2019-20 MBWA awards ballot

At the present moment, we stand a full 18 days into the offseason, a premature arrival of college basketball’s end brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic that has already affected thousands and swept up almost all organized sports in its tidal wave of destruction. But the disappointing conclusion to a great year has not stopped us from participating in an annual ritual around these parts, that of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association awards, honors that this writer is proud to have a vote on for the eighth consecutive year.

The yearly ceremony at the Westchester Marriott has been shelved this year in accordance with governor Andrew Cuomo’s request to avoid large gatherings wherever possible as New York and its surrounding brethren continue to recover, but the recognitions will still be handed out nonetheless. As I always do, both here in this space and on Twitter, I will reveal my ballot so that you can not only see how I voted, but offer your own opinions as well should you have any:

Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award: Myles Powell, Seton Hall (21.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
Powell returned for his senior season with one goal in mind: To lead Seton Hall to its best season since the banner 1992-93 campaign. Extenuating circumstances prevented the Trenton native from having one final March to remember, but Powell wrapped up his career in South Orange by finishing third on Seton Hall’s all-time scoring list, as well as earning both Big East Conference Player of the Year honors and Associated Press first team All-America distinction, the first Pirate to achieve either since Terry Dehere 27 years ago. Powell will also become the first repeat Haggerty winner since Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins won his second of three straight awards as the best player in the metropolitan area in 2010.

Also considered: Desure Buie, Hofstra; E.J. Crawford, Iona

Rest of All-Met first team, in alphabetical order:
Geo Baker, Rutgers
Desure Buie, Hofstra
E.J. Crawford, Iona
Ron Harper, Jr., Rutgers
Eli Pemberton, Hofstra

All-Met second team, in alphabetical order:
Tajuan Agee, Iona
Romaro Gill, Seton Hall
Deion Hammond, Monmouth
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall
Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall

All-Met third team, in alphabetical order:
Isaac Kante, Hofstra
Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook
Ray Salnave, Monmouth
Mike Smith, Columbia
Dimencio Vaughn, Rider

Honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:
E.J. Anosike, Sacred Heart
Raiquan Clark, LIU
Tareq Coburn, Hofstra
Zach Cooks, NJIT
Jahlil Jenkins, Fairleigh Dickinson
Jalen Ray, Hofstra

Rookie of the Year: Julian Champagnie, St. John’s (9.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.3 SPG, photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose of Hoops)
Mike Anderson gushed over Champagnie’s potential before the freshman from Brooklyn had even played a game, mentioning his belief at Big East media day that the former Bishop Loughlin would be an impact player. His conviction became reality early and often, as Champagnie — whose father played soccer for the Red Storm a quarter-century prior to the second-generation athlete’s debut on the corner of Union and Utopia — made a name for himself with his deft touch around the rim and nose for rebounding, skills that reignited during St. John’s resurgent stretch drive, which included signature victories against a pair of teams in Providence and Creighton that were ticketed for the NCAA Tournament before its cancellation two weeks ago.

Also considered: Aaron Estrada, Saint Peter’s; Rob Higgins, St. Francis Brooklyn

Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year Award: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose of Hoops)
Given the state of Rutgers basketball before he was lured to the banks of the old Raritan by athletic director Pat Hobbs in 2016, what the affable and relentless Pikiell did this season in Piscataway qualifies as a modern-day miracle. In just four short years, Pikiell built the Scarlet Knights into the same team he developed at Stony Brook: A fearless, intense, defense-oriented outfit that competed in every game and fought each possession as if it were its last on earth. Before the season was halted, Rutgers stood 20-11 and was a lock to appear in its first NCAA Tournament since 1991. With nearly everyone coming back next season, plus a rookie class headlined by Top 50 prospect Cliff Omoruyi of Roselle Catholic, the future is brighter than ever for the State University of New Jersey’s program.

Also considered: Joe Mihalich, Hofstra; Mike Anderson, St. John’s

Rick Pitino returns to college basketball, will replace Cluess at Iona

Rick Pitino, away from college basketball since 2017, is returning as Tim Cluess’ successor at Iona. (Photo by Sports Illustrated)

Rick Pitino is back in the college basketball landscape.

The Hall of Fame head coach, exiled by two NCAA scandals that led to his demise at Louisville in 2017, has agreed to become the next head coach at Iona College, replacing Tim Cluess, who resigned Friday after ten years at the helm in New Rochelle.

“My passion in basketball started in New York and will end there at Iona College,” Pitino said in a release issued moments ago by Iona. “Tim Cluess has done a spectacular job creating success and a winning spirit. I wish Tim a speedy recovery and Iona will always cherish his accomplishments.”

“At Iona, I will work with the same passion, hunger and drive that I’ve had for over 40 years. There is a real professionalism in how things are run here and this is a very tight, strong community. The priority in New Rochelle right now is helping students continue their education online in light of the coronavirus, and I very much look forward to the day when the community is back on campus and to get to work on further elevating this strong program.”

The only coach in NCAA history to win national championships at two different schools, as well as one of only two coaches — John Calipari being the other — to take three schools to the Final Four, Pitino, 67, had been coaching Panathinaikos in the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague since being fired by Louisville in light of the pay-for-play scandal involving Brian Bowen, who had allegedly been compensated by Adidas representatives to play at Louisville, a program for whom Adidas serves as the apparel outfitter. This came just two years after a scandal involving escort Katina Powell being paid to supply female escorts for Pitino’s players at Louisville between 2010 and 2014. The school later vacated its 2013 national championship as a result of a subsequent NCAA investigation, which cited Pitino with a Level i violation for lack of institutional control. However, Pitino met with NCAA officials while coaching in Greece, and believes he will not be disciplined any further.

“I feel very comfortable (with my situation),” he told the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I have total confidence in the judgment of the NCAA.”

His controversies aside, Pitino is arguably one of the world’s premier basketball minds and talent evaluators, having compiled an official record of 647-271 (770-274 including vacated results) in a career spanning over four decades at Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, receiving the ultimate honor when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. He won the 1996 national championship at Kentucky before losing to Arizona in the title game the following season, and also coached both the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in two separate stints in the National Basketball Association. In addition, he has developed countless professional players and seen 21 of his former assistant coaches become head coaches; namely his son, Richard, at the University of Minnesota, Billy Donovan of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Willard at Seton Hall University, and Steve Masiello at Manhattan College, against whom he will now coach twice a year as the Jaspers are Iona’s longtime Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival.

“I am delighted to welcome Rick Pitino to Gael Nation,” Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski said. “Rick is a Hall of Fame coach who has won at the highest levels, and he is committed to leading our student-athletes and our program to national prominence. He brings passion and energy, and shares our desire to build a winning program that will make our community proud.”

The timeline of events surrounding Pitino’s hire predates Cluess’ sudden resignation, as Iona boosters reportedly met with Pitino in Greece while the recently-concluded basketball season was still going on. Cluess had stepped away from the sideline to tend to an undisclosed health matter days before the year began, leaving the program in the hands of associate head coach Tra Arnold. Pitino’s relationships with Iona president Seamus Carey from his time at Kentucky and business relationship with Iona booster Robert LaPenta — who the coach is a co-owner of several thoroughbred racehorses with — were instrumental in luring Pitino back to the game he loved, and clearly missed.

“I took the job wanting it to be my last job,” Pitino said to Braziller. “I spoke to numerous people about it and I’m glad I’m ending it with a small Catholic school that has the potential to be built up into a major power. It’s a perfect fit at a perfect time in my life. My biggest regret in coaching was leaving Providence College. They were two magical years in my life. It was a small Catholic school with a small gym I loved so much. I’m going back to a similar situation. I know I’ll love it equally the same.”

“Rick has demonstrated that he cares deeply about helping student-athletes achieve great success on and off the court,” said Carey. “After a thorough interview process, we are confident that Rick’s experience and commitment to Iona and our community make him the right person to continue to build on Tim Cluess’ success. We welcome Rick and his family to New Rochelle and look forward to accomplishing big things together.”

Information on a formal introduction of Pitino to the Iona community has yet to be determined. Forbes’ Adam Zagoria reported that his contract is a five-year agreement, with terms not disclosed. The Journal News later revealed Pitino’s compensation will be “slightly less” than the $1.1 million annual salary Cluess received at the time of his resignation.

Siena vs. Manhattan Photo Gallery

Photos from Siena’s 63-49 win over Manhattan in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, on March 11, 2020:

(All photos by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Tim Cluess steps down at Iona after historic 10-year run

Tim Cluess’ tenure at Iona is over after Gaels’ head coach stepped down Friday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Not even 24 hours after the abrupt end of the college basketball season, the end of an era has occurred in New Rochelle.

Tim Cluess, head coach at Iona for the past decade, announced Friday that he would step down from his position, but continue to serve the program in an advisory role.

“I want to sincerely thank the Iona College community and administration for the opportunity to be a part of Gael Nation for the past ten years,” Cluess said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “I appreciate the concern and care that the Iona community, particularly (President) Dr. (Seamus) Carey, has demonstrated for me and my family over the past few months as I have been dealing with a complicated health issue that kept me from coaching.”

“I look forward to my new role and assisting the College in every way I can going forward. On behalf of myself and my family, I want to thank Gael Nation, including every student-athlete I had the honor to coach, for all their ever-present and vocal support. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together and look forward to supporting the program in my new advisory role.”

Cluess, who turned 61 this past Monday, made the jump from Division II LIU Post to Iona in 2010 and quickly made an impact, turning the Gaels back into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference powerhouse they had been in the 1990s and 2000s. In his tenure on the Hynes Athletics Center sidelines, Iona went to six NCAA Tournaments and earned just the second at-large bid in MAAC history, in 2012. The Gaels also won five MAAC tournament championships under Cluess’ watch, including the last four prior to this now-concluded season, becoming the first MAAC program to ever win four consecutive postseason men’s basketball tournaments. Until the 2018-19 season, Cluess’ teams had won at least 20 games in every year at the helm. He was replaced by associate head coach Tra Arnold this season to tend to an undisclosed health issue, but Iona’s record remained credited to him. He leaves Iona with a record of 211-125, and an overall mark of 331-158 in the college ranks after an equally successful stint at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, where he went 265-78 and developed several future collegiate and pro players, most notably Danny Green of the Los Angeles Lakers.

At Iona, the list of Cluess’ players reads like a Who’s Who of MAAC history, with scores of all-conference honorees donning the maroon and gold such as Mike Glover, Sean Armand, A.J. English, Schadrac Casimir, Jordan Washington, Rickey McGill, E.J. Crawford and Tajuan Agee, and three more — Scott Machado, Momo Jones and David Laury — named MAAC Player of the Year during their senior seasons.

“We’re extremely proud of Tim Cluess and how he represented our program over the last ten years,” Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski said. “He elevated Iona men’s basketball and put us into the national spotlight on an annual basis. I want to recognize Coach’s resilience in dealing with a complicated health situation that kept him off the court this last season. We will continue to support Tim and his family as he manages this health matter, and are very happy he will continue to contribute in an advisory role and remain an important part of the Iona family.”

Several of Cluess’ former players and colleagues took to social media in the wake of the announcement to share their memories and support of their former coach.

“The man that changed my life,” Crawford tweeted. “I still remember the day Coach Cluess came to St. Thomas More and offered me my scholarship! Knew it was the right place from our first conversation.”

“TC changed so many young men’s lives during his years at Iona,” said Armand, Cluess’ first recruit at Iona. “Giving someone an opportunity is all you need sometimes, and he has done it for so many. Prayers up for my guy.”

“One of the best coaches I ever played for,” McGill echoed. “It hurts me that he has to end off his coaching career like this at Iona. Praying for him to get back 100% healthy.”

It is not known at this time exactly where Glovaski and Iona will go with a search process to find Cluess’ successor. Rumors have circulated that former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino is interested in the job and met with Iona boosters, but the leading candidate — and the most logical one at that — would be Jared Grasso, Cluess’ longtime former assistant who just completed his second season as the head coach at Bryant University. Grasso is also the popular choice among many of the former Iona players he helped recruit and develop in eight years on Cluess’ staff.

“Iona should hire Coach Grasso,” McGill added. “He helped build a legacy at Iona with Coach Cluess and produced over 20+ professional athletes.”

“To add to this, I know Jared Grasso would be the first person I would call if I was the AD,” Aaron Rountree III, an integral part of Iona’s 2016 MAAC championship team, tweeted. “(He) recruited basically every pro that helped build the dynasty that is Iona men’s basketball, and knows the MAAC (and what it takes to dominate it) as well as anyone. Ask any of the alumni.”

Saint Peter’s vs. Iona Photo Gallery

Photos from Saint Peter’s 56-54 win over Iona in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, on March 11, 2020:

(All photos by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

MAAC tournament canceled due to Coronavirus pandemic

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Following the unprecedented move by almost every other college basketball conference to cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments within the past 24 hours due to the increasing Coronavirus pandemic, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has officially preempted its 2020 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, which had begun Tuesday at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

“It’s a tough day in sports as this country faces a major crisis,” MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor said, announcing the halt of the first postseason tournaments to be played in Atlantic City, which will host the MAAC again in 2021 and 2022. “The season has been canceled, the tournament has been canceled, effective immediately.”

“We had two conference calls today with the MAAC Council of Presidents and one with our MAAC committee on athletic administration. They were difficult conversations, but we’re all in the business of protecting our student-athletes, but also providing them the opportunity to succeed. It’s really a blow for us all to have to cancel this.”

In addition to basketball, Ensor also announced the MAAC would cancel all spring sports competitions, effective Friday morning, in a vote that was unanimous among the presidents of the eleven MAAC institutions. Should the NCAA Tournament be played, a fluid situation at the moment, the regular season champions — Siena for men’s basketball, Rider for women’s basketball — would represent the MAAC in the fields of 68 and 64, respectively. When asked if the en masse decisions by high-major conferences played a role in the MAAC ultimately deciding to follow suit, Ensor admitted that because of the lack of opportunities for multiple bids out of the MAAC, he and the conference were committed to letting the action play out as long as possible before being swept up in the tidal wave of a health scare that has enveloped not only college basketball, but all sports worldwide.

“It’s a growing crisis, and one that’s impacting college sports at its prime time of the year,” the commissioner admitted. “I think we were waiting for feedback from the NCAA on what they were doing, and taking our cues from their direction. But I think when you add in the cancellation of Major League Baseball, the NHL, the NBA, all that going on, I think there’s a rightful concern. We don’t know the scope of this pandemic that’s underway, but we certainly want to protect our student-athletes, we want to maintain — to the extent we could, as long as we could — the opportunity for them to earn it on the floor, but events just overtook us.”

“It’s a little different in the mid-major world — this is no knock on my friend, Val Ackerman — but the Big East is going to get six or seven teams in the field if we have a tournament. We have one automatic qualifier, so we were trying to resist as long as possible the outcome we came to today, so that we could learn everything on the floor. Coming into the week, I really thought we probably had ten days before this really got to this point, but we didn’t have that luxury in the tournament.”

Ensor later stated there were informal staff discussions about a potential shutdown prior to the first set of games Tuesday, but nothing was finalized and no protocol had been put into place until the commissioner was able to speak to every administration to inform them of the rising confluence of events. As far as the group of graduating seniors who may never suit up again in a collegiate uniform, he was extremely sympathetic.

“Personally, I regret having to do this,” he said. “And I share their pain.”

Siena head men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello, whose Saints were regular season MAAC champions and would represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament, should there be one, also weighed in on the day’s turn of events.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing, but we always want to look at the broader picture and what’s best for our student-athletes,” he said. “Safety and health is of the most importance.”

“I didn’t think there was any way it was going to be played. When you see the Atlantic 10 and the Big Ten, and all these other conferences canceling, you’re just kind of waiting. It starts the snowball rolling, and it started to go with Rudy Gobert last night in the NBA, the cancellation of Major League Baseball...I guess the positive of this stuff coming out on social media is it gets you aware and ready for when it’s going to happen to you and your conference. It’s a fact of life and you’ve got to deal with it, and it’s a good life lesson for these guys to learn from. It’s tough. No one wants to go through this, but those obstacles are what grow you as an individual. It’s all positive.”

Paulus changing culture at Niagara, one day, one game at a time

In first season at Niagara, Greg Paulus has Purple Eagles positioned for best long-term standing in MAAC in almost a decade. (Photo by The Buffalo News)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — To the casual observer, watching and listening to Greg Paulus conduct himself as a coach may evoke comparisons to one of the all-time greats in college basketball, a winner of over 1,100 games, five national championships, and the man under whom Paulus — now in his first season as the head coach at Niagara University — once played as a point guard in the mid-2000s.

The Mike Krzyzewski influence is profound when observing the 33-year-old Paulus, one of the youngest head coaches in the nation. His coaching style, mannerisms, inflections, and even the little things such as addressing the media on a first-name basis all draw similarities to Coach K and his four-decade tenure at Duke, where Paulus turned down North Carolina to play four years for the Blue Devils. All of those things, though, are part of one single goal for Paulus in his new endeavor at Niagara, to create a lasting culture at one of the harder Division I schools to recruit to and enjoy prolonged success at.

“Our individuals and our team have shown great growth throughout the year,” Paulus remarked before the Purple Eagles face Rider Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. “To finish in the top six certainly strives to what we would like build on, and our team has done a good job of working hard. We’ve tried to lay down the foundation for what we want our program to stand for in the future.”

“We’re trying to create a foundation, we’re trying to create a culture, and our guys — from the very first day — have been two feet in, and as a result, they’ve seen tremendous individual growth, team growth, and our program has taken steps forward. It’s been fun to watch our belief, our growth, our ability to be connected as a group, and as a result of it, some really good things have happened.”

Niagara has struggled in recent years since Joe Mihalich left for Hofstra in 2013, only finishing over .500 once since then, in the 2017-18 season. Thrust into the job two weeks before the season started after Patrick Beilein resigned for personal reasons, Paulus did have a long-term vision, but approached it incrementally in the hope that it would lead to a greater payoff.

“At that time, I wasn’t thinking about that,” he admitted. “When the opportunity came, which I was so grateful for, the first thing that I focused on was our players and spending time with them, making sure that they knew that we were going to support them, believe in them, continue to push them and challenge them to get better. It was day by day. That’s what our mindset was and where it’s been.”

“That’s something that we want, to create a program that’s about something bigger than one person. Moving forward with our program in the time to come, when we have a chance to look back at this first year, it’s certainly going to be one where we have laid some bricks for the foundation that we would like to have. For us, I want us to be a team that plays connected on both ends of the floor. I want us to be a team that when you turn on the television or you come to a game, that you’re proud of how hard we play and how together we are. That’s something that our guys are learning. It’s only been a few months, but we’ve certainly gotten better at that over the season.”

St. John’s ends game on 23-0 run to stun Georgetown

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
Special To Daly Dose Of Hoops

NEW YORK — When Mike Anderson took the St. John’s job last April, he promised a team playing relentless pressure defense, imposing its will and wearing the opposition down. 

Maybe that’s how it will transpire every night out. 

In the opener of the Big East Tournament, Anderson’s plan came to fruition. The Red Storm erased a double digit deficit to defeat Georgetown, 75-62, at Madison Square Garden, holding the Hoyas to two points over the last eight minutes as St. John’s went on an improbable 23-0 run to earn a quarterfinal date with Creighton.

“Fatigue was a big factor in this game,” Anderson observed. “I think they wore down near the end. I saw our guys’ energy level pick up, but it started with our defense.”

St. John’s (17-15) went into halftime trailing Georgetown, 42-33. The Hoyas shot 55 percent from the floor as the Red Storm struggled to find the mark offensively. The Hoyas alternated defenses, utilizing both man and zone during the half. All too often, St. John’s, especially against the zone, would settle for a 3-point attempt rather than probe the defense. On the other end, the Red Storm struggled to contain Terrell Allen and Jamorko Pickett. Allen was especially effective breaking down the defense with dribble penetration. 

“That Allen kid was on a roll,” Anderson said. “At halftime, we said someone has to stop him.”

​

Georgetown scored the first five points of the second half to push its lead to 14. St. John’s appeared to be on the ropes with the Hoyas pulling away. Two factors changed the complexion of the game. For one, Anderson took a gamble and decided to go with a small lineup.

“Heck,” the coach said with a laugh, “my center was shorter than me.” Second, the Red Storm began getting contributions from other than LJ Figueroa. Until that point, the junior swingman was shouldering the load, keeping St. John’s in the game. During the game’s latter minutes, Marcellus Earlington and Rasheem Dunn came alive. Greg Williams also earned Anderson’s praise for steady play in that final half. 

Earlington was a standout down the stretch. The sophomore swingman rebounded, got to the basket, and buried several big 3-point shots, including one from the corner falling away and landing on the St.John’s bench. That was with just over a minute left, the proverbial dagger that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. Dunn was steady with nine points, five assists and six rebounds from the guard spot, then there were the essential contributions from the bench. 

“We don’t wear them down if David (Caraher) doesn’t come in and give us those minutes,” Anderson underscored. ”Damien (Sears) comes in and gives quality minutes. Nick (Rutherford) also gave us quality minutes. Everyone contributed in a big way.” 

​

For Georgetown, there was a feel of shock surpassing an emotion of disappointment. 

“It doesn’t feel real,” Hoya guard Jagan Mosely said. “A team to go on, like, a 20-0 run. It still hasn’t hit that the game ended like that.” 

​

Figueroa led all scorers with 22 points. Allen had 21 for Georgetown. Earlington finished with 19. Beyond point totals, the telltale stat was turnovers. Georgetown was guilty of 21 miscues, translating into a 20-8 St. John’s edge in points off turnovers. 

​

With the win in the books, about 14 hours separated the Red Storm from a date with top seed Creighton, a team it handily defeated ten days earlier.

“Greg (McDermott) has done a great job,” Anderson praised. “They’re the Big East champs, so it will be an awesome challenge. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity.”

GIANT KILLERS! Estrada, Saint Peter’s end Iona dynasty with last-second shot

Aaron Estrada goes up for game-winning shot as Saint Peter’s ended Iona’s bid for fifth straight MAAC championship with third last-second win over Gaels this season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Aaron Estrada’s Wednesday began with distinction.

It ended with the death of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s most prolific dynasty.

Hours after the Saint Peter’s freshman was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year, Estrada validated his recognition with arguably the biggest shot of his young career, a jumper from the left side of the foul line that extinguished Iona’s dream of a fifth consecutive conference tournament championship and vaulted the Peacocks to a 56-54 victory that guaranteed the coronation of a new kingpin by week’s end at Boardwalk Hall.

“To be honest, I was thinking of just getting the best shot I could possibly get, and see how my defender was playing me,” Estrada said of his rainbow over the outstretched right arm of Ben Perez, a dagger that gave Saint Peter’s its third win over the Gaels this season, each one coming in the final seconds on a game-winning shot by one of head coach Shaheen Holloway’s six freshmen. “I just took it from there when I got the ball.”

“I was telling these guys they can’t get too high, they can’t get too low,” Holloway reflected, referencing the Peacocks’ offensive struggles — Saint Peter’s shot only 25 percent from the floor — against the four-time defending MAAC champions. “You’ve got to go out and just keep playing, keep digging, and for the most part, our guys kept playing defense. I knew the offense would come.”

Saint Peter’s (18-12) ended Iona’s MAAC tournament win streak at 13 and denied the Gaels a 10th-straight semifinal appearance with a grinding, methodical defensive game reminiscent of its former coach, John Dunne. With a deeper bench to combat the shorter Iona rotation, the Peacocks held a 22-18 lead at halftime and didn’t let Iona get away until the Gaels (12-17) found separation after an Isaiah Washington 3-pointer made the score 50-42 in favor of seventh-seed Iona with 5:51 remaining in regulation.

The second-seeded Peacocks would not go away from there, conceding just one field goal for the rest of the game and feasting off Iona’s inability to handle the basketball, as well as a technical foul against acting head coach Tra Arnold that allowed Estrada to make two free throws to punctuate a 9-0 run that erased the Gaels’ advantage a mere 91 seconds later.

“It’s a tough loss,” the reticent Arnold, visibly shaken, struggled to say after the game while senior forward Tajuan Agee was inconsolable next to him, his career having been brought to a screeching halt. “They gave us everything they had. Agee played his heart out, so did (E.J.) Crawford, so did Perez.”

“I just turned the ball over too many times,” a succinct Washington admitted. “I took bad shots. If I took care of the ball today, the game would have been a lot different.”

Iona still found a way to score four points in a row to retake the lead, but Quinn Taylor quickly cut the deficit to one for Saint Peter’s when he was fouled by Washington immediately after securing a rebound on a missed 3-pointer by Doug Edert. The Gaels’ point guard committed the same mistake inside the final minute of regulation when he fouled KC Ndefo, who split a pair of free throws to knot the score at 54 apiece. Iona had a chance to pull ahead again, but Agee’s go-ahead layup sailed wide and was snared by Ndefo, who was able to call timeout while trapped near the sideline, giving Saint Peter’s 16 seconds to set the stage for Estrada to follow in the footsteps of classmates Daryl Banks III and Matthew Lee, both of whom were responsible for last-second heroics against the Gaels in the regular season.

As Iona heads home for an uncharacteristic early exit, the Peacocks await the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between Rider and Niagara in a semifinal where the program with no dominant player or set starting lineup will try to take its unorthodox mentality to the precipice of a championship.

“I don’t worry about that, I don’t have these guys worrying about that,” Holloway said with regard to the criticism Saint Peter’s has faced for its selfless, democratic system. “We don’t care what people say, we just go out and play basketball, give it our all and play for each other. That’s the only thing that matters.”

Siena’s special season rolls on with win in MAAC tournament opener

Manny Camper drives inside for two of his 15 points as Siena advanced to MAAC tournament semifinals. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Carmen Maciariello had expectations befitting of Siena’s standing as the top seed in this week's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, stating the Saints’ run to this point was special, but not complete.

After Wednesday, two more obstacles stand between the regular season champion and the vision its rookie head coach had for his group just six weeks ago.

Behind a combined 24 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists from junior forward Manny Camper and newly crowned MAAC Player of the Year Jalen Pickett, Siena reached the MAAC’s final four for the fourth time in five years, with a gritty 63-49 victory over Manhattan booking the Saints into the semifinals at Boardwalk Hall.

“Our guys compete every night,” Maciariello reiterated as Siena won its 10th consecutive game since a February 2 loss to second-seeded Saint Peter’s, who could still meet the Saints in Saturday’s championship game provided Siena gets past either Monmouth or Quinnipiac on Friday. “I love their effort, and I think even though we make some mistakes and have some plays where we don’t execute, I thought for the most part, we did a good job. It’s one win, and we get a chance to get a day of rest and watch a great Monmouth team and great Quinnipiac team play.”

“The whole team should be up here. When it’s all said and done, it’s just so enjoyable to see these guys have success, especially for what Manny and Sammy (Friday) had went through when they were here a couple of years ago.”

Siena (20-10) needed to work in the opening minutes, as Manhattan (13-18) showed the same defensive intensity that carried the Jaspers to an opening-round win over Fairfield 24 hours prior, forcing Pickett to miss seven of his first nine field goal attempts as Camper and Friday picked up the slack while Elijah Burns was hampered by foul trouble. A 14-2 run midway through the first half was all the Saints would need to pull away, turning a 10-all tie into a more comfortable 24-12 advantage. Manhattan would get no closer than within seven points the rest of the way, as the top seed found a way to win a game dictated by the opposing team’s terms, and do so in an unconventional way.

“I told the guys that in tournament settings, the first one’s always the toughest one,” said Maciariello. “You’ve got to get the monkey off your back, you’ve got to get used to the floor, get used to the rims, get used to the surroundings. We’ll take this thing one day at a time and we’ll work on some things ourselves, some execution that we can improve from our last two games with these two teams. We want to be able to come to work every day and just get better.”

Masiello stresses need for results, but remains excited for next season despite early MAAC exit

Even after quarterfinal loss in MAAC tournament for fourth time in five years, Steve Masiello found positives with Manhattan that keep him optimistic heading into next season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Finding a way to crack a slight smile while speaking from the heart after his team’s season came to yet another premature close, Steve Masiello proved just why it is that he and his players at Manhattan are a perfect match for one another.

Very few in this business are as intense a competitor as the nine-year head coach in Riverdale, now a seasoned 42 years old but still owner of the same wide-eyed spirit the young men blessed to play for him also possess. Even fewer in the game is the number of coaches who make it a point to impart life lessons while also teaching their passion to a new generation, allowing it to be cultivated anew among a team who truly seems to enjoy learning under its shepherd.

“You want it to keep going, but you have to understand the big picture and understand that there’s a lot of opportunity in the sense of embracing these moments and using this as fuel for your next step,” Masiello said as his Manhattan team saw its season culminate in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament for the fourth time in the last five years, a 63-49 loss to top seed and regular season champion Siena the final entry in a ledger that will be remembered by the Jaspers less for its 13 wins and 18 losses, but more for the memories made along the way, and the reminders — some harsh and unpleasant — that far too often in this trip around the sun, one needs to traverse the streets of hell before finding a road to heaven. “I think we had times where we played brilliant basketball, and I thought we had times where we didn’t recognize ourselves. At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for experience, and that’s what we got in the last two years.”

“These weren’t the results we wanted, and we understand that, but now it’s time to get the results. Now it’s time to take the experiences, the pain, the buzzer-beating losses, the three, four-minute droughts without scoring, the not talking and having a breakdown — now you stockpile those and you say, ‘This can’t happen again. This is why we lost. You don’t let it happen again, you own it and you change it.’ And that’s the next step for this team.”

Manhattan, having fallen on hard times since its MAAC championship defense in 2015 — since that seminal moment in Albany, the Jaspers are 61-96 over the past five seasons — will look to an experienced core to help lead the path back to glory. Only Tyler Reynolds, who waxed nostalgic Wednesday about missing the bonds with his teammates and the relationships created over his two years in the northwest corner of the Bronx, will graduate among the current rotation, leaving the most experienced group to wear the green and white since 2013-14. That iteration of Jasper basketball, paced of course by George Beamon, Michael Alvarado and Rhamel Brown, returned the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade and nearly upset Louisville in the process. The leader of the current outfit, with one more year to go before he moves into the real world, was quick to declare that he and his teammates could do the same twelve months from now.

“I think we can definitely win the MAAC,” Pauly Paulicap proclaimed. “We’ve just got to work hard. Like Coach Mas said, this builds a lot of fuel for us. We’ve just got to channel it this summer and the preseason to make it happen.”

“I think we showed signs of what we’re capable of, and we showed signs that we’re not proud of,” Masiello admitted. “Finding that balance where you’re more on the top has got to be part of it, and with the character we have, how they work and how they approach things on a daily basis, that’s what excites me. Coming in where the majority of the team will be juniors next year and Pauly’s a senior, Bud (Mack) is a senior, you get very excited about that. You want to stay old, and that’s something that we’re going to try to do now.”

MAAC tournament to continue with limited attendance

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has released the following statement with regard to its Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships:

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced this evening that beginning Thursday, March 12, 2020, attendance at all MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and eSports games will be limited to student-athletes, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff, TV network partners, credentialed media, and immediate family members of the participating teams.

The main priority of the MAAC is to ensure the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all relevant information on the COVID-19 virus on a daily basis.

MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor addressed the situation further Wednesday evening.

“Once the NCAA came out and said that they were going to ban spectators, the remaining conferences really had no choice but to do the same,” he said. “But we feel it’s prudent given the circumstances and the escalating crisis that we take some action to create a heightened awareness and protect folks from any exposure to the extent we can.”

“At this moment in time, not knowing what else is coming in the door tonight, we are not envisioning suspending the tournament. I think we are going to have a serious conversation with the athletic directors in the morning about what we’re going to do with the spring sports.”

Anderson embracing New York life as St. John’s opens Big East tournament

Mike Anderson’s first Big East Tournament begins Wednesday as St. John’s meets Georgetown. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Eleven months after it was consummated, Mike Anderson’s hire at St. John’s still raises eyebrows, only now in a different way.

When athletic director Mike Cragg tabbed Anderson to replace Chris Mullin at the helm of the Red Storm last April, his decision was met with resounding skepticism, with many pundits questioning the southern roots of the 60-year-old Anderson, who — despite not once enduring a losing season in 17 years as a head coach — had never shepherded a program north of the Mason-Dixon Line until this season.

That streak remains intact — St. John’s is 16-15 as it opens postseason play Wednesday in the opening round of the Big East Tournament, taking on Georgetown at Madison Square Garden — as does Anderson’s ability to get the most out of his roster despite coaching in the midst of not being a native New Yorker, a notion he has insisted to be nothing more than overblown hype.

“I think coaching is coaching,” he said on Monday's Big East coaches’ conference call. “I always listen to the old coaches, the John Thompsons, the Nolan Richardsons, even Roy Williams. He just said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ Basketball is basketball, coaching is coaching. Just continue to be who you are and do the things you believe in.”

“At St. John’s, I’m believing in these kids. I’m pushing these kids. We’re trying to develop these young men. That doesn’t change.”

Anderson has certainly developed a young roster, gaining even more plaudits for doing so after Mustapha Heron’s season-ending ankle injury, turning a young supporting cast into equally important cogs alongside LJ Figueroa. Freshman Julian Champagnie received well-deserved all-rookie recognition in the Big East, and the sophomore trio of Marcellus Earlington, Josh Roberts — before a shoulder injury derailed his March — and Greg Williams has been instrumental in the Red Storm’s suddenly resurgent stretch drive.

“We’re playing pretty good basketball,” said Anderson. “Our season has been a lot of almost, and sometimes that takes place because guys aren’t ready to take that next step. Now you’ve got other guys that are contributing. Julian, the last couple of games, has been playing well, Greg’s really giving us a punch in the starting lineup, then you’ve got Marcellus coming off the bench, giving us some quality minutes, David Caraher gave us some big minutes.”

“People don’t have to just worry about LJ, but some other players as well. When you have a team where people have to concentrate not on just one or two players, now you have options.”

Georgetown swept both regular season meetings with St. John’s this season, including a 17-point comeback in the final seconds at the Garden on February 2. Anderson admitted the Hoyas’ interior-driven game will be a concern for his Red Storm team as it must make defending the glass its top priority, but one thing the veteran leader will not be worried about is his perceived unorthodox geographical fit, which is easily mitigated by his track record.

“It’s not my first rodeo,” Anderson adamantly stated. “So for all the haters, keep doing it. The people that matter the most, who understand this position and what we’re trying to do, I listen to those guys. I’m even more motivated than I’ve ever been. Whether I’m a country boy, city boy, I’m loving St. John’s and I’m loving New York.”

Saint Peter’s up to challenge of ending Iona dynasty

Shaheen Holloway’s second season at Saint Peter’s faces biggest test yet Wednesday, when Peacocks look to end Iona’s four-year championship reign. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — If Saint Peter’s wants to reach the 2020 NCAA Tournament, its first task will be to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in five years:

Hand Iona a loss in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. 

Iona made history last March when it became the first program to capture four consecutive MAAC tournament titles, and as the Gaels’ attempt to add to their history, their path once more goes through Shaheen Holloway and Saint Peter’s.

The Gaels have taken down the Peacocks en route to each of their last three titles, but the last two meetings have come down to the wire. Last season, Saint Peter’s nearly ended Iona’s dynasty in the quarterfinals, but Davauhnte Turner – an 80 percent free throw shooter – missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with the Peacocks trailing by one in the waning seconds.

In 2018, under previous head coach John Dunne, Saint Peter’s saw a 14-point lead early in the second half of a semifinal matchup quickly evaporate as they surrendered 45 points over the final 20 minutes in an eventual 65-62 loss to the Gaels.

Iona’s last conference tournament loss came March 9, 2015 in the championship game against Manhattan. The Gaels haven’t lost prior to the championship game since 2012, when Fairfield upended Iona in the semifinals prior to the Gaels ultimately receiving just the second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in MAAC history. History says the underdog stands more than a fair chance Wednesday night, but this Saint Peter’s team is trying to make some history of its own. 

Since 1997, only one team has made the NCAA Tournament without a double-digit scorer on its roster: South Florida in 2012. However, that squad had three players averaging at least nine points per game, paced by leading scorer Augustus Gilchrist at 9.5.

Sophomore forward KC Ndefo – Saint Peter’s leading scorer – averages just 8.5 points per game, so it’s safe to say Holloway’s team is entering uncharted waters on its march to a MAAC title.

In a day and age where high-scoring stars dominate the spotlight in both the NBA and college ranks, Holloway has shaped a squad dominated by underclassmen into a selfless unit and one of the MAAC’s top teams.

“We have 11, 12 guys that get out there every single day,” Holloway said of his team. “No one cares about who gets the attention or the headlines. I think that’s been our thing all year. We’re going to continue to keep doing that as long as I’m the coach here.” 

After staggering to a 6-12 league record in his first season at the helm, Holloway — a former Iona assistant before following Kevin Willard to Seton Hall — improved the Peacocks to a 14-6 league mark and second place in the MAAC this year. If he wasn’t already viewed as one of the brightest rising stars in college coaching, ending the Iona dynasty would be a bold statement on Holloway’s résumé. 

Proving without a doubt the future is bright in Jersey City, the Peacocks’ three top scorers behind Ndefo are all freshmen. Aaron Estrada (8.0 ppg), Daryl Banks III (7.9 ppg), and Doug Edert (7.7 ppg) were each named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team this week, with Estrada joining Ndefo on the All-MAAC Third Team as well.

“These guys come into practice every single day and they give me everything I ask for,” Holloway added. “They give me their heart and soul, and that’s all a coach can ask for.”

Over the last 10 years, the Iona-Saint Peter’s matchup has been the MAAC’s most underrated rivalry. Perhaps that is because the overall record favors the Gaels 17-6 over that span, but historically Saint Peter’s deliberate, defensive style under Dunne — and now, Holloway — has clashed impressively against Iona’s uptempo offensive game under Tim Cluess and this year’s acting head coach, Tra Arnold.

This season marked the first time since 2009 Saint Peter’s swept the season series from the Gaels, but those two victories came by a combined four points.

As Holloway’s star continues to rise and the Peacocks stare history in the face, the latest clash of styles is sure to bring plenty of sparks to the Atlantic City boardwalk.

Special season for Siena continues in MAAC tournament

A regular season champion in his first season as head coach, Carmen Maciariello now guides Siena into MAAC tournament as top seed. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Beaming with pride this past Friday in the wake of his team clinching the program’s first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship of any kind in a decade, Carmen Maciariello paused several times, just to reflect upon the significance of this season, his first as the head coach at Siena.

A nine-game win streak to end the regular season, vaulting the Saints from the middle of the pack in the MAAC standings to the top spot, has positioned Siena as the favorite — on paper, at least — to deliver the first postseason championship since the same aforementioned 2009-10 season this week in Atlantic City, where the Saints’ road to the NCAA Tournament resumes in a quarterfinal meeting with Manhattan.

“They’ve always bought in and they’ve understood, from that time we lost at Manhattan on the road (January 12), we just talked about coaching them harder and me demanding more from them,” Maciariello recalled. “And they love it. They love to be coached, and I think that’s the biggest thing. I think this team has grown and shown that sense of urgency, game by game. We won those close games at Fairfield, won on the road at Quinnipiac and won a close game at Marist, so I think it’s all coming together nicely. Now we’ve got to make sure we’re taking the right steps to make that next jump.”

“I think our maturity level has definitely grown throughout the season,” Jalen Pickett added. “At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of people just transferring in, a lot of freshmen coming in. Basically, me and Manny (Camper) were the only ones who played together, so we’re trying to get that group together, get some cohesiveness, just keep going on the road and keep winning.”

Siena split its two battles with Manhattan, losing on the road at Draddy Gymnasium before prevailing on its home floor at Times Union Center five weeks later. Although the top seed in the MAAC tournament has only won it twice in the last 10 years, the man who will now prepare his own team for a rubber match with the Saints believes he is coaching against the team to beat.

“It would be a disservice if they don’t win the MAAC title,” Steve Masiello declared after his Manhattan team won its tournament opener Tuesday. “They’re playing the best basketball, so they’re the easy favorite to win this thing. Everyone can see that. This is their tournament.”

Maciariello spoke intimately about the power of belief following Siena’s January 31 win at Iona, the Saints’ first away from Albany this season. Since that day, not only has the belief grown, but so too has the team’s makeup on and off the floor, providing the rare combination of efficient basketball and unmatched intangibles that usually proves to be impenetrable in March.

“We all knew from the first time we got together last spring when I got the job,” he gushed. ”We knew what we had here, and we knew how talented we were. It was just a matter of pushing the right buttons and getting them to understand how hard they had to play, and not just rely on their talent. Those details mattered. It doesn’t happen all the time, and these guys deserve it. They went through a lot, and they all have different stories and different connections to them. For Elijah Burns to come home and be a key cog in a championship team in his hometown, and for Jalen to test the NBA waters and have all that talk to deal with, and then for Manny to be on a team two years ago that it was tough for him to see the court to now being a guy that’s an all-conference-caliber player, I’m just so proud of these guys.”

“We’re starting something. We’re building a foundation, and this is year one. It’s a credit to them for their hard work, and now we get to hang a banner in our practice facility and get to bring this back home to Albany for our great fans that have been behind us all season long and supporting us. That’s what makes Siena so special, and then me being an alum on top of that, I think these guys understand what it means to wear this jersey now. From afar, when I wasn’t here as an assistant or a coach, the jersey lost its luster, lost its value. Manny Camper was here for some of that, Jalen helped bring it back, Elijah helped bring it back, but Sammy Friday and Manny were the two who kind of went through some of that. To get this for them, it’s special, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to do this with in my first year, to be honest with you.”