Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 2007-08 Season Recap
by Matthew Moll
How the MAAC interrupted your Office Pool
Everyone likes cheering for the little guy and the MAAC is a conference filled with little guy-esque schools.
This season the Siena Saints embodied the role of David slaying two of the NCAA’s goliaths – one on the sport’s largest stage.
Siena is located in Loundonville, a hamlet just outside of Albany, New York and boasts an enrollment of about 3,000. The Saints’ first victim was the Stanford Cardinal, the first ranked team Siena has defeated since 1989 – coincidentally, Stanford.
Several months later, the Saints dispatched the Commodores of Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Tampa, Florida earned the title of “Upset Central,” sending a pair of 12 and 13 seeds to the field of 32. Siena’s 83-62 handling of the Commodores was the largest margin of victory by a 13 seed over a four seed since Navy defeated LSU in 1985.
The Regular Season
The MAAC regular season surprised few; young teams floundered while experience ruled the day. By midseason five teams were within striking distance, although three teams – Siena, Rider and Niagara – were at the front of the pack. By season’s end six teams were making a run at the MAAC regular season crown and the league’s number one tournament seed. The Fairfield Stags, a non-factor earlier in the season, caught fire late and strung together six conference wins. Their final overall record reflected a period of futility, but their conference total was merely two games short of the top spot.
But the regular season went to the favored Saints who owned the tiebreaker over the Rider Broncos. Siena was able to lock in the MAAC tournament’s number-one seed despite dropping two of their last three conference games.
MAAC Tournament
The tournament saw two upsets. Canisius continued to shine in the first round of the tournament, ousting Iona 64-59.
In the quarterfinals Marist, last season’s regular season champs, bounced Niagara, last season’s NCAA tournament rep, 66-62.
The MAAC tournament concluded the way the seeding intended: number one Siena versus number two Rider. But both the Saints and the Broncos had scares in the semifinals. The Saints held off fourth-seeded Loyola 65-63 to advance, while Rider snuck by Marist 76-71.
In the end the buildup to the final was hampered by a pair of injuries to Rider’s big guns. The Saints took advantage and ended the game early, taking the MAAC tournament crown with a 74-53 win.
NCAA and CBI
Both Siena and Rider turned their 20-plus wins into postseason births.
Siena’s convincing run through the MAAC tournament spilled into the first round of 65. No. 13 seed Siena trounced the No. 4 seed Vanderbilt Commodores 83-62 for the first NCAA tournament win for a MAAC team since Manhattan did it in 2004. The Saints could not sustain their upset ways against 12th-seeded Villanova, as the Wildcats ended Siena’s season 72-84 in Tampa.
Rider’s regular season earned the group an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational tournament. The Broncos fell to Old Dominion in the first round of the CBI 68-65. Ryan Thompson led the Broncos with 24 points.
Hardware
Player of the Year: Jason Thompson (Rider)
Co-Rookies of the Year: Brian Rudolph (Loyola), Jay Gavin (Marist)
Coach of the Year: Tommy Dempsey (Rider)
Sixth Player of the Year: Marquis Sullivan (Loyola)
Defensive Player of the Year: Jason Thompson (Rider)
First Team: Gerald Brown (Loyola), Charron Fisher (Niagara), Jason Thompson (Rider), Kenny Hasbrouck (Siena), Edwin Ubiles (Siena)
Second Team: Jonathan Han (Fairfield), Tyrone Lewis (Niagara), Ryan Thompson (Rider), Todd Sowell (Saint Peter’s), Alex Franklin (Siena)
1. Siena Saints (23-11 Overall, 13-5 MAAC)
The upset dance: The Saints returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002, and again came away with a victory. But unlike their win in 2002 it was an upset win over an SEC juggernaut rather than a play-in victory with the privilege to be a number-16 seed.
Siena started their march to the NCAA Tournament with a solid regular season, besting the preseason favorites Rider to earn the MAAC tournament the number-one seed. The Saints managed their highest win total (23) since 2000 (24), which included the team’s first win over a ranked opponent since 1989 when they defeated an eventual Sweet 16 team in Stanford 79-67. The Saints rode the number one seed all the way to the MAAC finals and into the NCAA Tournament.
Kenny Hasbrouck’s 30 points and Tay Fisher’s perfect 6-6 from three land forced Vanderbilt, a Sweet 16 team from a season ago, to make off-season plans as the Saints pounded the number-four seed 83-62. The Saints could not stop Villanova two nights later, ending their season with an 84-72 loss.
Team MVP: Kenny Hasbrouck 17.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg
Top Scorer: Edwin Ubiles 17.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Alex Franklin 7.8 rpg
Top Assists: Ronald Moore 5.3 apg
Starters leaving: Tay Fisher (graduation)
News: Chris De la Rosa transferred.
Key players returning: Hasbrouck, Franklin, Moore, Ubiles
Can they do it again: Siena has the chance to return to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season with the return of everyone significant but Fisher. If they do return they will be the first MAAC team since Manhattan in 2003 and 2004, but the Saints could do the Jaspers one better and have tournament victories in two straight tourneys.
2. Rider Broncos (23-11, 13-5)
Pressure was on: As the preseason favorites with the preseason player of the year the Broncos came into 2007-08 on the MAAC’s radar. Up until the final game of the MAAC Tournament, Rider did not disappoint. Jason Thompson dominated both the glass and the paint throughout the conference schedule. But in the MAAC Tourney final, Thompson was not enough as Broncos were forced to settle for the CBI falling to fellow regular season champ Siena 74-53.
Rider was unable to recover from the loss in the CBI, losing in the first round 68-65 to Old Dominion.
Team MVP: Jason Thompson 20.4 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 2.8 bpg, 2.7 apg
Top Scorer: J. Thompson
Top Rebounder: J. Thompson
Top Assists: Ryan Thompson 3.4 apg
Starters leaving: J. Thompson (graduation)
Key players returning: R. Thompson, Harris Mansell, and Justin Robinson
Outlook for next season: With Jason Thompson exhausting his eligibility coach Tommy Dempsey is much like every other MAAC coaches – guard-heavy and looking for size. Expect the Broncos to take a dip next season.
3. Niagara Purple Eagles (19-10, 12-6)
Early exit: Last season’s MAAC NCAA tournament representative showed signs of its recent success during the regular season, nearly earning Joe Mihalich his second consecutive 20-win season. Niagara could not get going against Marist after earning a first round bye in the MAAC Tournament. No offense meant no repeat for the defending champs.
Team MVP: Charron Fisher 27.6 ppg, 9.5
Top Scorer: Fisher
Top Rebounder: Fisher
Top Assists: Nelson
Starters leaving: Fisher and Stanley Hodge (graduation)
Key players returning: Anthony Nelson, Tyrone Lewis, Benson Egemonye
Outlook for next season: The loss of Fisher leaves a 27.6 point hole in the Eagles offense. Nelson and Egemonye both need to step up their scoring, but have the inside-outside combination to stay competitive in the MAAC.
4. Loyola Greyhounds (19-10, 12-6)
Getting closer: Jimmy Patsos’ first graduating class leaves Loyola with the most wins for a class and the largest single-season win total since the Nixon administration. The Greyhounds’ turnaround continued this season as they nearly captured a share of the MAAC crown. In the postseason Loyola reached the semifinals of the MAAC Tourney for the second time in as many years, but fell just a basket short of advancing to its first MAAC final.
Team MVP: Gerald Brown 18.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Top Scorer: Brown
Top Rebounder: Michael Tuck 7.2 rpg
Top Assists: Brian Rudolph 4.3 apg
Starters leaving: Brown and Tuck (graduation)
Key players returning: Brett Harvey and Rudolph
Outlook for next season: After yet another season of improvement, Loyola is in need of turning the corner before it can be considered a perennial MAAC force. The return of Harvey and Rudolph gives the Greyhounds the guard tandem necessary for MAAC success and Omari Isreal has the size and ability to dominate the MAAC middle.
5. Fairfield Stags (14-16, 11-7)
Pulling the ol’ above-below .500: The Fairfield Stags could not manage to win more than they lost, but were still the fifth-best MAAC team because of their strong conference play. The Stags recovered from an early season six-game losing streak thanks in some part to a late season seven-game surge which included six conference wins to conclude the regular season.
Team MVP: Jonathan Han 11.7 ppg, 6.2 apg
Top Scorer: Han
Top Rebounder: Anthony Johnson 7.3 rpg
Top Assists: Han
Starters leaving: None
Key players returning: Han, Johnson, Warren Edney
Outlook for next season: Second-year head coach Ed Cooley was able to inspire the young Stags to close out the regular season with seven straight victories. Virtually the same group returns and Cooley another season wiser. The Stags may look to threaten the top next season.
6. Marist Red Foxes (18-14, 11-7)
Continuing the winning: The Red Foxes were not able to match their success of last season’s MAAC regular season championship, but they did exceed expectations by posting their third consecutive season of 18 wins or more. Marist’s season was highlighted by two different five-game winning streaks.
The Red Foxes’ defense allowed a MAAC-low 68 points per game. It was this defense that stifled the high scoring Niagara Purple Eagles’ offense and led the Red Foxes into the next round.
Team MVP: Louie McCroskey 12.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Top Scorer: Jay Gavin 12.3 ppg.
Top Rebounder: Spongey Benjamin 6.9 rpg
Top Assists: David Devezin 4.3 apg
Starters leaving: McCroskey (graduation), Ryan Stilphen (graduation), Benjamin (graduation)
Key players returning: Gavin, Devezin
News: Former head coach Matt Brady exits to James Madison University. In his place is former John Calipari assistant Chuck Martin. Martin has added to his staff Paul Lee, formerly an assistant at Northwestern and Tyrone Weeks, also from Memphis.
Outlook for next season: Matt Brady exits after leading the Red Foxes to its first outright MAAC crown in 2006-2007, the same year he was named MAAC’s coach of the year. New coach Chuck Martin takes over a team that has won over 18 games for three consecutive seasons. Through Brady’s successful tenure his teams did not win a MAAC Tournament or advance to the NCAAs.
7. Iona Gaels (12-20, 8-10)
Where there is a Willard: First-year head coach Kevin Willard and the Gaels added 10 wins to the previous season’s tally, including seven more MAAC wins. While the season did end in improvement on last year’s debacle, it began with an ominous 0-7 start. But the young Gaels never flirted with last year’s losses and managed two three-game winning streaks. The season was highlighted by a sweep of the season series of their MAAC and in-state rival Manhattan.
Team MVP: Dexter Gray 11.3 ppg. 5.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
Top Scorer: Gray
Top Rebounder: Gary Springer 7.7 rpg
Top Assists: Kyle Camper 3.8 apg
Starters leaving: Camper (graduation), Gray (graduation)
Key players returning: Milan Prodanovic, Rashon Dwight, De’Shaune Griffin, Gary Springer
News: De’Shaune Griffin, Kevin Hassett and Andre Tarver were all released from the program.
Outlook for next season: Willard returns only one of his three double-digit scorers and the team – with the exception of Springer – is young. Springer will need to use his size in the middle to take advantage of smaller MAAC opponents, but he needs to stay on the floor longer and produce more on the offensive end. Rashon Dwight emerged as a playmaker and may be asked to take on more of the ball-handling.
8. Manhattan Jaspers (12-19, 5-13)
First time in a long time: For the first time since the 1998-99 season the Manhattan Jaspers finished a season as a sub-.500 team in the MAAC. The Jaspers struggled to find their footing, failing to win more than two games in a row and at one point dropping eight consecutive games – all during conference play. Barry Rohrssen’s second season did produce his first MAAC Tournament win, besting the St. Peter’s Peacocks.
Team MVP: Antoine Pearson 12.2 ppg, 2.3 apg
Top Scorer: Pearson
Top Rebounder: Rashad Green 5.0 rpg
Top Assists: Pearson
Starters leaving: none
Key players returning: Pearson, Devon Austin
Outlook for next season: The Jaspers lack size with experience, and with their best rebounder tipping the scales at 195 on his 6’4″ frame it is clear they need to find something in the middle from Devin Austin. Without support from the interior the guard tandem of Pearson and Chris Smith will need to find other ways to score.
9. St. Peter’s Peacocks (6-24, 3-15)
About the same: Second-year head coach John Dunne and the young Peacocks managed the identical MAAC win total from a season ago and only a marginal improvement in the overall win column (six compared to five from 2007). The season was highlighted by a victory over their larger, more renowned intrastate rival Rutgers, the first since 1995. But after evening their record to 2-2, St. Peter’s dropped 14 of their next 16 games, including two seven-game losing streaks. The postseason has brought no relief as the Peacocks were sent home in the first round for the second straight season.
Team MVP: Todd Sowell 12.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg., 2.2 blocks per game
Top Scorer: Wesley Jenkins 13.0 ppg.
Top Rebounder: Sowell
Top Assists: Nick Leon apg
Starters leaving: Sowell (graduation), Raul Orta (graduation)
Key players returning: Leon, Jenkins, Darrell Lampley, Akeem Gooding
Outlook for next season: The Peacocks return five of their top seven players who logged the most minutes played from a year ago. Four of these players were freshman and will have the opportunity to improve as a unit over the next three years. But the young group only managed one road win last season and managed the worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the MAAC at 0.64.
10. Canisius Golden Griffins (6-25, 2-16)
Win total halved: The Golden Griffins’ 16-year refusal to dwell at the bottom of the MAAC standings ended thanks to tallying exactly half of last season’s win total and earning only one MAAC victory during the regular season. Second year coach Tom Parrotta’s second losing season is the team’s seventh consecutive. However, Canisius did manage its eighth-straight opening round win in the MAAC Tournament, ousting Iona 64-59.
Team MVP: Frank Turner 12.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.6 apg
Top Scorer: Turner
Top Rebounder: Greg Loggins 5.5 rpg
Top Assists: Turner
Starters leaving: none
Key players returning: Turner, Loggins, Tomas Vazquez-Simmons
Outlook for next season: Loggins and Vazquez-Simmons are a promising frontline, but both are thin and not accustomed to scoring. Outside of Turner, one of the best passers in the MAAC, the Griffins were without a double-digit scorer, meaning many of his assists were in the hands of the league’s worst shooting team. Canisius must find someone for Turner to feed in order to utilize their best player, or they can expect to revisit the cellar next season.
MAAC Outlook for 2008-09
Much like 2007-08, the MAAC will be a tale of two divergent groups – those in contention and those who are not. No one team will run away with the MAAC crown, but the distinction will be clear by midseason which five teams are competing and which five are preparing for 2010.
Fairfield appears ready to contend while Rider, Niagara and Loyola may have lost too much.
St. Peter’s and Canisius do not appear to be ready to relinquish their place at the back of the line while the rest of the MAAC will be seesaw-like through conference play.
Last year’s winners must be next year’s favorites. Fran “Mr. Turnaround” McCaffery has coached a six-win team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Saints look set to become the MAAC’s version of a mini-dynasty.
