5 Thoughts: Hall In takes down Jack Attack in TBT debut

Jeremy Hazell posted 18 points and 11 rebounds as Hall In, Seton Hall's alumni team in The Basketball Tournament, was victorious in its opening game. (Photo by NJ.com)

Two separate sets of emotions were evoked watching Hall In -- the Seton Hall alumni team entry into The Basketball Tournament -- Saturday afternoon.

First, the die-hard Pirate fan had a chance to relive the halcyon days of the late 2000s, when the core of Jeremy Hazell, Paul Gause, and Jeff Robinson were central figures in South Orange as Seton Hall attempted to climb into the upper echelon of a perennially strong 16-team Big East Conference. Secondly, it afforded some of the younger members of The Hall's fan base to finally see some of its past -- now years deep into professional careers -- show off some of the skills that they honed to perfection in the blue and white. As an added bonus, the infusion of non-Seton Hall talent to the roster served to provide a dose of intrigue in Hall In's matchup against Jack Attack, the alumni team of Georgetown University, in Saturday's Big East pod contest from the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.

After a hotly-contested opening quarter, Hall In's balance and ability to take advantage of Jack Attack's shooting woes slowly took over, as the Seton Hall alums recorded an 88-77 victory to advance to the final of the exclusive in-conference bracket, where Golden Eagles Alumni -- an alumni team from Marquette -- will await on Sunday, with the winner of that game earning a trip to Brooklyn for Northeast regional action the third weekend of July.

Before we do it again tomorrow, we wrap the preceding game just like we would any other Seton Hall contest, because after all, what is a Pirate game without our five thoughts? Here is an early summer summarization of the on-court proceedings:

1) Long live Gonzoball.

In Hazell and Gause -- and also Robinson, who transferred from Memphis during the 2008-09 season -- Hall In had three noticeable connections to former head coach Bobby Gonzalez, whose four years at the helm in South Orange were marked by incremental upward mobility each season before his departure in 2010. Jamel Jackson, whose 40-point bonanza and 12 three-pointers in the Pirates' 134-107 explosion against VMI in 2009, is also a member of the roster, and came off the bench to see eight minutes of action that also saw him knock down a triple late in the fourth quarter. John Garcia and Keon Lawrence -- both of whom were also Gonzo recruits and players during their Hall tenure -- were listed on the roster, but neither one was available Saturday.

Regardless, the press-and-run style that was a trademark of the Gonzalez era was on full display Saturday, as Hall in used its athleticism to gradually wear down its Jack Attack opponent, scoring commanding 50-35 and 58-34 margins on the glass and in the paint, respectively. Hall In also enjoyed a 22-14 lead in second chance points, crashing the boards with 17 of their 50 rebounds coming on the offensive end.

2) Hazell range.

Long before the nation fell in love with Jimmer Fredette and his marksmanship, there was Hazell and his uncanny knack for getting long triples to go from seemingly anywhere on the floor, and that includes the infamous 70-footer against St. John's in 2008 that was nullified due to an inadvertent Gonzalez timeout. On this day, the third-leading scorer in Pirates history got off to yet another scorching start, draining a triple off a curl from nearly 30 feet as part of a beginning that saw him amass 12 points on just six shots. The program legend took on more of a defensive role as the game went on, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and also posting a team-high four steals.

"Definitely," Hazell told the Big East Digital Network's John Fanta when asked if it felt like old times. "I was lights out. My teammates got me the ball in the right position, and I made shots. It just felt good to be back on the court. I haven't played in a while, and I know the fans and everybody wanted to see me play in this Hall jersey again, so it was definitely fun."

"It felt good to get out here and play with a couple of my old teammates," he added. "We played a tough Georgetown team, but we came out strong and got the win."

3) The bulldog mentality lives on.

For those who never got a chance to see Gause during his Seton Hall career, let us surmise his efforts by calling him the heart and soul of the Pirates, particularly on the defensive end as his pursuit of the school's all-time steals record carried on deep into his senior year. Actually, all that -- not to mention his recovery from a torn ACL -- does not do his relentless mentality full justice. Gause looked as though he was still wearing No. 22 (he actually was) in the blue and white during his prime, displaying his hustle at both ends of the floor, whether it involved going the full 94 feet to track down a loose ball in the first half or slashing his way to the basket against a significantly larger Jack Attack front line. Gause -- in typical Gause fashion -- provided the game-winning basket with a drive through the lane against former all-Big East guard Austin Freeman and seven-footer Bradley Hayes before finishing for a layup that gave him the last of his 11 points, a figure that was supplemented with six rebounds and a subtly efficient 5-of-8 shooting clip.

"I always believed I was 6-foot-7," Gause said of his toughness. "If you know me and Seton Hall basketball, you know how I play. They know my mentality, and nothing changed. I do whatever I need to do for the team to win, and the other guys did what they needed to do, too. When you've got people that are going to play hard and get it done, the results speak for themselves."

"You couldn't tell me I'd put on another Seton Hall jersey again after I graduated," he elaborated, citing his emotional farewell in 2009. "And once I got to put this jersey on again, that in itself is enough for me. It gets the blood flowing again. I haven't played in two years, I'm working my way back into it, and this is a great test for me, both physically and competitively."

4) The new guys.

Despite the nostalgia Hazell and Gause conjured up, Hall In's biggest contributions came from the two non-Pirates on the court. Quenton DeCosey, the former standout at St. Joseph's in Metuchen who spurned Kevin Willard's recruiting efforts to sign with Temple, offered the biggest lift with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. DeCosey grew stronger as the game went on, becoming a mismatch in the lane by going 10-for-14 from the floor and demonstrating his passing skills at will, dishing out a team-best five assists from the wing position. Joel Wright, a 6-foot-7 forward by way of Duquesne and Texas State, contributed to the cause with 17 points and seven rebounds, reaching his offensive output on a 7-for-13 display from the floor.

5) The Elam Ending

The newly-implemented procedure to end all games during The Basketball Tournament -- and one that was enacted initially last season -- involves the game clock being shut off after the first dead ball following the four-minute media timeout. At that juncture, seven points are added to the leading team's score, thereby creating a target score that would end the game once reached by either side. In this game, 87 was the objective after Hall In called a timeout with 3:56 to play in what was then an 80-70 lead, triggering the new closing format. Jack Attack responded with four straight points to draw within six, but it was as close as they would get before DeCosey got the Hall In margin back to double digits. On two separate occasions, Hazell had a look at a game-ending three, yet rimmed out both times as Jack Attack managed to cling to life for an extra possession or two before Gause's layup sent the Hoya alumni home and advanced Hall In on the tournament bracket.

Nick Rutherford's time is now as Monmouth's new point guard and team leader

Having sat out last season after transfer from Florida Atlantic, Nick Rutherford is ready to return to action at Monmouth, where he has already demonstrated necessary leadership to be Hawks' floor general. (Photo by the Asbury Park Press)

Last season's 11-20 record for Monmouth University basketball can, for all intents and purposes, be described as a rebuilding year in the wake of a Justin Robinson-led senior core graduating and a younger group taking its collective lumps while learning how to win in the process.

However, as head coach King Rice admitted when revealing he may not have done the most efficient work in developing his new crop of talent, each year is a new year. And with that new year -- plus the return of sophomores Deion Hammond, Melik Martin and Marcus McClary alongside a veteran frontcourt with postseason experience -- is a point guard who may be new to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference competition, yet is eager to rekindle the fire that made him a highly-coveted commodity on the transfer market.

Nick Rutherford, a 6-foot-3 junior from Indianapolis by way of Florida Atlantic, is eligible again after sitting out last season upon his arrival in West Long Branch, and will be the Hawks' point guard, anchoring a stable of guards that includes redshirt sophomore Ray Salnave in addition to McClary and Hammond, the latter of whom garnered MAAC All-Rookie team honors after ranking fourth in scoring among freshmen in the conference. But while the incumbent backcourt has already shown what it brings to the table, Rutherford -- who racked up 246 assists in two years for the Owls, averaging nine points, four rebounds and four helpers per game as a sophomore -- adds a profound flavor of intrigue as something of a relative unknown, and his intangibles are what has his head coach salivating as Monmouth accelerates its growth process.

"I think the leader is going to be Nick," Rice said when asked if anyone had assumed an alpha dog status in the locker room following the graduation of Austin Tilghman and departure of Micah Seaborn for a professional career. "He was a very good leader last year in his sit-out year, which is kind of hard for guys to do because they feel like it's not the right time for them to make an impact on the team, but Nick had a major impact -- especially after the season -- on getting to our level of accountability and commitment, getting where it needed to be. He has stood out as one of the leaders."

Nick Rutherford brings clutch mentality and drive from Florida Atlantic to Monmouth, where he continues his eligibility this season. (Photo by The University Press)

"Just who he is as a young man -- he hit some game winners when he was at Florida Atlantic, he beat Ohio State -- he's a kid that can really score the ball, but he's a true definition of a pass-first point guard. He gets people where they want the ball, he gets it to them on their hands, he's a great defender, he'll be able to pick up the full court and pass some guys the whole game."

Monmouth had already made strides last season in reclaiming its defensive throne, as the back-to-back regular season MAAC championship teams were among the league's best when the ball was not in its hands. With Rutherford now in the fold, look for that figure to continue to improve, as the man responsible for serving as an extension of the coach is also comparable, in some ways, to one of the Hawks' strongest and most valuable pillars.

"I thought he was pretty solid before, but he brings a level of toughness to our program," Rice gushed. "He's very different than Je'lon Hornbeak, but that level of toughness that Je'lon had is what Nick has. Just because he's on the team, our team will be a lot tougher."

Anne Donovan truly larger than life, both on and off court

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

As the New York Liberty were battling the Las Vegas Aces Wednesday evening, an the opportunity to check social media during a timeout gave a shock of an announcement, as women’s basketball guru Mel Greenberg informed us that Anne Donovan had passed away.

   

The 56-year-old Donovan seemed to be in good health, and was in Knoxville for the Women’s Hall of Fame induction the prior weekend. As it turned out, Donovan succumbed to heart failure. It was the cruelest of ironies, that a person with a heart of gold would literally fall to a heart-related fatality.

     

Anne Donovan was a grade school player at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was about fully grown to her 6-foot-8 stature, but in need of development. Dr. Rose Battaglia told the Bergen Record when Donovan started, “she could not walk and chew gum at the same time.”

   

Donovan attacked the game with a relentless work ethic. At the same time, she gained more coordination and confidence. Soon, she was beginning to dominate. Battaglia recalled how the once-struggling Donovan soon had the agility and ability to play like a guard while playing for her at nearby Paramus Catholic. The Lady Paladins dominated the New Jersey girls’ basketball scene. After that, she went on to Old Dominion, at the time a power in the women’s college game. International ball and the Olympics followed before Donovan embarked on a coaching career.

   

The accolades are phenomenal: Three major halls of fame (Naismith, Women’s and FIBA), national championships in both high school and college, Olympic gold medals as both a player and coach, as well as becoming the first female coach to win a WNBA championship. Honors, distinctions, and superlatives aside, everyone -- yes everyone who was able to come into contact with Anne Donovan -- was impressed regarding the type person she was, to everybody.

A personal note that remains vivid in the mind’s eye and epitomizes Donovan came at a Home Depot in Clifton, New Jersey a few winters ago. While shopping the aisles, I ran into Anne studying designs for a second home renovation, and introduced her to my wife, Karen. After a few minutes of basketball small talk, Anne was actively conversing with Karen, asking opinions on what she wants to do and what may look best. After about 15 minutes, we said goodbye and headed off. I later informed Karen about some of Anne’s achievements. Impressed, my wife’s first comment was on what a nice person Anne was.

The aforementioned Mel Greenberg had another recollection among many of who Donovan was. When Ginny Doyle of Richmond -- who assisted Anne at East Carolina -- passed away a few years ago, Anne conducted a morning practice with her Connecticut Sun team. She drove five hours to be at Doyle’s celebration of life service. Donovan paid her respects, then immediately drove back to Connecticut to coach that evening. There is a long list of players and coaches that Anne has reached out and helped, and those are not limited to the collegiate and professional ranks.

Al Roth, with Anne’s recommendation, became the girls’ coach at Paramus Catholic in the early 1990s. Roth would hold the position for a quarter-century. The veteran mentor would often say that Anne frequently texted him at least once a year to stay in touch. Roth also told the Bergen Record that Our Lady of Mount Carmel was having a fundraiser one year during a Ridgewood street fair. Anne would be heading home from a international trip from the Orient. A 20-plus-hour flight was on tap, meaning  Anne would get home the night prior to the street fair. Needless to say, she was out there the following day in support of her first alma mater.

Anne’s last college coaching position was at Seton Hall. When The Hall went looking for a successor to Phyllis Mangina in spring of 2010, the administration was thrilled to hear she had interest in the position. During her three years in South Orange, she began the process of turning the program around. Tony Bozzella followed Donovan, and recently on social media, expressed how honored he was to follow and build on what Anne established during her brief time in South Orange.

pic.twitter.com/WzlVog8P5k

— Seton Hall WBB (@SHUWBB) June 14, 2018

Anne was always gracious, cooperative, and a pleasure to cover. She was demanding of her players in the area of giving an effort, playing hard on both ends of the floor. She would never call out a player in the media. A poor team effort may have been alluded to, but never singled out an individual player. She seemed to enjoy her time at Seton Hall, but the opportunity to get back to the WNBA was too much to pass up. Donovan left Seton Hall for the Connecticut Sun, which turned out to be her final stop on the coaching circuit. Beyond the numbers on the floor and wins on the sidelines, Anne Donovan was a pioneer and inspiration in the women’s game. She was honored by her Old Dominion alma mater in 2008 as an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her contributions to women’s basketball.

An outstanding inside player, Donovan could relate and teach players at all positions during her coaching days. Sue Bird, a standout with Seattle for years, credits Donovan for being responsible for much of her professional and international success. Bird was a key member of the 2004 WNBA championship outfit in Seattle.

The last few days, the messages and tributes for Donovan have been numerous, the memories morphing into an outpouring of love and devotion from so many involved in the women’s and men’s game as well. Anne Donovan was a true inspiration, an inspiration to someone with a basketball, a desire and a dream to reach a certain height through hard work. She inspired not only players, but coaches as well. In fact, all who love the women’s game undoubtedly find her an inspiration and an icon.

Very often, icons are placed on a pedestal and not available, per se, to the average person. Not so with Anne Donovan. She had time for everyone who she came in contact with. It was a sincere interest and giving time on her part that set her apart.

Anne Donovan will be missed. The lives she impacted, though, are significantly better. Her legacy lives on.

Katie Smith: Liberty needs to learn how to win

At 3-5 on young season, Katie Smith recognized opportunity to improve in first year as Liberty head coach, stressing need to win above all. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Following a hard-fought loss to the Phoenix Mercury one week ago, Katie Smith talked about doing the little things.

Those all-important items included caring for the ball, boxing out, following defensive assignments, and the like, things that do not materialize in the box score. Smith’s New York Liberty team has been competitive and very close, even with four setbacks decided by six points or less before their 78-63 loss to Las Vegas Wednesday night.

“I thought holding a high scoring team like them them to 78 would give us a great chance to win,” Smith remarked, citing the Aces’ average of 81 points per game entering Wednesday’s contest. However, it did not, the offense being a major reason why, and her primary issue at this point.

Aside from the turnover situation -- the Liberty committed 13 miscues in Wednesday’s loss -- a chief concern for the Liberty is getting complimentary scoring. Tina Charles is the number one option. Against Las Vegas, Charles led all scorers with 19 points, slightly off her 22-point per game average. Kia Nurse, the rookie out of UConn, has been effective early on as well, averaging 14.6 points per outing. With teams constantly doubling down -- as defensive minded Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer did --  as Charles gets the ball down low, supporting cast members such as Nurse have to step up and hit shots on a regular basis. Too often on Wednesday, Charles was doubled and forced to pass out of double-teams as the ball was reversed for an open perimeter look. The Liberty have shooters and they need to respond.

Bria Hartley, part of cadre of Liberty guards, backs down a Las Vegas defender. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Having guards again is a plus. Brittany Boyd is back from an injury. Against Las Vegas, Epiphanny Prince made her season debut. Prince could represent the shooting needed to take pressure off Charles.

“Epiphanny needs to get her legs back,” Smith said. “Once she rounds into playing form, she can help us.”

For Smith, though, it all comes down to coming up with added options.

“There are multiple ways to win,” she said. ‘You can play a knock-down, drag-out game, you can drive and kick. Teams are doing a nice job of doubling Tina. We have to learn to make plays around her.”

At 3-5, there is appreciable time remaining in the season. With the compressed schedule, though, it will be a challenge. Practice time and film sessions are at a premium as weeks of three games are becoming the norm. Beyond the numbers, Smith summed up the Liberty’s situation best.

“We have to learn foremost how to win,” she bluntly stated.

Monmouth stressing accountability within program as rebuild continues

Monmouth's growing pains last season prompted King Rice to admit he was to blame for some of Hawks' adversity, but veteran head coach insists his team will be better this season. (Photo by Vincent Simone/NYC Buckets)

One minute, King Rice and his program were on top of the world, winning 55 games over two seasons, collecting within its grasp a pair of regular season conference championships and trips to the National Invitation Tournament along the way.

The next, the Hawks picked up the pieces after graduating a program-changing senior class, enduring a tumultuous first season of a rebuild, yet simultaneously laying the foundation for what could very well be a group that leaves with similar accolades by the time its collective tenure reaches a conclusion.

Such is the cyclical nature of mid-major basketball, one in which Monmouth -- the giant-killing, bench-celebrating, attention-grabbing phenomenon of recent years -- is back on an upswing after an 11-20 beginning to life without a core led by point guard turned transcendent program legend Justin Robinson.

"With this group, we needed to start over and start fresh, and I didn't do the best job with that," Rice said of the Hawks' recalibration last season, one marked by two separate injuries to junior guard Micah Seaborn, projected to be an all-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference talent for a second straight campaign.

"Every year is a new year, regardless of if you're a returning team that has a lot of guys back and you're picked at the top, if you have a team that lost a lot of guys and you've got a lot of new guys that you're counting on. Whichever team you have, each year is a new year, and you truly have to start over every year. We've got a group of guys that did not like how our season went last year. Everybody's holding everybody accountable."

The infusion of young talent such as MAAC All-Rookie selection Deion Hammond, as well as the emergence of fellow freshmen Melik Martin, Marcus McClary, and George Papas over the second half of the season to an experienced core of role players the likes of Austin Tilghman and Zac Tillman projected to bring a prosperous long-term future to West Long Branch -- and still does -- but Rice was quick to point out that the initiative to assume leadership roles did not cultivate itself rapidly last season, yet has taken root this offseason.

"Those guys were leaders coming into the program, but they felt like they were young, so they didn't feel like their voices were as loud or weren't going to be accepted as much," he intimated. "We worked on that a lot with them, and those guys are leading in a lot of different ways now. We want them to be better as sophomores than they were as freshmen, and all of them have made that step already."

"All four of those kids had great freshman years," said Rice. "Everybody gets caught up in having impact and this and that, but those kids -- from when they got here to the end of the year -- have gotten better. George got mono in the middle of the season -- he played 45 or 50 minutes in our (four-overtime) game against Penn and then he got sick -- it just kind of happened. The impact that they made in our program -- Deion was on the All-Rookie team, Marcus really got better as the year went along -- you make big strides between your freshman and sophomore seasons, and right now, they look like different kids."

A parallel can be made between this coming season and the growth that Monmouth made between the 2013-14 season -- the program's first in the MAAC after departing the Northeast Conference -- and 2014-15, when the Hawks went from an 11-21 outfit to one that won 18 games and came within one win of a conference championship game, falling victim to a record-setting three-point barrage from Iona in the semifinals. Regardless, Rice -- always blunt and brutally honest in his self-critiques -- did not shy away from admitting that he was partly to blame for last year's struggles, and has taken preventive steps to ensure that the next iteration of Monmouth basketball will thrive compared to that which came before it.

"I'm not a guy that makes a lot of excuses," he said. "We had a lot of talent on our team last year, and I didn't do the best job as the coach. I need to be a better coach, I need to do a better job of reaching my young men on a daily basis, I need to do a better job of making sure my staff reaches our team. I don't think I created an environment last year for these kids to have fun, and that really showed through in areas when you watch our games."

"This happened to me when I had Justin and Josh (James) and all those guys, too. At some point, I felt like I was taking the fun out of it. I had to get out of the way a little bit to allow these kids to flourish and shine, and we're at that point again. I need to give them some space to flourish and shine, and I understand that more clearly now than I did at the start of last year. I'm making those changes with myself and my staff so that we can be better coaches, and if we're better coaches, our team will have better success."

Laimbeer infusing winning ways with Las Vegas Aces

Bill Laimbeer's return trip to New York produced a win with Las Vegas Aces. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Bill Laimbeer wants to win. 

He is a competitor, and one only has to look back on the tapes from his NBA days for evidence. Now in his first year coaching the Las Vegas Aces, whose overtime win at Indiana the prior night moved the former San Antonio Stars to 2-7, Laimbeer was facing his former New York Liberty team Wednesday night. But for 40 minutes, sentiment is tossed aside. Laimbeer is here to get a win.

The Aces -- by virtue of an outstanding second half -- did just that, defeating the Liberty by a 78-63 count before 1,419 at Westchester County Center. The teams were relatively even over the first half, with Las Vegas holding a four-point lead at the intermission. Following the first four minutes of the third period, that lead had increased to seven as the visitors began pulling away. The Liberty did score the game’s final five points in the waning seconds to add a glaze to the outcome, but make no mistake, it was a significant win for the Aces.

“From my first day of training camp, defense has been a priority,” Laimbeer said. “We are young, and our players are catching on to what we want to do on the defensive end. We need improvements, but I think we are coming around.”

Laimbeer stressed the fact that this was not an emotional game for him, but did sell his team on the fact it was their lone trip to New York this season, urging the Aces to make the most of it by showing local fans and media what they can do. 

As for facing his old team? 

“We first and foremost want to win,” he said following the Aces’ second straight triumph. “As far as facing my old team, it didn’t matter that much. We were concerned with what we had to do, but I have to say it was nice to see some familiar faces.”

Bill Laimbeer handles postgame media obligations in return to New York. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

He spoke of his time with the Detroit Shock and the Liberty, connecting to his present position. 

“We won a championship in Detroit, we didn’t here," he said, "but we are aiming for that in Las Vegas. We have good management on the same page about winning and we look at the Golden Knights as a model of what can be accomplished.”

For now, though, is win number three -- the second in two nights -- and as Laimbeer added in a partially humorous vein, “our first win streak in franchise history."

The Aces placed four players in double figures, led by Dearica Hamby with 17 points and Kayla McBride with 16, while No.1 overall WNBA Draft pick A’ja Wilson added 13. On the flip side, Wilson’s 3-of-11 shooting from the floor yielded a positive, proving the Aces will not rely on the South Carolina product to provide an opportunity to win. The night before, her career-high 35 points led Las Vegas to their win at Indiana.

“She’s coming along fine,” Laimbeer said of Wilson. “We have to have shooters around her. Outside shooters open things up and will make her even more effective as time goes on.”

For Laimbeer, relaxing postgame thoughts of Dallas in two days could be put aside for a moment. The Aces will have played their fourth road game in six days after Friday. 

“The biggest thing with a young team is teaching them to win,” he said. “We are 3-7. I'll take that for now. We're still learning how to win, and these games and experiences are teaching our younger kids.”

MAAC Monday: Returning scoring by percentage, and how important it really is

Our offseason MAAC Monday content, which will be spaced out over the course of the next several weeks, begins today with a look at returning offense through the lens of percentage of total points from the previous season. We will also take a closer look at just how crucial continuity is in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by looking at similar numbers from the previous three seasons and where each school finished in the final regular season standings. With that said, here are the preliminary figures for 2018-19, and if there are any roster changes we did not take into account, please inform us so that we can update our totals accordingly:

2018-19 returning scoring, by percentage, among MAAC schools from highest to lowest:
1) Rider (94.7 percent)
2) Marist (87.0)
3) Saint Peter's (72.4)
4) Quinnipiac (72.0)
5) Monmouth (65.9)
6) Canisius (65.3)
7) Siena (55.2)
8) Niagara (50.4)
9) Fairfield (49.5)
10) Iona (49.0)
11) Manhattan (25.2)

2017-18 returning scoring by percentage among MAAC schools from highest to lowest, followed by eventual regular season and postseason finishes:
1) Niagara (86.9 percent, finished 3rd in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and lost in CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round)
2) Manhattan (75.7, 5th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
3) Marist (59.6, 11th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
4) Fairfield (56.6, 6th in regular season, MAAC Tournament runner-up)
5) Iona (46.0, 4th in regular season, MAAC Tournament champion, lost in NCAA Tournament round of 64)
6) Canisius (43.8, 2nd in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and lost in College Basketball Invitational first round)
7) Monmouth (38.0, 8th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
8) Saint Peter's (35.1, 9th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals)
9) Rider (31.4, MAAC regular season champion, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and lost in National Invitation Tournament first round)
10) Quinnipiac (30.9, 7th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals)
11) Siena (27.5, 10th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)

2016-17 returning scoring by percentage among MAAC schools from highest to lowest, followed by eventual regular season and postseason finishes:
1) Marist (89.9 percent, finished 10th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
2) Monmouth* (88.7, MAAC regular season champion, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals and lost in National Invitation Tournament first round)
3) Siena (81.8, 4th in regular season, MAAC Tournament runner-up)
4) Saint Peter's# (80.7, 2nd in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals, CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament champion)
5) Fairfield (69.5, 5th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and lost in CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round)
6) Manhattan& (62.5, 11th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
7) Canisius (58.0, 7th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and lost in CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round)
8) Rider (54.8, 6th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
9) Niagara (54.3, 9th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
10) Quinnipiac+ (52.6, 8th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
11) Iona (39.0, 3rd in regular season, MAAC Tournament champion, lost in NCAA Tournament round of 64)
* - Monmouth's total includes Zac Tillman, who redshirted during 2016-17 season.
# - Saint Peter's total includes Cameron Jones, who redshirted during 2016-17 season.
& - Manhattan's total includes Rich Williams and Matt Maloney, who redshirted during 2016-17 season.
+ - Quinnipiac's total includes Aaron Robinson, who redshirted during 2016-17 season.

2015-16 returning scoring by percentage among MAAC schools from highest to lowest, followed by eventual regular season and postseason finishes:
1) Fairfield* (82.5 percent, finished 5th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals and lost in CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round)
2) Rider (72.5, 8th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
3) Iona (70.2 percent, 2nd in regular season, MAAC Tournament champion, lost in NCAA Tournament round of 64)
4) Monmouth (69.3 percent, MAAC regular season champion and tournament runner-up, lost in National Invitation Tournament second round)
5) Siena# (64.2, 3rd in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament semifinals and lost in College Basketball Invitational first round)
6) Canisius (50.4, 7th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
7) Manhattan (48.7, 6th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
8) Marist (47.2, 11th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
9) Niagara (41.7, 10th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
10) Saint Peter's (36.4, 4th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament quarterfinals)
11) Quinnipiac (34.0, 9th in regular season, lost in MAAC Tournament first round)
* - Fairfield's total includes Amadou Sidibe, who redshirted during 2015-16 season.

This coming season will mark the third time in the last four years that the majority of MAAC schools will return half of their offensive productivity from the previous campaign, with the only exception being last season, when only four teams had an incumbent mark greater than 50 percent. The departure of household names such as Justin Robinson, Jordan Washington, and Siena's four seniors after the 2016-17 season made last year seem as though it were a down year for the MAAC on paper, yet four teams still managed to receive postseason invitations, down just one from the season before.

Iona is slowly rebuilding an experienced core once again after seeing the majority of its roster turn over following the first of its three straight conference championships, or at least the numbers seem to indicate such. The loss of points and the names that went along with them, though, has not gotten in the way of Tim Cluess' knack for reloading with players that not only fit his system, but produce in greater and more versatile capacities than their previous destinations had seen. The Gaels return 49 percent of their scoring from this past season, but welcome in a pair of highly touted transfers in Robert Morris wing Isaiah Still and Eastern Kentucky guard Asante Gist, the latter of whom is a former star at St. Anthony under the great Bob Hurley, and will be eligible in December as he completes the remainder of his year in residence.

This season marks the third straight year that Marist ranks among the top three in returning production, but the Red Foxes have had little to show for it in the past two campaigns under former head coach Mike Maker, who -- for all his basketball acumen -- was hard-pressed to stop the bleeding on the defensive end. Marist will undergo a total 180 on that side of the basketball this season, as new head coach John Dunne has no doubt already stressed the importance of the same defensive fundamentals that took his Saint Peter's program to a pair of postseason tournaments under his watch in perhaps the most daunting environment in the conference to produce a consistent winner.

The intrigue surrounding Rider as the Broncs return nearly everyone from last year's regular season championship outfit -- while also adding Minnesota transfer Ahmad Gilbert -- will be among the top storylines to watch in the MAAC this season. Head coach Kevin Baggett has received fair -- and in some cases, warranted -- criticism for failing to advance past the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament in each of his six years at the helm in Lawrenceville, but the odds are in his favor here. Of the five teams returning more than 80 percent of their offense from the previous season over the last three years, three have made it to at least Sunday in Albany, with Siena nearly winning it all in 2017.

Moving up the New Jersey Turnpike, Shaheen Holloway inherits a steady roster as he begins his head coaching career at Saint Peter's, and should be able to mold the Peacocks' young and hungry backcourt instantly. Look for a season similar to that of Baker Dunleavy's first year at Quinnipiac last season, where the Bobcats showed flashes of competitiveness far ahead of their expectations and ultimately reached the MAAC Tournament semifinals. Even if Saint Peter's does not get that far in March, year one of their new regime should be an overall success. Speaking of Quinnipiac, the return of Cameron Young to an uber-talented stable of guards in Hamden only makes the conference's X-factor even more formidable, and the most likely threat to unseat Iona and Rider among the MAAC's elite. Canisius will be in the lead pack as well, led by probable Preseason Player of the Year Isaiah Reese and reigning Rookie of the Year Takal Molson, but the loss of Jermaine Crumpton will be a significant blow for the Golden Griffins until they have proven they can replace their four-year stalwart and workhorse. The same can be said of Monmouth and how the Hawks must replace Micah Seaborn, but his absence through the second half of last season will end up proving to be a blessing in disguise for King Rice this year. Deion Hammond will play his way into all-MAAC recognition by the end of the season, especially if Ray Salnave becomes the facilitator that everyone in West Long Branch predicts he will be.

Siena may have lost four of its top six scorers from last season, but the good news for Jamion Christian is that he has a cadre of shooters to help make the transition into Mayhem a seamless one. The Saints could very well possess two of the league's top ten marksmen in their own backcourt, as Khalil Richard returns alongside likely starting point guard Kadeem Smithen, who will return for his senior season.

Fairfield and Niagara look poised to take steps back, on paper at least, as the MAAC's top three scorers -- Tyler Nelson, Kahlil Dukes, and Matt Scott -- have all graduated from the two institutions. The Stags, though, are better equipped to sustain the blow of losing Nelson -- their all-time leading scorer -- as Jesus Cruz is in line for a breakout sophomore campaign while Aidas Kavaliauskas gets a full season to show off his passing skills after visa problems delayed his debut last year. Incoming freshman Neftali Alvarez, considered to be Sydney Johnson's best recruit since arriving in the Nutmeg State, will also be counted on to make an immediate impact.

Finally, Manhattan has only five players who saw minutes last season returning to the program this year, which makes Steve Masiello's eighth campaign in Riverdale his most challenging. The Jaspers will likely be viewed as a major underdog to begin the year, but that is exactly how their veteran coach wants it, as it will allow Pauly Paulicap to fly somewhat under the radar while maintaining his game-changing abilities on both sides of the basketball. The biggest key for Manhattan will be how Masiello's six-man incoming class -- which includes redshirt freshman Warren Williams, who will likely pair with Paulicap down low -- handles its collective baptism into the most physical style of play in the MAAC. If they develop ahead of schedule, a season similar to Masiello's 21-win debut in 2011-12 could be in the offing, but if the growing pains persist, it will just as easily be a trying and tumultuous five months.

Rich Ensor on MAAC Tournament, Atlantic City, sports betting, 20-game schedule

MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor addresses impending move of conference tournament to Atlantic City in press conference Friday. (Photo by The Press of Atlantic City)

In a message to commissioner Rich Ensor shortly after the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference extended its contract with Albany's Times Union Center by two years to keep its men's and women's basketball championships in New York's capital, the presidents of the eleven member institutions signed off with their support, but told Ensor to find a neutral site for the next bidding cycle, which covers the 2020-22 tournaments.

The commissioner -- and the league -- did exactly that on Friday, declaring that the MAAC would move its postseason basketball tournaments to Atlantic City following next season's Albany farewell, holding a press conference at historic Boardwalk Hall to consummate the decision, choosing the 10,000-plus seat arena over Nassau Coliseum and the incumbent bid from Times Union Center.

"As we started narrowing down our choices between Nassau, Atlantic City and Albany, the presidents' message of trying to find a neutral site that could be a destination for our fans, and yet maintain our structure in terms of the format of the tournament and our revenue stream, was stressed," Ensor said after the formal announcement was made Friday morning. "It became apparent that, as you checked off those boxes, Atlantic City was hitting them all. It had a very attractive package, the financing and underwriting of expenses, it has a history of postseason events including Atlantic 10 tournaments, and the fact that it was very much a neutral site -- and also a destination site where we can get some very attractive options for hotels, dining, shopping and gaming -- all seem to indicate that the direction was to really to take a hard look at Atlantic City."

The league conducted a site visit at Boardwalk Hall in early February, reaffirming the positives listed above when considering a return to New Jersey -- who last hosted a MAAC Tournament when Trenton welcomed the league in 2003 -- and, as mentioned, the former home of the Atlantic 10 for six seasons between 2007 and 2012 before the league moved into newer digs at Barclays Center.

"By far, the energy, the marketing, the operational details -- it was apparent that they wanted the MAAC," said Ensor. "That was important to them, and they were willing to put behind it this package. We really made it work for us as a league, and when we went into the April meetings with the ADs and senior women's administrators -- they had all been on the site committee -- their recommendation was Atlantic City. And then when we had the presidents' meeting on Wednesday, we went through all the details, but we didn't spend an inordinate amount of time on it, because there was a full consensus that we wanted to be here in Atlantic City. The vote, in that case, was unanimous."

The move to Atlantic City marks the MAAC's return to a true neutral site for the first time since its three-year tryst with Springfield, from 2012 to 2014. While the MassMutual Center was an ambitious experiment, the move was largely panned due to lackluster attendance figures and early exits by schools with sizable traveling fan bases such as Siena and Marist, not to mention a lack of tourist attractions in the downtown area. When the concern of avoiding another pitfall came up, the commissioner was confident that such an issue would not present itself.

"I think it's an established destination site, and it's on the rebound in terms of the investment that's coming into the marketplace," Ensor pointed out. "The Hard Rock casino is opening this month, Revel (now the Ocean Resort Casino) is being rebranded and reopened. I think as a destination site, it works. It has multitudes of dining, hotel and entertainment options, which shows at the casinos, and also the gaming opportunities that are present. We're fairly confident that it's a much different venue and site than what we had in Springfield."

In addition to the ancillary benefits of Atlantic City, the Supreme Court's recent decision to legalize sports betting has made the MAAC's new home a topic of conversation on the gambling front as well, with nearby Monmouth Park poised to be among the first New Jersey venues to open a sportsbook in the immediate future. While Ensor admitted he did not expect the decision to be much of a concern, he did stress the importance of educating those in the MAAC about the impact it can wield.

"It wasn't so much a concern," he said. "We talked about it at the meeting, because we had our legal counsel present. I think there was some thought that we need to educate our teams, coaches and players better about some of the issues surrounding things like injury reports and so forth, that these are going to become much more important to a lot of people as they start gambling on games."

"There's an educational component to that, but on the other side -- on a strict interest in betting college basketball -- we thought that going to the last Saturday of the season, right before Selection Sunday, when all the interest is focused on college basketball nationwide, and now we're going to be in a city where there's going to be sports wagering -- not necessarily on the MAAC games -- that might lead to more attendance at the MAAC Tournament, just because there's fans in the area. It's a two-sided thing, but we do have to do a good job of educating our students and coaches about the dangers, too."

The MAAC also announced its intent to revert to a 20-game schedule, beginning with the 2019-20 season, after going back to its traditional 18-game slate for both this past season and the coming campaign, but Ensor was quick to point out that it was not a knee-jerk reaction to non-conference performance or postseason seeding concerns.

"At the end of the day, there are so many opinions on that," he said. "We said if the ADs want to revert back to this, we'll revert back to it. I don't know that the presidents think strongly one way or the other, whether it should be 18 or 20, but they were willing to defer to the ADs. We'll manage it at 20, and if in a few years they want to go back to 18, we'll manage that too."

With the journey to Atlantic City comes the concession of the MAAC's longtime Monday night championship game in the first week of March, six days before Selection Sunday. Boardwalk Hall has long been associated with the New Jersey state high school wrestling championships that weekend, which forced Ensor to move his own championships back five days, going head-to-head with power conferences such as the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences. However, the commissioner sees no negative effects of that move, maintaining a stance that the league's joining of an action-packed championship weekend across the sport will be more a boon than a bane to its bottom line.

"I don't think it's necessarily a negative for us," Ensor optimistically stated. "With our investment in ESPN -- we had 317 broadcasts this year and we're on schedule for, by 2022, to have 600 a year on their networks -- we know we'll have a platform for the games. Now, will it be ESPN or ESPN2? I don't know. We'll have to enter into negotiations with ESPN on that, but we know we can get the broadcasts to our fans that need to see it that way."

"We also think that, as people are focused on the automatic qualifiers, there's going to be a lot of talk about the MAAC and who's coming out of the MAAC, if there'll be an at-large out of the MAAC. With everybody focused on college basketball that weekend, there's some upside for us involved in this, too, and it differentiates us from a lot of our competition. We are up against the best teams in college basketball, and we're willing to be judged by that."

MAAC Tournament headed to Atlantic City beginning in 2020

Boardwalk Hall, seen here hosting Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2012, will once again welcome postseason basketball in 2020 when MAAC moves its conference tournament out of Albany. (Photo by The Press of Atlantic City)

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball championships are once again on the move.

The conference, and commissioner Rich Ensor, announced that the tournament -- held for the past four seasons at Albany's Times Union Center, where it will once again be held next March in the building's final year of the current contract with the MAAC -- will move to venerable Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The new venue will be the site of the MAAC Tournament for three years, beginning in 2020 and continuing through 2022, with league members Monmouth and Rider acting as co-hosts.

"It's a great thrill for me personally to have the MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships hosted by Atlantic City in the world-famous Boardwalk Hall," Ensor said in a Friday morning press conference. "As a lifelong resident of the Jersey shore I know what a great destination site Atlantic City will be with numerous entertainment, hotel, gaming and dining options to compliment an exciting week of men's and women's college hoops."

The tournament was moved back to Albany before the 2015 season after a three-year experiment in Springfield, Massachusetts yielded suboptimal attendance figures. However, when the league's deal with Times Union Center was extended for two seasons beyond the three-year cycle that expired in 2017, there was a push among the MAAC institutions' administrators and presidents to return the tournament to a true neutral site. Times Union Center, the home court for Siena, has long been viewed as holding a home court advantage, even though the Saints have only advanced past the quarterfinal round once in the four years that the tournament has been back in Albany.

When he addressed the future of the MAAC Tournament in 2016, Ensor cited a desire to move closer to the New York metropolitan area, yet remained cognizant of the logistical obstacles that lie in such a path.

"There remains a strong sense among some of the MAAC presidents that if we can get into a metropolitan New York facility, it would help raise or elevate the entire brand, and I think we've known that for a long time," he said. "It's finding a building that is interested and also works for us financially."

Atlantic City's bid was selected in a unanimous vote among the MAAC presidents over Nassau Coliseum and Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, which hosted the MAAC Tournament in 2011, and the longtime casino hub gained traction as the prohibitive favorite after the MAAC conducted a site visit at Boardwalk Hall this past February.

With the move comes a scheduling change, however, as the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association holds the annual high school wrestling championships at Boardwalk Hall during the first weekend in March, which has traditionally been marked for the MAAC Tournament. The MAAC will move back five days, playing a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule that culminates with the tournament championships being held the day before Selection Sunday, a slot on the calendar that is headlined by the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences contesting their own tournament championships, among others.

"The new dates place the MAAC Tournament in the weekend when all college basketball fans are anticipating team selections for the NCAA Championships and the league membership believes it will bring a new level of excitement for the teams and fans," said Ensor.

Ensor also announced the MAAC would be moving back to a 20-game league schedule, allowing for a double-round-robin between the conference's eleven programs, effective with the 2019-20 season, and eliminated restrictions that excluded MAAC schools from playing certain Division I teams. Prior to the 2017-18 season, the conference reverted to an 18-game schedule with an intent to promote stronger non-conference slates in the wake of Monmouth having been snubbed from the NCAA Tournament after winning the MAAC's regular season in both 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Future MAAC Tournament Dates
2020: March 10-14
2021: March 9-13
2022: March 8-12