MAAC Announces 2008-2009 MAAC Men's Basketball All-Rookie Team
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announces the 2008-2009 All-MAAC Men's Basketball Rookie Team, selected by the MAAC’s head coaches.
The team is made up of Scott Machado from Iona College, Anthony Winbush from Loyola College, R.J. Hall from Marist College, Novar Gadson from Rider University and Kyle Downey from Siena College. One of these five players will be named the 2008-2009 MAAC Rookie of the Year, also selected by the head coaches of the league. The award winner will be announced on Thursday, March 5 at a 5:00 p.m. awards reception at the Times Union Center, the site of the 2009 Citizens Bank MAAC Basketball Championships.
Machado, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound freshman guard from Queens, N.Y., was a top performer for the Gaels this season. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Maroon and Gold. Machado netted double digits in 15 games during his rookie campaign. He was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week six times this year.
Winbush, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound freshman forward from Alexandria, Va., was a formidable presence for the Greyhounds this season. He averaged 3.7 points and 4.1 rebounds a night, while shooting 33.9 percent from the field. Winbush closed out the regular season with back-to-back double-digit performances and earned one MAAC Rookie of the Week honor.
Hall, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound freshman guard from Bloomfield, N.J., was a key contributor for the Red Foxes in his first season. In 30 regular season games, he averaged 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Additionally, he registered 11 double-digit scoring efforts and earned two MAAC Rookie of the Week honors.
Gadson, a 6-foot-7, 213-pound freshman forward from Philadelphia, Pa., proved that he is a formidable frontcourt player in his first season with the Broncs. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Rider. Gadson also shot 46.3 percent from the field, good for 11th place in the conference. He recorded 20 double-digit scoring performances and two double-doubles during his freshman campaign. Gadson won five MAAC Rookie of the Week awards.
Downey, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman guard from Fairport, N.Y., enjoyed a strong first season for the Saints. He averaged 3.8 points, and 1.0 rebound over 30 games played this season. Downey netted 46.3 percent of his shots from the field and 70.3 percent from the free throw line. He registered five double-digit scoring efforts this season.