Shaheen Holloway and core of last year’s Saint Peter’s team have moved on, but MAAC projects to remain strong in wake of Peacocks’ historic achievements. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball reached its absolute pinnacle seven months ago, a height in which the league is still basking after Saint Peter’s emerged from Atlantic City with the conference’s NCAA Tournament autobid and brought it to the precipice of the Final Four after upsets of Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue that proved that truly anything could happen on any given night.
Sadly, the bulk of the Peacocks’ roster will not be back in Jersey City to reprise its role as the giant slayers of March. Head coach Shaheen Holloway departed for his alma mater, Seton Hall, where he will replace Kevin Willard. KC Ndefo, the senior anchor of the Saint Peter’s core, followed him to South Orange. Guards Daryl Banks III, Doug Edert and Matthew Lee transferred to separate destinations, as did forward Clarence Rupert. Twins Fousseyni and Hassan Drame took their talents to a higher level, joining Fran Dunphy at La Salle.
In Holloway’s place, Bashir Mason, fresh off a successful decade-long run at Wagner, comes across the Hudson River to his homeland in an attempt to keep the positive momentum from last season’s Cinderella story, and inherits the likes of point guard Juju Murray and senior guard Isiah Dasher to help usher a new era into Run Baby Run Arena, along with each of the three freshmen who redshirted last year under Holloway. Transfers Jayden Saddler and Kyle Cardaci will also go a long way toward helping Mason contend early, as will the head coach’s own experience in replacing a rising young star, something he did in 2012 when he succeeded Dan Hurley at the helm on Staten Island.
Much like Saint Peter’s, Iona — whose shocking loss in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament allowed the Peacocks to rewrite the history books — has also reloaded as Rick Pitino seeks a second conference crown in three years. Reigning league Player of the Year Tyson Jolly has graduated, as have Elijah Joiner and Dylan van Eyck, but Nelly Junior Joseph, now in his junior season, enters the fray as the MAAC’s unquestioned premier big man. Walter Clayton, Jr. will be a name to watch as he builds off a strong rookie season to run the offense in New Rochelle, where seven newcomers have already drawn rave reviews for their ability to mesh with and develop under Pitino’s system. Junior college import Daniss Jenkins, who has Division I experience from his time at Pacific, could find himself mentioned as one of the best players in the conference before the year is over.
Iona’s chief rival, Manhattan, remains one of the more experienced units in the nation by virtue of returning nearly everyone from last year’s rotation save for Warren Williams and reserve guard Romar Reid. To supplement MAAC Player of the Year contender Jose Perez, Steve Masiello wanted to make sure the Jaspers had shooters at all positions, a need addressed with the return of Samir Stewart, as well as the arrival of Omar Silverio from Hofstra and incoming freshman Raziel Hayun among others. Adam Walden, the second first-year player in Riverdale this year, is an athletic 6-foot-10 specimen that will take some of the pressure off Josh Roberts in the frontcourt while Samba Diallo and Elijah Buchanan return on the wings for perhaps the deepest rotation Masiello has had since taking Manhattan to a successful defense of its league title seven years ago.
Staying in the metropolitan area, Rider brings back everyone except Dimencio Vaughn to a team that upended Iona and proved that Kevin Baggett can win in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament. The Broncs are their most dangerous since winning the regular season championship in 2018, with a pair of potential first team all-league guards in Dwight Murray, Jr. and Allen Powell alongside versatile forwards Mervin James and Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson. Tyrel Bladen, who missed last season with a torn ACL, is back to fortify the interior while Nehemiah Benson and Corey McKeithan return as rotation pieces. A pair of transfers in Allen Betrand and Tariq Ingraham make Rider its deepest from top to bottom in several years.
Normally, mentioning Rider would be an automatic segue into Monmouth, but the Hawks’ departure for the Colonial Athletic Association leaves a void in this preview that will now be filled by the newest member of the MAAC. In Monmouth’s place stands Mount St. Mary’s, with three Northeast Conference titles in the past decade and a hungry young coach in Dan Engelstad who has already proven himself capable of getting a young roster to grow and adapt. The Mountaineers possess a cadre of experience in Jalen Benjamin, Malik Jefferson and Deandre Thomas, and add to it a pair of transfers, America East Rookie of the Year George Tinsley, as well as Xavier Lipscomb. The Mount may fall under the radar to the casual fan, but you can be sure that it will catch teams off guard early and often during conference play.
Siena, fresh off a summer trip to Italy where it won two of three games with a roster that was built largely through the transfer portal and incoming freshmen, has displayed what head coach Carmen Maciariello referred to as “collective unity” in the offseason. Jackson Stormo leads the Saints up front while Jared Billups and Javian McCollum handle the load in the backcourt amid one of the largest classes of rookies in the league. Michael Eley has looked to be the standout performer among the freshmen, and if anyone can get Siena to achieve ahead of schedule, it is Maciariello, whose two regular season championships and a third-place finish in three years seem to not get as much credit as they deserve.
Elsewhere in upstate New York, Niagara takes flight with ten new players who are an amalgamation of seasoned veterans and fresh faces about to be baptized to Division I basketball. Replacing Marcus Hammond will not be easy, but the return of Noah Thomasson — with Braxton Bayless and Joe Kasperzyk alongside him — will make life easier for the Purple Eagles, who have never finished worse than sixth in the MAAC under Greg Paulus. Canisius also has a returning core in Jordan Henderson and Jacco Fritz, but the majority of the Golden Griffins are untested at this level. However, Reggie Witherspoon has excelled at getting the most out of younger teams, and it will be interesting to see how the Griffs gel as a unit. Marist is another MAAC school in a rebuild of sorts, as John Dunne lost Jao Ituka and Ricardo Wright to Wake Forest and SMU, respectively, but made up for the exits with three graduate transfer pickups as the Red Foxes look to balance role players taking the next step with players who have already been through the wars.
Finally, Fairfield is perhaps the biggest sleeper in the conference this year, with Supreme Cook being talked about as a breakout candidate in the MAAC while Jake Wojcik, Zach Crisler and Chris Maidoh provide much-needed depth up front while Caleb Fields and Brycen Goodine arrive in the backcourt to partner with TJ Long and a trio of freshmen that will lighten the onus on Jalen Leach, who continues to get closer to 100 percent. Allan Jeanne-Rose has been heralded by Jay Young as one of the Stags’ most integral pieces, and should see significant minutes on a team that opens its new on-campus arena in December. Across Connecticut, Quinnipiac has its usual massive talent at the guard spots, but Baker Dunleavy’s shoring up of the post positions in Ike Nweke and Elijah Taylor — not to mention junior college transfer Paul Otieno — will go a long way toward keeping the Bobcats relevant in a pivotal sixth season of Dunleavy’s regime.
Projected Order of Finish
1) Iona — The Gaels will likely be the class of the MAAC yet again by the time March rolls around, but Rick Pitino’s bunch will not have earned it without a fight. If Walter Clayton, Jr. and Daniss Jenkins evolve as expected, the potential to win 25 games is very much in play.
2) Rider — Kevin Baggett got the albatross off his neck last year. Returning the majority of a roster that owns a win over Iona from last season makes his job easier, and Allen Powell will become a household name this year.
3) Manhattan — Acquaint yourself with Jose Perez now, because you won’t need very long to find out who he is. If all goes well for the Jaspers, he’ll be the Player of the Year in the MAAC and making a successful living as a pro for the next decade. Steve Masiello’s supporting cast is also its deepest and most talented in recent years.
4) Fairfield — Jay Young has the most depth and talent he’s had since replacing Sydney Johnson in 2019. The next step for the Stags, however, will be keeping the offense consistent and finding ways to win on that side of the basketball to supplement its suffocating defense.
5) Quinnipiac — Bobcat fans may already be asking: If not now, when? This year is as good as any for Baker Dunleavy to lead a resurgence in Hamden amid a retooled front line and experienced backcourt.
6) Siena — If Carmen Maciariello’s track record is any indication, the Saints will almost certainly be better than this rating indicates. Siena admittedly has several question marks on paper, but if the underclassmen on the roster can establish themselves early, one of the MAAC’s flagship programs will once again be poised to make noise in March.
7) Mount St. Mary’s — A battle-tested core will make the transition smoother for Dan Engelstad in The Mount’s maiden MAAC voyage. Playing four of its first five league games away from home will certainly be a telling gauge on how well the Mountaineers are navigating the waters of their new league.
8) Niagara — While more than half the roster is new to playing together, it’s time to stop dismissing the work Greg Paulus and his staff have done in cultivating a strong culture and team-first mindset that has resulted in deceptively strong consistency. Noah Thomasson is a legitimate breakout candidate.
9) Saint Peter’s — Cinderella underwent a makeover in the offseason, but as Juju Murray goes, so will the Peacocks under new mentor Bashir Mason.
10) Canisius — Aside from Jordan Henderson and Jacco Fritz, Reggie Witherspoon has a relatively unproven roster from which to build ancillary scoring options for the Golden Griffins. Xzavier Long is the likely star in the making on Main Street.
11) Marist — The latest rebuilding project in Poughkeepsie will likely need time to be seen through and shepherded, but the Red Foxes are always capable of stealing a game via the patented John Dunne special.
All-MAAC Preseason Predictions
Player of the Year: Jose Perez, Manhattan
Rookie of the Year: Michael Eley, Siena
First Team
Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac
Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona
Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider
Jose Perez, Manhattan
Allen Powell, Rider
Second Team
Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona
Supreme Cook, Fairfield
Mervin James, Rider
Jackson Stormo, Siena
Noah Thomasson, Niagara
Third Team
Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s
Jared Billups, Siena
Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac
TJ Long, Fairfield
Quinn Slazinski, Iona
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