A weekly round-up of men’s basketball in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Six MAAC Men’s Basketball Players Named to 2010-11 All-Met Division I Teams
Edison, N.J. – Six MAAC men’s basketball players were named to the 2010-11 All-Met Division I men’s college basketball teams, announced Tuesday by the National Invitation Tournament and Met Basketball Writers Association.
Iona College’s Mike Glover and Scott Machado earned spots on the First Team. Glover, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound junior forward from the Bronx, N.Y., made the most of his first season with the Gaels. He was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Dec. 7 after averaging 29.7 points and 12.7 rebounds in a 3-0 week for the Maroon and Gold. Glover finished the season ranked second in both scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg). He also led the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 61 percent of his attempts from the floor.
Canisius announces recruiting class
Canisius College men’s basketball coach Tom Parrotta announced today that a total of seven players have agreed to join the Golden Griffins men’s basketball program. Five of those individuals will be eligible for the 2011-12 season, while transfers Freddy Asprilla (Villavicencio, Columbia) and Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) will sit out next season in accordance with NCAA transfer regulations, and both student-athletes will have one year of eligibility, starting with the 2012-13 campaign.
The five members of the recruiting class that will be on the Blue and Gold’s active roster next season include Jose Agosto (Gatlinburg, Tenn.), Kevin Bleeker (Alkmaar, Netherlands), Josiah Heath (Rochester, N.Y.), Franklin Milian (La Vega, Dominican Republic) and Harold Washington (Brandywine, Md.).
Derek Needham Named To Met Writers Team And All-Jesuit Squad
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Derek Needham (Dolton, Ill.) earned a spot on the All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers team as well as the All-Jesuit men’s basketball team today. MBWA announced its three post-season honor teams at its annual dinner this evening, while the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities announced their post-season squads earlier in the day.
Needham was a second team member on the All-MBWA, moving up from the third team pick after his freshman season. The guard made his second appearance on the All-Jesuit team as well. Needham added these two honors to his sophomore season after earning All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) first team accolades.
Glover, Machado Named All-MBWA First Team
WHITE PLAINS, NY – Iona College men’s basketball juniors Mike Glover and Scott Machado added to a lengthy list of postseason awards this year by being named to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association All-Met First Team this morning. Glover and Machado will be honored at the 78th Haggerty Awards Dinner tonight at the Westchester Marriott.
Beamon Receives Third Team All-Metropolitan Honors
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College sophomore George Beamon was named to the All-Metropolitan Third Team as announced on Tuesday at the 78th MET Basketball Writers Association Awards Banquet in Tarrytown, N.Y., the oldest annual college basketball awards reception in the United States. Beamon ranked third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in scoring averaging 16.3 points starting in 30 of 31 appearances for the Jaspers.
Wesley Jenkins Named to All-Met Third Team
NEW YORK, NY – Saint Peter’s College senior forward Wesley Jenkins (Newark, NJ) was named to the All-Met Third Team today by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Jenkins was also named to the third team following his junior season and to the second team following his sophomore campaign.
Siena lands Beard
DaVonte Beard (St. Vincent-St. Mary/Akron, Ohio), described by Rivals.com as one of the top Mid-Major targets in the country, returned his National Letter of Intent to Siena today. The 6-2, combo-guard hails from the same high school as LeBron James. He will be taking his talents to the Times Union Center the next four seasons.
“I really liked everything about Siena,” Beard said Tuesday when reached by phone. “I liked the players a lot, and really liked the coaches. I pretty much felt comfortable in every way. The coaching staff never put pressure on me, but they remained committed throughout the process.”
Ex-Nichols star Regan leaving Virginia
After starting his college basketball career at the University of Virginia, it appears Will Regan will finish it in Western New York.
Regan, a two-time Buffalo News Player of the Year from Nichols, has announced he’s leaving Virginia at the end of this academic year. He has been granted a release from his scholarship.
“It was a hard decision; you want to succeed wherever you go,” Regan said by phone on Friday night. “I’m sure if I stuck it out, things could have turned the corner, but you only have so many years to play in college, and you have to be happy. It was really a lot of things from not enjoying basketball to not enjoying the social side of things. I didn’t have anything to fall back on.”
Former Siena recruit in gray area at George Mason
St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep small forward Vaughn Gray, who signed with George Mason over Siena last fall, could possibly become available again after George Mason coach Jim Larranaga left for the Miami job today.
St. Benedict’s assistant coach Bill Diamond said Gray “still intends to honor his commitment” but will wait to find out who the new coach is.
Siena badly wanted Gray, a 6-5 forward, during the early signing period. He had a “fantastic” trip to Siena in October, according to Diamond at the time, but then visited George Mason and committed there.
Coming soon
Stay tuned for the first annual Pickin’ Splinters rundown on the MAAC’s incoming class. Fans can get an in-depth look at all the new student-athletes to play next season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
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