MAAC Monday returns for its penultimate installment today with the usual next-to-last fanfare of seeding scenarios for each team in anticipation of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. Before I get into that, however, this week’s spotlight is a different spin on what I’ve normally done.
As was announced shortly before the season began, Merrimack and Sacred Heart will join the MAAC next season, leaving the Northeast Conference effective July 1. I had the opportunity to see Merrimack up close this past Thursday at FDU, and will offer an early look at what to expect from one of the league’s newest members next season.
With three regular season championships in five years since making the transition from Division II in 2019, Merrimack College has established itself not just as the new kid in town, but one with a reputation for success and a unique — yet engaging and enjoyable — style in which it achieves its results.
In eight years at the helm, head coach Joe Gallo has turned the quietly-wrapped secret just a half-hour north of Boston into the class of the Northeast Conference, and has managed to evade the transfer portal more often than not by attracting a particular group of recruits to fit what he and his staff look for. The attention to detail and readiness of his players has been reflected in the Warriors’ record, with just one losing season in his tenure, spread across the NEC and highly competitive Northeast-10 Conference during his time in Division II.
“I think what made it easy — I don’t want to say easy, but that first year, we had a really old team,” Gallo said of his program’s gradual, but noticeable build. “So we were probably going to be a Top 5 Division II team in the country. We had a bunch of seniors and we were ready to play from day one, and I think that success helped us recruit a little bit. The toughest part was recruiting and saying, ‘guess what, guys? You won’t be able to go to an NCAA Tournament until your senior, junior year.’ But every year, it got a little bit easier.”
“The hardest part was probably the sell, but I give my staff a lot of credit. We ended up with some really good players. Jordan Minor’s starting at Virginia right now, we were his only Division I offer. Ziggy Reid is Youngstown State’s leading scorer, we were his only Division I offer. We’ve been able to really find our type of kids, and once you start winning, it kind of keeps rolling.”
Gallo and his assistants — longtime Merrimack staffer Micky Burtnyk, former Sacred Heart point guard Phil Gaetano, alumnus Juvaris Hayes (who led the NCAA in steals as a senior in 2019-20), Chris Mohr, and Cedric Gillette — have a tried and true formula in bringing talent to North Andover, Massachusetts. And in a world where freak athletes and highlight reels get top billing and more attention for going viral, the philosophy Merrimack has is a refreshing change of pace from the way recruiting has gone in this current era.
“We look for kids that produce,” Gallo intimated. “We’re not that worried about size or position, we just want a bunch of guys that either came from winning programs, or there was some sort of production that we saw versus ‘this guy has a high ceiling’ or ‘he’s a project.’ We were able to do that, and for a long time, we were able to keep a lot of our guys, the staff has been together since day one. So there’s just been a lot of continuity within the program, which you don’t see at a lot of places.”
One thing MAAC fans will instantly notice about Merrimack that stands out in comparison to other teams across the conference is the 3-2 zone defense that the Warriors employ. Gallo lit up when describing the unique look that no other team in the country operates — even Syracuse ran a 2-3 zone in the Jim Boeheim era — and openly admitted to adjusting both the scheme and his personnel so that each fits and complements the other perfectly.
“It almost gets better every year,” Gallo said of the zone. “I picked it up from a guy by the name of R.C. Kehoe, who was the Division II coach at Holy Family in Philadelphia when I was an assistant at Robert Morris. We played it a couple years there, and I knew if I ever got the opportunity to be a head coach, that’s what we were going to play. Now we’re eight years in and we’ve never played a single possession of man-to-man. You just learn a lot of different things from it.”
“It’s a much different zone than it was eight years ago, and every year, you find a new team, try to attack it a different way, and then we have to try to adjust to it. A lot of times when you do something different, it takes a level of buy-in from your players, and these guys love playing it. It’s like their favorite part of practice when we go to our defensive segments. We just have awesome kids that buy into the defensive side of it.”
Among the players who will, barring any offseason movement, bring the different look to the MAAC include junior guard Devon Savage and sophomore forward Bryan Etumnu, whose physicality will make him one of the best big men in the conference next season. But Merrimack’s backbone lies within its two star guards, freshman floor general Adam (Budd) Clark and sophomore Jordan Derkack, the latter of whom could very well be the player of the year in the NEC this season and preseason pick for the same honor in the MAAC seven months from now.
“I think they’re as good a backcourt as there is in the country,” Gallo gushed. “They play off each other, they love playing together. Derkack is just a tough, tough competitor. I was telling people this summer he’d be the player of the year in the league just because we see him every day. He was our third or fourth option with how talented we were last year, but you could see that he was going to take the next step.”
“And then Budd — we lose Javon Bennett to Dayton, Budd comes in and we haven’t missed a beat. You see with these freshmen, after they hit the 300 minutes played mark, they almost become sophomores. He’s a completely different player than he was 15 games ago. They play like juniors and seniors now.”
Merrimack still has business to tend to in the NEC, with a conference tournament to play and a chance to close the book on its first chapter in Division I with a long-awaited NCAA Tournament appearance. After the dust settles on March and the offseason ensues, the Warriors will embark on their new journey, which their coach eagerly anticipates for the different competition his program will face. No stranger to some of the names and faces within the MAAC’s ranks from having previously competed against them, Gallo is well acquainted with what he will lead into battle next season, and is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“I think it’ll be unique,” he said. “I don’t think anyone plays the defense we play, so that’ll be an adjustment for some teams. I watch a lot of MAAC basketball because sometimes you’re sitting around on a Sunday, and with the ESPN3 now, it’s great. I’m friendly with a lot of coaches in the league. Obviously I’ve known Tobin (Anderson) forever, John Dunne is a friend of mine. I’ve followed (Mount St. Mary’s) because they used to be in the NEC, Bashir Mason is a close friend and a competitor. I root for those guys when I’m not playing against them and I watch a lot of their games, so I’m very familiar with the league. It’s going to be cool to have a new challenge.”
The MAAC tournament will be held for the fifth consecutive year at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, from March 12-16, 2024. Only two teams — Quinnipiac and Fairfield — have clinched first-round byes thus far, while four teams — Mount St. Mary’s, Canisius, Siena and Manhattan — are locked into play-in games on the first day of the tournament.
Updated stat leaders and power rankings will follow the seeding scenarios, which are once again listed in order of the current MAAC standings from first to last:
Quinnipiac (13-5): Has clinched first-round bye and will finish as either the #1, #2, #3, or #4 seed.
Fairfield (12-6): Has clinched first-round bye and will finish as either the #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 seed.
Saint Peter’s (12-6): Can finish as the #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, or #6 seed. The Peacocks will clinch a first-round bye with a win Thursday at Rider OR a win Saturday vs. Quinnipiac.
Marist (11-7): Can finish as the #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, or #7 seed. The Red Foxes will clinch a first-round bye with a win AND a Rider loss Thursday vs. Saint Peter’s.
Rider (11-8): Can finish as the #3, #4, #5, #6, or #7 seed. The Broncs will clinch a first-round bye with a win Thursday vs. Saint Peter’s AND a Niagara loss.
Niagara (10-8): Can finish as the #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, or #8 seed.
Iona (9-9): Can finish as the #5, #6, #7, #8, or #9 seed.
Mount St. Mary’s (9-10): Can finish as the #6, #7, #8, or #9 seed. The Mountaineers will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 12.
Canisius (7-11): Can finish as the #7, #8, or #9 seed. The Golden Griffins will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 12.
Siena (3-15): Will finish as either the #10 or #11 seed. The Saints will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 12.
Manhattan (3-15): Will finish as either the #10 or #11 seed. The Jaspers will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 12.
These scenarios will be updated both on this site and on Twitter (@DalyDoseOfHoops) in the days leading up to the first tournament game on Tuesday, March 12.
Scoring Leaders
1) Mervin James, Rider (19.2 PPG)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (18.4)
3) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary’s (17.4)
4) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (16.3)
T-5) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (16.0)
T-5) Greg Gordon, Iona (16.0)
7) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (15.1)
8) Idan Tretout, Iona (13.9)
9) Shaquil Bender, Manhattan (13.5)
10) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (13.3)
Rebounding Leaders
1) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (11.3 RPG)
2) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (8.1)
3) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (7.9)
4) Greg Gordon, Iona (7.3)
5) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (6.9)
6) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (6.7)
7) Tariq Ingraham, Rider (6.6)
8) T.J. Weeks, Rider (6.2)
9) Giovanni Emejuru, Siena (6.2)
10) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (6.1)
Assist Leaders
1) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (7.3 APG)
2) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (4.8)
3) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (4.6)
4) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (4.5)
5) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary’s (3.8)
6) Joel Brown, Iona (3.6)
7) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (3.6)
8) Corey McKeithan, Rider (3.4)
9) Luke Bumbalough, Niagara (3.4)
10) Jeremiah Quigley, Iona (3.2)
Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (.623)
2) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (.614)
3) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (.563)
4) Giovanni Emejuru, Siena (.560)
5) Greg Gordon, Iona (.548)
6) Max Allen, Marist (.530)
7) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (.527)
8) Daniel Rouzan, Manhattan (.523)
9) Mervin James, Rider (.523)
10) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.510)
Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.899)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.871)
3) Mervin James, Rider (.852)
4) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.841)
5) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.841)
6) Ahmad Henderson, Niagara (.840)
7) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (.833)
8) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.808)
9) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (.804)
10) Louis Bleechmore, Fairfield (.791)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Brycen Goodine, Fairfield (.478)
2) Dre Bullock, Niagara (.475)
3) Javon Cooley, Marist (.455)
4) Marcus Randolph, Saint Peter’s (.415)
5) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.412)
6) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.385)
7) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.383)
8) Wheza Panzo, Iona (.381)
9) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.376)
10) Josh Pascarelli, Marist (.376)
Steal Leaders
1) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (2.5 SPG)
2) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (2.2)
3) Joel Brown, Iona (2.1)
4) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (2.0)
T-5) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (1.7)
T-5) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (1.7)
T-5) Idan Tretout, Iona (1.7)
Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Killian Gribben, Siena (1.2 BPG)
2) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (1.2)
3) Michael Ojo, Siena (1.0)
T-4) Jaden Daughtry, Marist (1.0)
T-4) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (1.0)
T-4) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (1.0)
Power Rankings
1) Quinnipiac (21-8, 13-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 at Siena (W 71-57)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.
2) Saint Peter’s (16-11, 12-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Manhattan (W 89-57)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 at Rider, 8 p.m.
3) Fairfield (18-11, 12-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Friday 3/1 at Marist (L 58-55)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 vs. Canisius, 7 p.m.
4) Rider (14-16, 11-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 at Canisius (W 65-61)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 vs. Saint Peter’s, 8 p.m.
5) Marist (16-11, 11-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Iona (L 71-64)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.
6) Niagara (15-14, 10-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Mount St. Mary’s (L 91-72)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 at Siena, 7 p.m.
7) Iona (14-15, 9-9 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 at Marist (W 71-64)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.
8) Mount St. Mary’s (13-17, 9-10 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 at Niagara (W 91-72)
Next Game: Saturday 3/9 vs. Fairfield, 4 p.m.
9) Canisius (12-15, 7-11 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Rider (L 65-61)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.
10) Manhattan (6-21, 3-15 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 at Saint Peter’s (L 89-57)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.
11) Siena (4-25, 3-15 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 3/3 vs. Quinnipiac (L 71-57)
Next Game: Thursday 3/7 vs. Niagara, 7 p.m.
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