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METRO ATLANTIC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Quinnipiac
- Marist
- Iona
- Fairfield
- Saint Peter’s
- Merrimack
- Rider
- Niagara
- Siena
- Manhattan
- Mount Saint Mary’s
- Canisius
- Sacred Heart
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAAC 1ST TEAM:
-Dejour Reaves – SR, G – Iona
-Josh Pascarelli – SO, G – Marist
-Adam “Budd” Clark – SO, G – Merrimack
-Savion Lewis – SR, G – Quinnipiac
-Amarri Monroe – JR, F – Quinnipiac (Preseason Player of the Year)
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAAC 2ND TEAM:
-Deon Perry – JR, G – Fairfield
-James “Biggie” Patterson – JR, G/F – Iona
-Shaquil Bender – SR, G – Manhattan
-Jadin Collins-Roberts – SO, G – Marist
-Paul Otieno – SR, F – Quinnipiac
-Major Freeman – JR, G – Siena
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAAC 3RD TEAM:
-Clarence Rupert – SR, F – Iona
-Jaden Winston – SO, G – Manhattan
-Dola Adebayo – JR, F – Mount Saint Mary’s
-Tanner Thomas – JR, F – Sacred Heart
-Marcus Randolph – SR, G – Saint Peter’s
-Mouhamed Sow – JR, F – Saint Peter’s
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Quinnipiac was the 1st place team a year ago, and Coach Tom Pecora did a fantastic job in his first year. With three starters back, including Savion Lewis and Amarri Monroe, they are the sensible choice for a first-place finisher again this year. This is a program that has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, and I think that will continue into this season. They are a fun team to watch!
-Marist has high expectations this year with three starters returning from a team that looked pretty good in the second half of conference play a season ago. Josh Pascarelli is a double-digit scorer who can shoot from the outside and gives the Red Foxes some strength out on the perimeter. I do not know if they will finish quite as high as 2nd, but I do think they look good this year.
-Iona lost all their starters from a year ago, and while Coach Tobin Anderson is certainly proven, it is never easy to assess a team that has so many new players. They are a very transfer-heavy team, and while they appear to have some solid pieces, especially with Dejour Reeves (who was a standout player at Northern Colorado a season ago), and while I think they have the potential to be really good, it is still hard to say how guys will play together that have not played together before.
-Coach Chris Casey had a great debut at Fairfield last year, winning 24 total games and finishing 2nd in the league. It was the best season in recent memory for the Stags. They are losing three starters, but are adding 1 very solid transfer in Deon Perry (who was a standout player at Loyola MD a year ago), and adding another grad transfer in Kyle Jenkins. I really like this Fairfield team and think they can make a run at a first place finish.
-Saint Peter’s lost three of their starters from a year ago, but have added some really nice pieces from the transfer portal and should be able to hit the ground running and finish in the top half of the conference without too much trouble. Marcus Randolph and Mouhamed Sow both received preseason honors and will be guys that the Peacocks depend on this year.
-Merrimack makes their Metro Atlantic debut after leaving the NEC. They managed 21 wins last year and advanced to the NEC Championship game. The competition in the MAAC will be a little stronger, and with just two starters back there could be a bit of a transitional phase before we start seeing them at the top of the standings. They were recently a transitional program and during that time proved that they are ready for D-1. Adam “Budd” Clark and Devon Savage make up what should be a more than capable backcourt for the Warriors.
-Rider won each of their final seven regular season games a year ago, which earned them a tie for 3rd in the standings. Two key starters are back, and they also add Jay Alvarez, who was a standout player at Houston Christian. They are adding a couple of decent JUCO transfers as well. I kind of think they’re being undervalued in the preseason poll seeing that they are picked as low as 7th.
-Niagara’s entire starting lineup is gone from a year ago. Like many programs, they were gutted by the portal and are basically having to start from scratch. It is hard to say what kind of pieces they will have this season.
-Up until recently, it seemed like Siena was one of the stronger programs in the conference. Last year, they had just four total wins, and this year none of their starters are back. That may be a good thing for new coach Gerry McNamara, who clearly has his work cut out for him.
-Manhattan struggled last season, but there is reason to be optimistic that we may see some improvement this year. Brett Rumpel was unable to play the majority of last year due to injury, so just having him back in addition to two other returning starters should mean a few more wins for the Jaspers this year.
-Mount Saint Mary’s has a new head coach in Donny Lind, and he could be in for a rough start. Expectations are rather low: they were a modest 9-11 in league play last year, and several key pieces are gone.
-Jim Christian takes over as head coach at Canisius, which is a fantastic hire. Unfortunately for him, they do not have a whole lot in the way of personnel. I think he will do well as head coach, but they could be in for a long year this year.
-Sacred Heart is another team that is in their first year of MAAC play after being long-time members of the NEC. And, the expectations are…well…not great. Tanner Thomas is a solid player, but he will need some help from his supporting cast if the Pioneers are going to have any success this year.