MAAC Announces 2017-18 Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team
EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced the 2017-18 Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team as voted upon by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The All-Rookie Team consists of Canisius College guard Takal Molson, Monmouth University guard Deion Hammond, Quinnipiac University guard Rich Kelly, Rider University guard Jordan Allen, and Siena College forward Prince Oduro. Molson, Hammond, Kelly, and Allen were all unanimous selections to the All-Rookie Team.
One of these five freshmen will be honored as the 2017-18 MAAC Rookie of the Year at the Postseason Awards Show, which is going to be held at the Albany Capital Center on Friday, March 2 at 10:00 a.m. The Postseason Awards Show airs live on ESPN3.
Molson tallied 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for Canisius. The guard scored a career-high 25 points in the season opener against Buffalo on November 11. Molson started in every game for the Griffs in his freshman campaign and ranked 15
th in the league in scoring. He scored in double figures in 18 games this season and took home MAAC Rookie of the Week honors three times.
Hammond averaged 12.2 points and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 41.4 percent from the field, and 39.4 percent from behind the arc. Hammond ranked second on Monmouth in points per game, and third amongst all rookies. He scored a career-high 24 points against Marist on January 27 in the MAAC Tripleheader at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Hammond claimed the MAAC Rookie of the Week award twice in 2017-18.
Kelly ranked third for Quinnipiac with 10.9 points per game and was tied for fourth in the conference in assists per game (4.8). The guard scored 40 points on February 17 against Fairfield, which was tied for the most points scored in a single-game this season. Kelly earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors on three occasions.
Allen led all MAAC rookies in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game for the Broncs. He ranked 11
th overall in the league in scoring, third in three-point field goals per game (2.9), and 12
th in three-point field goal percentage (39.5%). Allen posted a career-best 28 points against Providence on November 29. He was named MAAC Rookie of the Week four times this season.
Oduro averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 30 games, 26 starts for Siena. The freshman shot 48.3 percent from the field, which is the 10
th-best mark in the MAAC, and the best amongst all rookies. He scored a season-high 19 points vs. Niagara on January 5 and has pulled down 10 or more rebounds three times, including a season-high 12 vs. Manhattan on February 2.
The 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships take place March 1-5, at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. 16 of the 20 contests are set to air exclusively on ESPN3. The first Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinal game on Sunday, March 4, airs live on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. and will re-air at 11:30 p.m. on ESPNU, tape delayed. The second Men’s Basketball Semifinal airs at 9:30 p.m., live, on ESPNU.
The Women’s Championship game is set to air on Monday, March 5, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU, and the Men’s Championship final airs at 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2. The network for the Men’s Championship game is determined 7-10 days prior to the championship.
For all information on the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops18.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.