Siena Men and Rider Women Awarded Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championship Trophies, Automatic Qualifiers
Atlantic City, N.J. (March 24, 2020) – The Siena College Men’s Basketball and Rider University Women’s Basketball programs have been awarded the 2020 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship trophies, the conference announced. The result comes after the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 championships were officially cancelled on Thursday, March 12 after the first two days of competition were completed. Both Siena and Rider competed in quarterfinal action, with the Saints defeating No. 9 Manhattan on the men’s side and the Broncs defeating No. 9 Niagara on the women’s side to advance to the semifinals.
MAAC bylaws state that in the event the championships cannot be completed, the highest remaining seeds shall be named the NCAA automatic qualifier. For 2020, the MAAC Committee on Athletic Administration decided that the two schools should also be awarded the MAAC championship title and trophies. Shortly after the remainder of the championships had been canceled, the NCAA announced that both the men’s and women basketball tournaments scheduled to start the following week had also been cancelled due to the pandemic.
“The Siena and Rider basketball programs both exhibited outstanding seasons this year,” stated MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t let these teams try to finish what they set out for at the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, but the accomplishments that both programs achieved during the regular season should not be dismissed. The MAAC would like to thank all of its corporate sponsors, including Hercules Tires, for their contributions and efforts supporting this year’s championships.”
Siena finished the season at an overall mark of 20-10, going 15-5 in conference play. Head coach Carmen Maciariello guided the Saints to the program’s eighth MAAC regular season title in just his first year at the helm. Sophomore standout Jalen Pickett was named the 2019-20 MAAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 15.3 points, a league-leading 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds throughout the regular season. Pickett added Player of the Year to his list of career accolades along with his pair of All-MAAC First Team appearances and his 2018-19 MAAC Rookie of the Year selection. Manny Camper joined Pickett as an All-MAAC First Team selection while team captain Elijah Burns was named to the All-MAAC Second Team. The title marks the sixth in program history, moving the Saints into sole possession of second place in the MAAC only behind Iona College’s 12.
"In these difficult times, it's great to be able to celebrate accomplishments," said Siena College Vice President/Director of Athletics and MAAC Men's Basketball Committee Chairman John D'Argenio. "I send my heartfelt congratulations to both our Siena Men's Basketball team as well as the Rider University Women's Basketball squad who won their regular season championships and were designated as the MAAC qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament. The conference's athletic directors were supportive of this recognition and personally, as the athletic director at Siena, I'm appreciative of my colleagues for making this decision."
Rider finished the season going 26-4 overall with a conference mark of 18-2. The Broncs shared the regular season title with Marist College, splitting the season series with the Red Foxes and winning the tiebreaker to claim the No. 1 seed. The regular season championship marked the first in program history for the Broncs, who clinched a share of the title with a buzzer-beating layup from Amari Johnson against Monmouth University on March 7.
Lynn Milligan was named the 2019-20 “The Rock” MAAC Coach of the Year for her efforts with the program, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. Senior Stella Johnson finished the regular season as the NCAA Division I scoring champion, averaging 24.4 points per game before dropping a MAAC championship record 37 points against Niagara in the championship quarterfinals. Amari Johnson was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year behind a season where the senior ranked second in the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game, averaging 2.3 rebounds off the offensive boards and 8.4 (MAAC leading) off the defensive boards.
“While this is not the way we wanted to or anticipated winning a championship, I speak for the entire Rider Community in recognizing and appreciating the outstanding play by our women’s basketball team throughout this historic season,” said Rider University Athletic Director Don Harnum. “It is nice to have something so positive to celebrate during these challenging times.”
“I want to commend the MAAC co-hosts in Atlantic City for their continued support to the conference,” Commissioner Ensor further noted. “Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority worked tirelessly this year in advance of the championships to provide a great atmosphere for our teams and fans. The staff at the Atlantic City Sports Commission was equally important in the lead up to the event. The MAAC and its member schools and their student-athletes, coaches and fans thanks you for your efforts and looks forward to returning in 2021 and for many future years.”
To keep up with all MAAC Hoops action, follow @MAACHoops on Twitter and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #MAACHoops.
About Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall:
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and the Atlantic City Convention Center are owned and funded by
the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). Spectra provides both
Venue Management and Food Services & Hospitality to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and the
Atlantic City Convention Center.
About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority:
The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit www.njcrda.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/njcrda and Twitter at www.twitter.com/njcrda.
About the Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships:
The Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships return to New Jersey on March 9-13, 2021 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. To stay up to date on MAAC basketball, visit
maacsports.com/basketball and follow
@MAACHoops on Twitter.
About Van Wagner Sports:
Van Wagner Sports, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Van Wagner Group LLC, creates, advises, and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands, properties, and colleges. An innovator in the sports and media business, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact broadcast visible signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA, and the highest levels of international soccer, sponsorships sales, premium ticketing, college multi-media rights, and in-venue content production at the world's biggest sporting events.
http://www.vanwagner.com/.
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 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 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.