Courtesy of MAACSports.com
EDISON, NJ – The Monmouth University Hawks have been selected by the leagues 11 head coaches as the favorites to take home the 2016-17 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship. The Hawks received nine of out a possible 11 first-place votes, totaling 119 points to claim the top spot in the poll. Monmouth’s senior guard Justin Robinson has been named the unanimous 2016-17 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
The Hawks went 17-3 in conference play and 28-8 overall last season en route to winning the 2015-16 MAAC Men’s Basketball regular season crown. Monmouth would make it to the MAAC Championship Game, falling to Iona 79-76. Reigning MAAC Player of the Year and unanimous 2016-17 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Justin Robinson, enters his senior season for the Hawks. The senior guard averaged 19.3 points per game, third-best in the conference, for a Hawks team that led the MAAC in scoring margin (+7.1), free-throw percentage (76.8), steals (8.2 per game), turnover margin (+2.69) and defensive rebounds (28.0 per game). Monmouth University was named a top seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and defeated Bucknell in opening round action.
Siena College received the other two first-place votes, totaling 109 points to finish in second place in the Preseason poll. The Saints were 13-7 in the MAAC and 21-13 overall in 2015-16 and would go on to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The Saints return First Team All-MAAC member Brett Bisping and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Javion Ogunyemi. Nico Clareth and Marquis Wright will be key contributors for the Saints. Clareth averaged 13.1 points per game in his freshman season.
The defending 2015-16 MAAC Men’s Basketball Champions, Iona College, received 99 points to come in third place in the Preseason poll. The Gaels won its first MAAC Championship since 2013 when they defeated Monmouth last March and have competed in four straight championship games and have won the league crown nine times. Iona will look to repeat as champions with a new group of faces including Sam Cassell Jr. and Jon Severe joining returnees Deyshonne Much and Schadrac Casimir.
Rounding out the top-five is Saint Peter’s University in fourth, who went (12-8 MAAC, 14-16 overall) a season ago and Fairfield University who placed fifth in the poll after a (12-8 MAAC, 19-14 overall) campaign.
Iona College’s Jordan Washington, a member of the 2015-16 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship team, earns a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. Washington averaged 14.2 points per game and was seventh in the conference with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game for the Gaels last season. He ranked fourth in the MAAC with a 51.4 field-goal percentage. In the Gaels NCAA Tournament Game with Iowa State, Washington recorded a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Khallid Hart of Marist College earns a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. Hart, a 6-2 senior guard from Newark, DE was second in the conference with his 20.3 points per game average a season ago. Hart ranked first in the MAAC with 36.5 minutes played for the Red Foxes. He ranked fourth in the MAAC with 1.5 steals per game and an 84.1 free-throw percentage. His 2.6 made three-pointers per game placed him fifth in the conference during his junior campaign.
Justin Robinson was a unanimous selection to the Preseason team for Monmouth University. The reigning MAAC Player of the Year led the Hawks to a MAAC Regular Season Title and a top seed in the postseason NIT. Robinson ranked third in the MAAC with 19.3 points per game, first in steals with 2.2 swipes per game, third in free-throw percentage with an 84.5 percent mark and seventh in assists with 3.7 helpers per game. He was named MVP of the AdvoCare Invitational after scoring 77 points to top Michael Beasley’s tournament scoring record.
Siena College’s Brett Bisping was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team after a season in which he averaged 15.9 points per game, the eighth best scoring average in the MAAC and 10.4 rebounds last season for the Saints. His 10.4 rebounds per game were the best in the conference. Bisping was a unanimous All-MAAC First Team Selection in the 2015-16 season. Bisping ranked first in the MAAC with 8.1 defensive rebounds per game last season.
Javion Ogunyemi joins teammate Brett Bisping of Siena College on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. The 6-10 senior forward from Troy, NY led the MAAC with 71 blocked shots, averaging a league-best 2.1 rejections per game last season. Ogunyemi ranked second in the conference with a 54.3 field goal percentage and 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. His 14.9 points per game were 11th-best in the MAAC a season ago.
The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team features Fairfield University’s junior guard Tyler Nelson, Manhattan College’s senior guard Rich Williams, Monmouth University’s sophomore guard Micah Seaborn, Rider University’s senior forward Kahlil Thomas, and Saint Peter’s University’s senior center/forward Quadir Welton.
Members of the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team include Canisius College’s senior forward Phil Valenti, Iona College’s junior guard Deyshonee Much, Saint Peter’s University’s sophomore guard Antwon Portley, Saint Peter’s University’s senior guard Trevis Wyche, and Siena College’s senior guard Marquis Wright.
2016-17 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Monmouth (9) 119
2. Siena (2) 109
3. Iona 99
4. Saint Peter’s 86
5. Fairfield 76
6. Manhattan 71
7. Rider 50
8. Marist 37
9. Canisius 35
10. Quinnipiac 28
11. Niagara 16
2016-17 Preseason All-MAAC Teams
First Team
Jordan Washington, Iona, Sr., F, 6-8, Jamaica, NY
Khallid Hart, Marist, R-Sr., G, 6-2, Newark, DE
Justin Robinson, Monmouth, Sr., G, 5-8, Lake Katrine, NY*
Brett Bisping, Siena, R-Sr., F, 6-8, Peoria, IL
Javion Ogunyemi, Siena, Sr., F, 6-10, Troy, NY
Second Team
Tyler Nelson, Fairfield, Jr., G, 6-3, Bradford, MA
Rich Williams, Manhattan, Sr., G, 6-5, Brooklyn, NY
Micah Seaborn, Monmouth, So., G, 6-2 Fort Worth, TX
Kahlil Thomas, Rider, Sr., F, 6-7, Parkway, FL
Quadir Welton, Saint Peter’s University, Jr., C/F, 6-9, Philadelphia, PA
Third Team
Phil Valenti, Canisius, Sr., F, 6-7, Victor, NY
Deyshonee Much, Iona, Jr., G, 6-5, Rochester, NY
Antwon Portley, Saint Peter’s, So., G, 6-4, Lancaster, TX
Trevis Wyche, Saint Peter’s, Jr., G, 6-1, Neptune, NJ
Marquis Wright, Siena, Sr., G, 6-1, Waldorf, MD
Preseason Player of the Year
Justin Robinson, Monmouth*
*Denotes unanimous selection
Leave a Reply