Kevin Baggett (second from left) talks to his Rider team. Broncs have won four straight to make belated jump in wide-open MAAC. (Photo by Kyle Franko/The Trentonian)
MAAC Monday returns for the first of three more editions in 2023-24, and this week’s team spotlight features the group that was the consensus choice to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference before the season started. From there, quick hits from around the league, stat leaders and power rankings will close out the latest installment of the most comprehensive weekly MAAC recap you’ll find anywhere.
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — A major component of Rider being the coaches’ pick to top the MAAC preseason poll in October was the sheer fact that in a league with so many vacancies and departures from last season, the Broncs boasted two of the conference’s elder statesmen in Mervin James and Allen Powell, a pair of seniors who were easy selections for the conference’s first team at the start of the season.
But while James, the MAAC’s Preseason Player of the Year, lived up to his billing, his supporting cast went through a trial by fire of sorts. Powell struggled from the 3-point line for a majority of the season, Corey McKeithan was tasked with the unenviable duty of having to replace do-it-all point guard Dwight Murray, Jr., and Tariq Ingraham — who played sparingly at Wake Forest before joining the Rider roster as a role player a year ago — was being counted on to carry the load down low.
Add in a non-conference schedule featuring the likes of Marquette, Maryland and Nebraska, plus a surprising 0-3 start to MAAC play, and the Broncs needed to go back to basics. One of those was recommitting to the staunch defense that, although not always a MAAC leader, has always been stout enough to be a constant in 12 years under head coach Kevin Baggett.
“When we were in that little bit of a losing streak, we were giving up 70-plus points,” Baggett recalled. “We had to guard better. I think the other thing, too, is guys are coming together and starting to peak, right? They’re starting to play at the right time and everybody fits now, where we were trying to fit the puzzle and it wasn’t fitting at that point.”
“Guys needed to find their roles and be comfortable in those roles, and now everybody understands where they are and what it is we’re asking each and every one of them to do. Now they’re able to play out of it without thinking or worrying about what it is they need to do. They know.”
Having a significant amount of underclassmen, something nearly every coach in the MAAC has dealt with this season, and will continue to in the current landscape of the sport — with the transfer portal always a threat to poach veteran players who blossom at the mid-major level — has forced coaches to throw their youth to the wolves earlier than they would probably like to in a perfect world. Rider was no different, with Baggett having to rely on freshmen Ruben Rodriguez and D.J. Dudley early and often to help McKeithan along his own path as Murray’s successor. The results in the first part of the year, perhaps to no surprise, were unkind to the Broncs. However, the game experience gained in that stretch has paid dividends now as Rider has won four straight to not only hold a winning record in conference play at 9-8, but also become one of the hottest teams at the most opportune of times, with the MAAC tournament slated to begin just 15 days from today in Atlantic City.
“We were waiting on them,” Baggett said of his freshmen. “We played a tough schedule, and when we put those guys out there at that time, they weren’t ready for that. That’s on me, but as time went on, they got into league play, they got in the gym, got into January and you could see these guys getting better in practice. It was just a matter of allowing them to go out there and play, and allowing them to make some of those mistakes and play through them, where at one point, their ropes were short. As they continued to show me their progress in practice, I continued to allow them to play through mistakes. Now, they’re not looking over, they’re not worried.”
Rodriguez has become a perfect complement to McKeithan at the point guard spot, and seems more than capable of continuing a lineage that has seen stalwarts such as Jimmie Taylor, Stevie Jordan and Murray make their marks in Lawrenceville in such a way that each is still remembered despite the Broncs still looking for their first NCAA Tournament appearance in three decades.
“We knew (Rodriguez) was a winner,” Baggett proudly proclaimed. “He broke all the records at Reading (Pa.) High School. He just won everything, and you just need that in your program, a guy who’s around the ball. Ruben’s always around the ball, getting rebounds, getting steals, defending. He just finds himself at the right place at the right time, all the time. You see the intangibles that he brings to us now, and you’re seeing him grow.”
Rider still has three more games to navigate in the regular-season MAAC minefield. A telltale sign of the team’s improvement has been its mettle remaining strong in three of its last four contests, a defensive struggle against Mount St. Mary’s, a comeback after a blown lead to Iona, and a gritty win over previous league leader Quinnipiac. A blowout win over Manhattan where the Broncs shot 76 percent from the floor was also in that stretch, but according to Baggett, the results would not have happened if not for the adversity his outfit endured in November and December, something he credits for the collective backbone being forged as well as it has become.
“We’ve had to learn how to get here,” he reiterated. “Early on, we were playing those high-major games, and more often than not, we weren’t in those games. It doesn’t allow you to put yourself in those situations to learn from them. We’ve been in a number of these games now, and I think these guys are more comfortable with it. Those are things that tell me these guys have learned from some of the things we didn’t understand early on.”
Quick Hits Around the MAAC
“We had some early turnovers early in the second half that got under my skin a little bit, but I think we’re fighting that battle and we’re learning the value of the basketball. I think we’re improving at it.”
— Reggie Witherspoon on Canisius’ progression
“I thought in the first half, we looked like a scared dog or something, and then in the second half, we just started playing. We played with some guts and some toughness. To be honest, the last week has been a soap opera.”
— Tobin Anderson on Iona’s performance at Rider and without Greg Gordon
“We became a little too finesse-driven. We’re not playing as physical and nasty as we need to be. We talked about extending our defense, being up and into guys, but we weren’t able to do that early on. It’s easy to say we’re gonna do something, and then you gotta go out and do it.”
— Tom Pecora on Quinnipiac’s recent skid and loss to Fairfield
“I felt different in the huddles, like we were gonna close that one out, we weren’t gonna turn the ball over down the stretch. I thought we grew up (Sunday) as a basketball team. The resolve, the fight, even the other night versus Saint Peter’s, I thought our guys showed a lot this weekend. Hopefully they can carry that as we close out the stretch.”
— Dan Engelstad on Mount St. Mary’s execution against Iona
1) Mervin James, Rider (19.0 PPG)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (18.4)
3) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary’s (17.4)
4) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (16.4)
5) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (16.0)
6) Greg Gordon, Iona (16.0)
7) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (15.2)
8) Idan Tretout, Iona (14.3)
9) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (13.7)
10) Brycen Goodine, Fairfield (13.5)
Rebounding Leaders
1) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (11.3 RPG)
2) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (8.5)
3) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (7.8)
4) Greg Gordon, Iona (7.3)
5) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (7.0)
6) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (6.9)
7) Tariq Ingraham, Rider (6.4)
8) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (6.1)
9) Giovanni Emejuru, Siena (6.1)
10) Mervin James, Rider (6.1)
Assist Leaders
1) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (7.1 APG)
2) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (4.7)
3) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (4.6)
4) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (4.3)
5) Joel Brown, Iona (3.8)
6) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary's (3.8)
7) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (3.6)
8) Corey McKeithan, Rider (3.4)
9) Luke Bumbalough, Niagara (3.2)
10) Zek Tekin, Siena (3.0)
Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (.628)
2) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (.600)
3) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (.570)
4) Giovanni Emejuru, Siena (.561)
5) Greg Gordon, Iona (.548)
6) Max Allen, Marist (.530)
7) Mervin James, Rider (.524)
8) Daniel Rouzan, Manhattan (.523)
9) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (.519)
10) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.518)
Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.912)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.869)
3) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.841)
4) Mervin James, Rider (.839)
5) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.836)
6) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (.833)
7) Ahmad Henderson, Niagara (.831)
8) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.829)
9) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (.796)
10) Jeremiah Quigley, Iona (.792)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Brycen Goodine, Fairfield (.481)
2) Javon Cooley, Marist (.456)
3) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.413)
4) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.390)
T-5) Marcus Randolph, Saint Peter’s (.385)
T-5) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.385)
7) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.381)
8) Josh Pascarelli, Marist (.378)
9) Luke Bumbalough, Niagara (.377)
10) Corey McKeithan, Rider (.367)
Steal Leaders
1) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (2.5 SPG)
2) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (2.2)
3) Joel Brown, Iona (2.2)
4) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (1.9)
5) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (1.8)
Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (1.2 BPG)
2) Killian Gribben, Siena (1.2)
3) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (1.0)
T-4) Jaden Daughtry, Marist (1.0)
T-4) Mervin James, Rider (1.0)
T-4) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (1.0)
1) Fairfield (18-10, 12-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 vs. Siena (W 88-64)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 at Marist, 7 p.m.
2) Quinnipiac (19-8, 11-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 at Rider (L 88-78)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 at Iona, 7 p.m.
3) Saint Peter’s (15-11, 11-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 vs. Marist (W 69-60)
Next Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Manhattan, 2 p.m.
4) Niagara (15-12, 10-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Friday 2/23 at Canisius (L 69-59)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.
5) Marist (15-10, 10-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 at Saint Peter’s (L 69-60)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 vs. Fairfield, 7 p.m.
6) Rider (12-16, 9-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 vs. Quinnipiac (W 88-78)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 at Niagara, 7 p.m.
7) Iona (13-14, 8-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 at Mount St. Mary’s (L 72-65)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.
8) Mount St. Mary’s (12-16, 8-9 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 vs. Iona (W 72-65)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 at Canisius, 7 p.m.
9) Canisius (11-14, 6-10 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Friday 2/23 vs. Niagara (W 69-59)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.
10) Siena (4-23, 3-13 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 2/25 at Fairfield (L 88-64)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m.
11) Manhattan (5-20, 2-14 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Friday 2/23 vs. Marist (L 57-50)
Next Game: Friday 3/1 at Siena, 7 p.m.
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