MAAC Announces 2009-10 Men's Basketball All-Rookie Team
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announces the 2009-2010 All-MAAC Men's Basketball Rookie Team, selected by the MAAC’s head coaches.
The team is made up of Derek Needham from Fairfield University, Kyle Smyth from Iona College, Robert Olson from Loyola University Maryland, Candon Rusin from Marist College and Darius Conley from Saint Peter’s College. One of these five players will be named the 2009-2010 MAAC Rookie of the Year, also selected by the head coaches of the league. The winner will be announced on Thursday, March 4 at a 5:00 p.m. awards reception at the Times Union Center, the site of the 2010 Citizens Bank MAAC Basketball Championships.
Needham, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound freshman guard from Dalton Ill., was a top performer for the Stags this season. He led all freshmen and ranked fifth in the MAAC scoring chart during the regular season with 15.9 points per game. Needham is also ranked third in assists (5.4), third in steals (1.9), 11th in field goal percentage (.384) and 11th in free throw percentage (.711). He posted double digits in 28 of 29 games and two double-doubles during the regular season. Needham earned nine MAAC Rookie of the Week awards this season.
Smyth, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound freshman guard from River Edge, N.J., aided the Gaels in their third-place finish this season. He averaged 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. Smyth is currently ranked fifth in three point field goal percentage, connecting on 42.6 percent of his attempts from behind the arc. He posted 11 double-digit performances and claimed two MAAC Rookie of the Week honors this season.
Olson, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound freshman guard from Silver Spring, Md., was a key contributor for the Greyhounds in his first season. In 25 regular season games, he averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Additionally, he registered seven double-digit scoring efforts and earned one MAAC Rookie of the Week honor.
Rusin, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound freshman guard from Hampstead, N.C., proved that he is a formidable backcourt player in his first season with the Red Foxes. He averaged 9.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game for Marist. Rusin also shot 43.2 percent from three-point range, good for third place in the conference. He recorded 17 double-digit scoring performances during his freshman campaign.
Conley, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound redshirt-freshman forward from Newport News, Va., enjoyed a strong first season for the Peacocks. He averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over 27 games played this season. Conley netted 45.8 percent of his shots from the field. He registered eight double-digit scoring efforts and three double-doubles this season.