Rider unanimous pick to win MAAC, Iona picked in 3rd-place tie

Stevie Jordan is one of two first-team all-conference selections for Rider, whose regular season title last year and incumbent rotation's return earned Broncs distinction of unanimous pick to win MAAC. (Photo by Vincent Simone/NYC Buckets)

Rider overachieved last season, winning 22 games and a regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship with the aid of everyone in its rotation returning for the 2018-19 campaign, where the Broncs were immediately projected to be a force in the MAAC despite Iona having wrapped up its third consecutive conference tournament crown last March.

The positive sentiment regarding Rider carried through the offseason, and presented itself officially Tuesday evening, as the Broncs were revealed as the unanimous choice to win the MAAC, receiving all eleven first-place votes for a total of 121 points. Iona, the league's NCAA Tournament representative in five of the past seven seasons, was picked in a third-place tie with upstart Quinnipiac, whose guard play and upside under head coach Baker Dunleavy projects for an ascending trajectory.

Canisius, the team with whom Rider shared regular season title honors last season, split the Broncs, Gaels and Bobcats, receiving 105 points to earn the second-place honor in the preseason poll. The Golden Griffins also nabbed Preseason Player of the Year honors, as junior guard Isaiah Reese -- one of only two unanimous first-team all-MAAC selections, Rider's Dimencio Vaughn being the other -- built off his impressive sophomore season with the title of top player in the league bestowed upon him.

Rider and Iona were the only schools to place one player on each of the three preseason all-conference teams. Joining Vaughn on the first team for the Broncs is junior point guard Stevie Jordan, while sophomores Frederick Scott and Jordan Allen landed on the second and third teams, respectively. For the reigning postseason champion Gaels, senior floor general Rickey McGill was a first-team preseason honoree, with Roland Griffin selected to the second team and E.J. Crawford, whose basket in overtime of the 2017 MAAC Championship proved to be the game-winner, on the third team.

Following the top four, Monmouth was selected fifth in the poll, with Marist and new head coach John Dunne a close sixth. Fairfield, Manhattan, Niagara, Saint Peter's, and Siena -- the latter two programs welcoming new head coaches in Shaheen Holloway and Jamion Christian -- completed the prognostications.

2018-19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

1) Rider (121 points - unanimous first-place selection)

2) Canisius (105)

T-3) Iona (94)

T-3) Quinnipiac (94)

5) Monmouth (66)

6) Marist (59)

7) Fairfield (50)

8) Manhattan (46)

9) Niagara (45)

10) Saint Peter's (28)

11) Siena (18)

2018-19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team

Isaiah Reese, Canisius (Preseason Player of the Year, unanimous selection)

Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (unanimous selection)

Stevie Jordan, Rider

Rickey McGill, Iona

Cameron Young, Quinnipiac

Second Team (in alphabetical order)

Roland Griffin, Iona

Takal Molson, Canisius

Brian Parker, Marist

Pauly Paulicap, Manhattan

Frederick Scott, Rider

Third Team (in alphabetical order)

Jordan Allen, Rider

E.J. Crawford, Iona

Deion Hammond, Monmouth

Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac

Marvin Prochet, Niagara