Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 2005-06 Preview
by Matthew Moll
Five months. One bid. This is clear to all those attached to the MAAC and its giant slaying cohorts’ conferences. There will be no waiting by the phone on selection Sunday, no RPI peeking, no Dickey V anointings, just one bid, only one team gets to dance.
Last year that team was Niagara. Gone is 35 years of waiting, but also gone are three of the best players in the school’s history. Runners-up Rider suffers from an attrition of their own, losing All-Bronco stud Jerry Johnson and coach Don Harnum, who is now the interim AD while the interim head coach has some East coast sports fans calling him Theo. Siena continues to reel after posting a four-win conference try and a 20-plus loss season, all the while the Saints’ best player migrated South, and acquired a new coach known for rebuilding. Fairfield is without the MAAC’s patroller of the lane. Loyola continues to improve, but is still years away from making a splash.
While the aforementioned teams suffer through preseason preview obituaries, Iona looks to be the most formidable of foes and the consensus Team Target on Back, while Manhattan has improved because of experience and Canisius will start not beating themselves. Another year and another new kid will be invited to the dance and the rest of the boys will be at home watching three teams exchange blows for the right to slip into March.
Perhaps this could be true most MAAC seasons: three teams to haggle over the top spot while others look to catch the triumvirate off guard and sneak into a better position come MAAC tourney time, but this season is just a little bit different, very little. The guard-dominated MAAC gives this conference parity from one through five. Iona, Manhattan, Rider, Canisius, and St. Peter’s are all guard-dominated teams with proven scorers, dime droppers, and defenders, while Niagara and Marist have experience and players with something to prove to be given a mention to the conversation. Fairfield was in the latter category until one Stag was asked to gallop home. Loyola and Siena are not without a guard influx either: both could potentially start four guards. Point being, if you don’t have a point there will be no being, but if you are blessed with a big bless your big with the ball. Overall the lanes will be more open than they were last season; so too will be the race for March.
Hoopville’s All-MAAC First Team
Keydren Clark, Sr., St. Peter’s
Jason Wingate, So., Manhattan
Steve Burtt, Sr., Iona
Ricky Soliver, Sr., Iona
C.J. Anderson, So., Manhattan
Hoopville’s Player of the Year: C.J. Anderson, So., Manhattan
Hoopville’s Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Downey, Sr., Canisius
Hoopville’s Newcomer of the Year: Andre Collins, Sr., Loyola (Md)
Hoopville’s Most Improved Player: Jason Thompson, So., Rider
1 (a). Manhattan Jaspers (15-14 overall, 9-9 MAAC) 6th
Projected Starting five:
Jeff Xavier
Jason Wingate
CJ Anderson
Arturo Dubois
Franck Traore (by mid-season)
Schedule highlights: Seton Hall (opener), Preseason NIT (most likely playing Duke), The ‘Cuse November 30 at the Carrier Dome, and it could be the deciding game for the number-one seed on February 26 as the Jaspers host MAAC contender Iona.
Why they are here: Maybe it is one year too early to believe the sophomores can take the Jaspers dancing, but it’s just the right time for senior and NCAA Tourney hold over Wingate. On the wing he is the gatekeeper to stopping the guard heavy conference and orchestrating the offense through Anderson. Peter Mulligan’s 19 points per game will not be missed come mid-season, but his toughness will. Traore is being billed as their answer in the middle, which the Jaspers will need immediately to plug the flood of guards patronizing the paint. What this season will ultimately come down to is C.J., C.J., C.J., he cannot have a sophomore slump and neither can the rest of his second-year buddies if they want to be in the driver seat come March. Anderson is the best athlete in the MAAC and a match-up nightmare. As long as Anderson is willing to dish and hit jumpers the pride of Winton Woods should be on pace to make the proverbial leap and leave the rest of the MAAC seeing green into the postseason.
What could go wrong: The Jaspers return 10 players from last year’s team, a great advantage for Bobby Gonzalez if you are willing to dismiss the 3-11 road record from a season ago. The sophomores will not take anyone by surprise and Anderson will have to bring it every night, not just against Syracuse and when ESPN is taping. The MAAC is again a wide open conference – translation: close games. Manhattan will have to play well in the closing minutes of games, which they failed to do consistently in ’04-’05 (lost all three of their overtime games and five games by two points including a last-second loss in the MAAC tourney to Fairfield).
Can we call him BoGon?: The Jaspers have the talent to win now; the question is, do they have the swagger? Coach Gonzalez may have enough of it and is willing to share. It will be up to the “wise fools” to follow his lead.
2. (1b) Iona Gaels (15-16, 9-9) 5th
Projected Starting five:
Ricky Soliver
Steve Burtt
Kiril Wachsmann
Justin Marshall
Gary Springer
Schedule highlights: Non-conference schedule includes: Iowa State (Nov. 26), Kentucky (Dec. 23), Seton Hall (New Year’s Eve), Fresno State (January 3). Conference play begins against Manhattan Jan. 6.
Why they are here: Experience alone makes Iona the toughest team in the MAAC. Couple that with depth they are the best, triple that with talent and they are the scariest. Iona is the team to beat this season, returning five seniors and their leading scorer looking to make this his league for his swan song. Burtt averaged 15.7 ppg this summer playing for the MAAC All-Stars while the team toured China. Burtt’s willingness to defend and dish has helped him blossom into P.O.Y. material and bumped Iona into MAAC number-one seed material. Coach Jeff Ruland has the talent in place to return to the Dance five years removed from their back-to-back run. Along with Soliver and Burtt, the Gaels have an arsenal of guards waiting for some burn in Tarig Atkins (back from suspension) and Marvin McCullough (3.4 apg) who are available when the Gaels go small or as more than adequate back-ups.
Why they are not 1(a): They lost Greg Jenkins’ points (15.5), boards (6.3), and size (6-8) but more than all those combined gone is his toughness. Wachsmann needs to prove he can fill the middle and clean glass against a conference with a weaker frontcourt than last season (no Deng Gai no Juan Mendez). Wachsmann needs to prove his MAAC tournament performances, where he recorded two of his six double-digit rebound totals, were not an aberration. Springer could come into his own this season if Ruland is willing to go with the sophomore and let his guards sit. John Kelly is another option in the middle with his 7-foot frame, but he, too, is in “prove it” mode. The holdovers from last season averaged less than 30 rebounds a game. Although the league has seen better years in the paint, the Gaels will need something from their bigs (someone has to guard C.J. Anderson) to live-up to preseason expectations.
Out of the Rut: Iona could run away with it, or games might be too close because they are light in the middle either way the Gaels will be in the hunt.
3. Canisius Golden Griffins (11-18, 8-10) 7th
Projected Starting five:
Kevin Downey
Darnell Wilson
Joe Popofski
Mike Hanley
Ola Matti
Schedule highlights: At West Virginia Dec. 30, ESPN Bracket Buster Feb. 18
Why they are here: The return of Kevin Downey and three others who composed last season’s starting five will put the Griffs in the race for the automatic bid. Downey looks to improve on his team-leading 16.5 ppg and 3.6 apg to take Canisius to the next level. Darnell Wilson brings back his 6.6 rpg, which will increase with a depleted supply of MAAC bigs.
Search for gold: Another team with unproven experience is getting preseason attention because of the relative uncertainty of the rest of the conference. How many guards Mike McDonald will play is a lingering subplot; potentially he could start four or decide to play five at the same time, it’s hard to say. This obviously could pose problems on defense, where the Griffs are in need of alchemy. Canisius lost all three overtime games last season, and not until the final two weeks of the season did the Griffs start winning close games.
Buffalo soldiers: This team can carry themselves with a “Why Not Us” attitude and thus continue to gain some latitude in the standings. Dewitt Doss will be missed, but his departure may open the door for Wilson to become a star. No matter how many guards Canisius plays, they will be fighting for a bid come March.
Rider Broncos (19-11, 13-5) 2nd
Projected Starting five:
Edwin Muniz
Terrance Mouton
Jason Thompson
Paul Johnson
Rodney Pierce
Schedule highlights: Bucknell (Nov.18), at Villanova (Nov. 30), League opener at Iona (Dec. 7), ESPN Bracket Buster (Feb. 18).
Why they are here: Thompson himself could vault this team into First Round Bye territory, but for now he is an enigma. Sixth Man of the Year Mouton will try to fill the void left by First Team All-MAAC and scoring machine Jerry Johnson. Mouton will need to look to shoot more and create for his teammates as second-leading scorer Edwin Muniz also hopes to increase production.
The new guy isn’t a freshman: The departure of Rider’s athletic director Curt Blake lead to a series of changes on the Rider bench. Coach Don Harnum, who needed just three wins to reach 130 for his career, moved into the interim AD position after eight seasons as head coach. This led to the pro tem hiring of 31-year-old Tommy Dempsey, who has been coaching college ball since he was 24. Harnum expects to return to the bench next year, making this season an anomalous one for the Broncos.
JT are you wit me: The phenom coach and phenom phorward with the phreakish hops will be leaning on each other to get to the next level. Thompson made plays while he led the Broncos in boards last season, and they will need more of that now. When Thompson’s offense improves and Mouton is accustomed to playing in the spotlight, Rider should be competing come MAAC tourney.
Saint Peter’s Peacocks (15-13, 11-7) 4th
Projected Starting five
Keydren Clark
Raul Orta
Derrick Hooker
Ismaila Traore
Ivan Bozovic
Schedule highlights: Coaches vs, Cancer Nov. 9, at Pittsburgh (Nov. 19), at Seton Hall (Nov. 28), ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square (Dec. 27), League play beginning (Jan. 4), Bracker Buster (Feb. 18).
Why they are here: Clark is the back-to-back national scoring champ, but this season only winning matters and winning for their fallen teammate George Jefferson, who unexpectedly died on June 21. Jefferson was roommate and best friend of Clark. The Peacocks should be fueled by Clark, who led the team in points and assists the past two seasons (25.8 ppg, 4.1 apg). Clark will get his, but the supporting cast will have to follow suit if they are to earn their feathers in the wide open MAAC. Playing next to Clark will be Raul Orta, a transfer from Puerto Rico-Mayaguez who sat out last season, but will be expected to contribute. Bozovic’s 6-10 frame and experience will give the Peacocks a highly desired presence in the lane on both sides of the ball.
Bold prediction? Clark has not proven that he alone can get this team deep into the MAAC tourney. Coach Robert Leckie lost three of his senior starters from last season and will be leaning on Clark, the youth movement, and a wide-open MAAC to push this team late. Too many ifs to believe a top five MAAC finish is a guarantee, but Clark can be enough if others follow.
So which is it: Clark could become only the third player in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring three times, which would put him in the elite company of Oscar Roberston and Pistol Pete Maravich. Clark’s career point total stands at 2,218, making him a candidate to being only the seventh player to surpass 3,000 career points. But Clark knows that to achieve true greatness, the team accolades must be highlighted more than the individual ones. The question will be whether or not his team comes along or if Clark is left to try to do it on his own.
Marist Red Foxes (11-17, 8-10) 8th
Projected Starting five:
Will Whittington
Jared Jordan
Ben Farmer
Ryan Stilphen
James Smith
Schedule highlights: at Seton Hall Nov. 19, Ohio Dec. 6, League play at Manhattan Dec. 9, ESPN Bracket Buster Feb. 18
Why they are here: Last season Marist was surprising twice. First, the Red Foxes made the conference look as if it were a four-team race while alone in first in the early stages the season. The second surprise was the collapse. Coach Matt Brady does not need to be reminded of the 10 losses in the last 11 games, but the second-year signal caller will need more consistent play if they intend to contend. Whittington is one of the MAAC’s best shooters, hitting on 46 percent from beyond the arc. Mr. Three will be set up again by backcourt running mate Jared Jordan, who dished 6.6 apg en route to a third team All-MAAC selection.
What could go wrong: Beyond Jordan and Whittington are several unanswered questions. Farmer started every game last season and is poised to have a meteoric rise to MAAC stardom. James Smith is a seven-footer, which is interesting in of itself in the small ball conference. But this team needs to not fall into an ethereal insurmountable funk which stymied last season’s great start.
Is it next year? Farmer’s development and guard work off the bench are keys to Marist’s MAAC dreams.
Fairfield Stags (15-15, 11-7) 3rd
Projected Starting five:
Terrence Todd
DeWitt Maxwell (if and when he returns)
Michael Bell
Marty O’Sullivan
Geoff Middleton
Schedule highlights: Providence Nov. 28, at Iowa Dec. 2, MAAC play Loyola Dec. 9at Georgetown Dec. 11
Why they are here: Maxwell’s questionable off-court acts has landed him off the court for the entire first semester; his absence will immediately be felt. Without Maxwell, seniors Todd and Bell will need to impart their wisdom, savvy and experience to help lift the Stags. The guard play should be fine with Regional Jordan Classic Herbie Allen, who is known for his crossover and also possesses a jumper. The Stags’ defense signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, shot-blocking sage Deng Gai. Without Gai in the middle, opponents with any size or quick guards will be matadored to the basket with little resistance on the help side.
The O’Tooles to success: They have experience, and in a one-bid conference that bodes well against less-experienced, not-yet-cultivated talents. Defense will be their heel, but the guard play even without Maxwell will still be exceptional, particularly the play of Todd, who is in a position to be the man in Bridgeport this season.
Field of Fair: Little is certain about this up coming season. What is for sure is that Fairfield has been in the top three the past three seasons in the MAAC, but this first-hand experience will also have to find a way to halt other team’s talent.
Niagara Purple Eagles – (20-10, 13-5 MAAC) 1st
Projected Starting five:
J.R. Duffey
Lorenzo Miles
James Mathis
Cliff Brpwn
Stanley Hodge
Schedule highlights: Bucknell Nov. 30, MAAC play begins Dec. 9 Seina, at Botre Dame Dec. 21, ESPN Bracket Buster Feb. 18
Why they are here: Thirty-five years of waiting for a bid to the Dance ended last season, but now the Purple Eagles and their fans may feel as if last March was another lifetime ago and almost as if it were a theatrical piece. Years of anguish in almost, a near-proven team who was aging out, an ailing parent for inspiration, and a coach with a promise sounded enough like a script minus the fact it was reality, but now that it is over it is time to move on. Exit stage left the three great Niagara careers of Juan Mendez, Alex Cruz, and David Brooks. Gone is over 50 ppg in production, the school’s leading assister, and a clutch shooter. Enter stage right Joe Mihalich, who has put together seven straight winning seasons. Continuing this streak maybe his most difficult task of the past several years.
Why they could rise: Duffy and Miles are poised to take over the reigns, while Mathis should be chomping at the bit being able to step into the starting line up and show the MAAC what he is all about. Mihalich did not stumble upon seven straight winning seasons and will not be afraid to tinker with his rotations if the team struggles.
TLC said it best: There will be few chasing the Purple Eagles, but enough of this team remembers last year, and the fan base at the Gallagher Center could make them a sleeper pick late.
Loyola (Md) Greyhounds (6-22, 5-13) 9th
Projected Starting five:
Charlie Bell
Linton Hinds
Andre Collins
Freddie Stanback
Brad Farrell
Schedule highlights: MAAC play begins at Fairfield Dec. 9, at Virginia Dec. 23, ESPN Bracket Buster Feb. 18.
Why they are here: Jimmy Patsos would be more optimistic about this season if the team he coached this past summer would be suiting up at Reitz Arena. Patsos coached the MAAC All-Stars on a tour through China and had an opportunity to see the MAAC’s best on display. But even without a team of All-Stars, the Kennel Club can remain hopeful. Sure, the argument could be made that for a team with 11 straight losing seasons, it cannot get much worse, but there is more. With Patsos at the helm and an unstated losing streak in the past, the MAAC in a season of transition and stranger things have happened (see Oakland Mid-Con Conference tourney 2005); the Hounds chose a great time to move up. They are small and 6-10 transfer Hassan Fofana will not be available until spring semester, so they will have to go with a guard-heavy line up. Maryland transfer Collins is this season’s X-factor as Loyola will rely heavily on the perimeter.
Won’t be easy: Unless the guards go through a growth spurt, teams can potentially abuse the Greyhounds’ lack of height and make for a long and arduous season to watch. But they play the games on the court, not on paper.
Hound pups: Like their namesake, the Greyhounds can force tempo to their advantage, but only against some teams because again, guards rule the conference. If Loyola finishes with double-digit wins, Patsos should be offered a long-term deal.
Siena Saints (6-24, 4-14) 10th
Projected Starting five:
Scoop Jordan
Mike Beers
David Ryan
Kojo Mensah
Tay Fisher
Schedule highlights: at Syracuse Nov. 25, MAAC opener at Niagara, ESPN Bracket Buster Feb. 18.
Why they are here: Last season was bad, this season may be worse. Leading scorer Jack McClinton is playing in Miami, second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Michael Haddix is out for the season with a torn Achilles, and their current leading scorer averaged less than 8 ppg. On top of those fun facts, 6-11 JuCo All-American Darrel Harris withdrew after Rob Lanier’s contract was terminated. It looks dim to say the least.
Is there some light? Sure there is. New coach and Philly native Fran McCaffery has taken over after the Saints had their worst season since 1995-96. McCaffery paced UNC-Greensboro to a 90-87 record while he was head coach for six seasons. This was the second time McCaffery interviewed for this position – in 1997 the Saints hired Paul Hewitt (now of Georgia Tech). McCaffery, who led UNC-Greensboro to the Southern Conference Tournament championship game last season, knows rebuilding and this is his new project.
Better than last? It is unlikely the Saints can conjure enough good fortune by practicing countenance or paying extra in their tithe to the Church, but Siena can rebound from last season and start the McCaffery era with improvement.
Conference Outlook
Last season Niagara, earned the number-one seed with 13 MAAC wins. This season 11 may be enough because of the transitioning out of the vanguard that was once the MAAC. The departures of All-MAAC mainstays leave room for new players to grow and allow their light to shine and an exciting season to commence. The bigs who dominated last season cannot put a vice grip around the top spots now that the MAAC is littered with talented guards. Without a clear favorite and three teams to beat, the top teams should oscillate throughout the season, allowing those who play with consistency to sneak into the mix. The MAAC seeding is TBD until the last weeks of the season, promising nothing but high levels of anxiety and trips to the hoops emergency room for MAAC teams and their loyal followers.
Regular season Champs: Iona
MAAC Tournament Champs: Manhattan
