5-5, 2-0 MAAC)

Last Game: Thursday 12/22 vs. Marist (W 77-71)

Next Game: Wednesday 12/28 at Georgia, 7 p.m.

4) Quinnipiac (9-4, 0-2 MAAC)

Last Game: Thursday 12/22 at Penn State (L 77-68)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 vs. Siena, 4 p.m.

5) Manhattan (4-7, 2-0 MAAC)

Last Game: Monday 12/19 at Marist (W 80-69)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 at Saint Peter’s, 2 p.m.

6) Niagara (6-5, 1-1 MAAC)

Last Game: Wednesday 12/21 vs. Binghamton (W 73-67)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.

7) Fairfield (5-7, 1-1 MAAC)

Last Game: Sunday 12/18 vs. Coast Guard (W 86-45)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.

8) Mount St. Mary’s (5-8, 1-1 MAAC)

Last Game: Wednesday 12/21 at Howard (L 63-62)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 at Niagara, 7 p.m.

9) Saint Peter’s (6-6, 1-2 MAAC)

Last Game: Thursday 12/22 at Maryland (L 75-45)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 vs. Manhattan, 2 p.m.

10) Marist (4-7, 0-2 MAAC)

Last Game: Thursday 12/22 at Rider (L 77-71)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.

11) Canisius (2-9, 0-2 MAAC)

Last Game: Wednesday 12/21 at Florida Gulf Coast (L 84-81)

Next Game: Friday 12/30 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.