Final Notes on the MAAC Tournament
by Ray Floriani
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The nets are cut down, champions crowned and now it’s time for a final look back on the MAAC tournament.
Monday evening saw this writer on an officiating assignment before catching Siena-Niagara on ESPN2. At the Hoop Zone in Englewood (NJ), the reminder of the MAAC was there as Tony Hargraves, a star for Iona in the Eighties, was there to see his son play. Tony lives in nearby Teaneck and also is an official these days. And he did mention how officiating partners kidded him about Iona’s season all winter.
“I’ll tell you,” Hargraves said. “We (Iona) went from champion to the bottom and we could get right back on top next season.”
It could be a stretch, but Hargraves is right. The MAAC is a balanced league. As Siena assistant Mitch Buonoguro said the other night, there were maybe six teams in the running for the title. You can rebuild or reload very quickly in this league.
Further evidence of the balance: Three weeks prior to the tournament, Niagara barely edged struggling St. Peter’s by pulling out a four-point road win. The difference from top to bottom is not that huge in this conference.
Joe Mihalich did a great job guiding Niagara to the championship. Following some off- court problems and suspensions in the fall, the Purple Eagles started at 1-6. With everyone back, they gradually gained momentum and haven’t lost since January 28. Ironically, the last loss was to Fairfield in the same building the tournament was held. Winners of a dozen straight, depending on their seed, Niagara will not be an easy out for their first round opponent. They are a physical club with athleticism. More importantly, they are riding a solid win streak with good team chemistry and a “respect everyone fear no one” outlook.
Niagara edged Siena 83-79 in a thrilling final that went down to the final minute. Tournament MVP Tyrone Lewis led all scorers with 24 points, while Lorenzo Miles added 21 for Niagara. Cliff Brown also came up big for the winners with a solid 14-point, 16-rebound effort. Niagara plays with a great deal of energy and does a lot of damage inside. They defeated Siena on the boards with a 47-38 edge, 20 of those rebounds coming at the offensive end.
Exciting as it was, it was a tough final to see any coach lose. In Mihalich and Siena’s Fran McCaffery you have two fine coaches who are also great friends and class acts.
Marist won the regular season, but as Matt Brady said, you have to feel especially bad for the seniors. When everything is in place for that championship run you have to grab it. You do not know when the opportunity to take the title will again present itself.
Marist’s outstanding senior guard Jared Jordan made a favorable impression on Charlotte Bobcats scout George Candia. “He (Jordan) is smart and can play,” Candia said. “I have to see him again to see how he finishes in traffic and defensively how good he is in a man-to-man.”
No one would have criticized Iona coach Jeff Ruland for exiting town after his long season ended on Friday. Sunday afternoon Ruland was in the stands to support the Iona women in their final. It was a wonderful gesture on Ruland’s part.
The Iona women came up ever so close in an overtime loss to defending champion Marist. Coach Tony Bozzella, who took LIU to the NCAAs a few years ago, has done a great job rebuilding the Iona program. The Lady Gaels also excel in the classroom, as a conference-leading 9 players were named to the MAAC All-Academic team.
Matt Brady was a well-deserved choice as MAAC Coach of the Year. Brady is best known for his 11 years with Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s. Brady did serve as an assistant with two other coaches of note, as he began his career on Tom Penders’ staff at URI before heading to Wagner to assist Tim Capstraw.
Arena at Harbor Yards seats 9,000 for basketball, with the best sessions seeing an attendance of about 50 percent capacity. That still gave it an appreciable atmosphere. As one AD noted, when the tournament is in Buffalo and you draw four or five thousand, there is no atmosphere because you are in an arena seating 19,000 plus. A venue of Harbor Yards is perfect for the MAAC.
