2015-16 MAAC preview

A.J. English enters his senior season not only as MAAC Player of the Year favorite, but on national radar as well, attracting NBA attention as Iona receives national buzz. (Photo courtesy of Brian Beyrer via Iona College Athletics)

Seven months after Manhattan and Iona reprised their 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship matchup with another battle for the ages that culminated in a second consecutive victory for the Jaspers, the MAAC shifts its sights to a new season, but one in which the two combatants from last year's title tilt in Albany are once again expected to be at or near the top of the leaderboard.

The Gaels graduate forward David Laury, the conference's Player of the Year last season, but return nearly everyone else from their juggernaut outfit, including senior point guard A.J. English, whose name has already been linked to several NBA teams over the course of his career, Swiss Army knife Isaiah Williams, and marksman Schadrac Casimir, the reigning Rookie of the Year who took the conference by storm last season with his ability. In addition, the Gaels beef up their front line with the additions of graduate transfer Aaron Rountree, junior college arrival Jordan Washington, and Taylor Bessick, an athletic stretch four who transferred from James Madison and sat out for the Gaels last season.

Their adversary has a much harder road on paper, as Manhattan must replace the scoring and rebounding ability of Emmy Andujar and Ashton Pankey. But if there is one thing that Steve Masiello and his staff have proven in Riverdale, it is that they can develop players to become just as effective as those who came before them. With that said, look for Shane Richards and RaShawn Stores to lead by example on and off the court, with Rich Williams serving as the Jaspers' X-factor as he enters his junior season. The key for Manhattan will be how much the Jaspers receive up front from Calvin Crawford, Zane Waterman, Jermaine Lawrence, and Carlton Allen, all of whom look greatly improved as evidenced by their performances in the Jaspers' opening practices, and are now next in line.

As anyone who follows the MAAC closely will attest, these two teams are not alone. Monmouth returns the bulk of last year's 18-win team to a roster that has higher expectations after a semifinal appearance in last year's conference tournament, and the additions of Micah Seaborn and Je'lon Hornbeak should make the Hawks even deeper in a backcourt that features all-league talent Justin Robinson and a returning Josh James to join fifth-year senior Deon Jones. The concern for the Hawks will be inside, as the shot blocking prowess of Brice Kofane has graduated, leaving Zac Tillman and Chris Brady to soldier additional responsibility for head coach King Rice. Not to be outdone, Siena should be much improved in Jimmy Patsos' third season at the helm after being ravaged by the injury bug en route to an 11-20 season after winning the CBI in 2013-14. Imoh Silas, who missed the entire year to a torn ACL, returns for the Saints, as does Brett Bisping, whose toe injury limited him to just eight games a year ago. Rob Poole and Evan Hymes have graduated, but freshman guards Nico Clareth and Kenny Wormley have already drawn rave reviews from Patsos as they compete with incumbent point guard Marquis Wright and sharpshooter Ryan Oliver for playing time in the backcourt.

Rider's second-place finish should not be regarded as a fluke going into this season. The Broncs have, outside of Iona and Monmouth, arguably the best backcourt in the conference, a three-pronged attack of Teddy Okereafor; whose first season at the point produced all-conference honors, Jimmie Taylor, and Zedric Sadler, a lethal shooter who split Sixth Man of the Year recognition in a campaign that saw many clutch moments from the senior swingman. The Broncs will be counting on Kahlil Thomas and Xavier Lundy to help replace seven-footer Matt Lopez down low, with sophomore Kenny Grant and freshman Lacey James also expected to chip in. In addition, Canisius is also a team not to be discounted going into the season, as Jim Baron's Golden Griffins have overachieved in recent years, and possess the talent capable of making waves in the upper half of the leaderboard. Graduate transfer Malcolm McMillan, a gifted passer who adjusts his game to suit whatever his team needs from him at any given moment, will be much more of an asset for the Griffs at point guard than most will give him credit for, and between the duo of Kevin Bleeker and Jermaine Crumpton down low, Phil Valenti will see his burden eased dramatically in a season where the junior forward was expected to shoulder most of the scoring following the transfer of all-conference guard Zach Lewis.

Much like Manhattan, Quinnipiac now begins life without two of their greatest assets, as Zaid Hearst and Ousmane Drame have taken their talents to the professional level. A blessing in disguise for head coach Tom Moore, though, is that the Bobcats have been able to develop their reserves in such a way that even though the impact they make with additional playing time reflects improvement, fans and experts alike still come away pleasantly surprised by the efforts of the new faces in the crowd. Sophomore Chaise Daniels should be Exhibit A of such an upward trajectory, as he and fellow classmates Samuel Dingba and Alain Chigha lead an inexperienced front line into battle with a backcourt that finally welcomes Giovanni McLean after he was declared ineligible last season. A one-time Oklahoma commit, McLean will join Ayron Hutton and James Ford at the guard positions, while Dimitri Floras will remain very much in the mix.

Fairfield made wholesale changes on the coaching staff last season, with former MAAC head coaches Mitch Buonaguro and Tom Parrotta arriving to assist Sydney Johnson as the Stags continue the fight to escape the lower rungs of the standings. Senior wing Marcus Gilbert remains the alpha dog on offense, and Tyler Nelson should be even better than he was in an impressive freshman campaign that would have won him Rookie of the Year honors if not for Schadrac Casimir. If the Stags can get extra mileage out of role players such as Mike Kirkland, Jerome Segura, and Amadou Sidibe, it is not out of the question to suggest that they will be closer to the top than they were in each of the past two seasons.

One cannot mention Fairfield without referencing Saint Peter's, as the Peacocks have been one of Fairfield's MAAC tournament opponents in each of the past three seasons. Just as he did in 2011-12, John Dunne now goes about the task of rebuilding after the graduation of a senior-laden squad, this time headlined by Desi Washington and Marvin Dominique. Junior point guard Trevis Wyche will see more responsibility on the offensive end, with Quadir Welton and Chazz Patterson also expected to pick up the slack while Elias Desport's high-energy game will give the Peacocks another unheralded weapon. Dunne has been singing the praises of freshmen Mamadou Ndaiye and Antwon Portley throughout the offseason, and both will have opportunities to make an immediate impact in Jersey City.

Niagara will once again be retooling as head coach Chris Casey again overcomes several transfers and welcomes an influx of newcomers to Monteagle Ridge. Emile Blackman and Cameron Fowler run the show in the backcourt, but with no proven help down low, the Purple Eagles face mounds of question marks going into the season. Finally, Marist was the No. 11 seed in the MAAC tournament last season, but managed to pick up an upset victory over Quinnipiac before giving eventual champion Manhattan all it could handle in the quarterfinals. Khallid Hart returns for his junior season, with Phillip Lawrence and Eric Truog providing experience up front for second-year coach Mike Maker, but after that, the Red Foxes are relativerly unproven outside of sophomore center Connor McClenaghan, who saw significant playing time as a freshman last season. The coaching ability of Maker will help Marist turn the corner in time, but the loss of Chavaughn Lewis, the all-time leading scorer in school history, will prove too much to overcome.

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Iona - While it is not inconceivable to pick against the Gaels, there is no question that Tim Cluess has the most talented roster of any team in the league. In addition, this year's Iona team in somewhat reminiscent of the 2013-14 Manhattan roster, a group that had come close to winning a championship the season before and returned most of its rotation the following year en route to eventually punching their NCAA Tournament ticket. The ongoing conversation as to whether or not Iona can get an at-large bid to the field of 68 should they not win the league will also be fun to follow.

2) Monmouth - It will be interesting to see how the Hawks handle having a target on their backs for the first time over the course of a full season, but the program is firmly on schedule with King Rice's long-term vision to build Monmouth into a competitive outfit. As far as potential challengers to Iona go, this group is high on the list.

3) Manhattan - Before RaShawn Stores was granted a final season of eligibility, the Jaspers projected to be lower in the standings in a number of other prognostications, one placing them as low as sixth. However, one can never bet against Steve Masiello and his ability to not only motivate his team, but also get the most out of it at the most opportune times. It will be a process in Riverdale, but then again, so was last year, when Manhattan needed to replace George Beamon, Rhamel Brown, and Michael Alvarado, and walked off the floor at the Times Union Center with a second straight conference championship when all was said and done. Expect the same kind of effort this season.

4) Siena - Returning Brett Bisping and Imoh Silas, and potentially Javion Ogunyemi as well should the NCAA grant him eligibility after transferring to and from Boston University back to the Saints, will position Jimmy Patsos' team firmly near the top of the conference. Marquis Wright's evolution will dictate how far Siena goes this season, as will Lavon Long's ability to stay out of foul trouble.

5) Rider - The Broncs round out the top five on the merit of their backcourt alone. Two concerns for Kevin Baggett this season will be the development of his front line, and free throw shooting across the board, the latter of which hurt Rider in critical stretches last season.

6) Canisius - Don't be surprised if the Griffs finish better than this rating. Malcolm McMillan's arrival will make replacing Zach Lewis a lot easier for Jim Baron, and his physical forwards will make a difference in the early part of the conference schedule against teams whose interior is still a work in progress.

7) Quinnipiac - Tom Moore remained optimistic about the future even after a disappointing 15-15 season last year, and has every reason to be with Giovanni McLean finally eligible in Hamden. The Bobcats may not be a postseason team this season, but if everything clicks for this young group, they will walk away satisfied with their results.

8) Saint Peter's - John Dunne's team does not have clear-cut first and second options like it did the past few seasons, which will make the Peacocks more adept at sharing the ball and clamping down on the defensive end, two staples of Saint Peter's basketball over the years. They won't be terrible, but they will definitely be competitive.

9) Fairfield - Tyler Nelson might just be the most underrated player in the MAAC based on how much he does for a team who is largely overlooked. The Stags' depth will be their biggest key in attempting to make the jump back to where they were a few seasons ago.

10) Marist - Chavaughn Lewis is gone, but Khallid Hart remains, and once the Red Foxes were at 100 percent last season, they played their best basketball. This year looks to be more of the same, in which an early adjustment period gives way to a team that no one in the conference wants to play come February and March.

11) Niagara - It will be another long season in Western New York for the Purple Eagles, but Emile Blackman should be taken notice of immediately.