MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team
MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team
Edison, N.J. (July 7, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.
The 40
th Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team highlights some of the best student-athletes in MAAC history. MAAC basketball traces back to Jan. 2 1982, when Army traveled to Iona College for the first ever conference hoops matchup. Since then, Iona leads the conference with 12 MAAC titles, followed by Siena College with six and Manhattan College with five. The MAAC Basketball Championships have found a new home at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 2021 Championships are set for March 9-13.
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| Canisius College |
| Darrell Barley |
1992-96 |
| Billy Baron |
2012-14 |
| Darren Fenn |
1997-01 |
| Craig Wise |
1991-95 |
Micheal Meeks – 1992-96
One of two former Golden Griffin men's basketball players to appear in the Olympics, Micheal Meeks was a four-year letter-winner for the Blue and Gold from 1992-96. Meeks scored 1,827 career points in his college career, which stood as the top scoring mark for a Canadian-born NCAA player for nine seasons. A three-time All-MAAC First Team honoree (1994-96), he was a driving force on the Griffs' only MAAC Tournament championship team in 1995-96. |
| Fairfield University |
| Deng Gai |
2001-05 |
| Tony George |
1982-86 |
| Derek Needham |
2009-13 |
| Darren Phillip |
1996-00 |
Tyler Nelson – 2014-18
Tyler Nelson is the all-time leading scorer in Fairfield History with 2,172 points and all-time leading three-point shooter with 315. He sits fifth among the all-time MAAC leading scorers and tenth among three-point leaders with 2.54 per game. He was named the MAAC All-Rookie Team his freshman year, the All-MAAC Second Team his sophomore year, the All-MAAC First Team his junior year, and All-MAAC Third Team his senior year. |
| Iona College |
| Steve Burtt |
1980-84 |
| Steve Burtt Jr. |
2002-06 |
| A.J. English |
2012-16 |
| Gary Springer |
1980-84 |
Scott Machado – 2009-12
Scott Machado '12 is one of the most decorated and talented players in Iona College men’s basketball history. As a senior he was named the program’s sixth ever MAAC Player of the Year and fifth Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Haggerty award winner as well as being a Bob Cousy Award finalist. Machado led the NCAA in assists as a junior in 2010-11 and finished his career setting the school’s all-time leader with 880 assists, which ranked No. 17 all-time at the time of his graduation. A two-time All-MAAC First Team, one-time All-MAAC Second Team, and MAAC Rookie of the Year career led Machado to the NBA where he spent stints with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Machado continues to play professional basketball at a high level, appearing for the Brazilian national team on multiple occasions and recently being named First Team All-NBL and Fans MVP for the Cairns Taipans in Australia. |
Coach Tim Cluess
One of the greatest coaches in MAAC history, Tim Cluess won five MAAC tournament championships and four regular season titles during his nine years on the sidelines. His MAAC tournament win total is the most all-time in league history and his regular season win total ranks No. 2. Under Cluess, Iona participated in a national postseason tournament in each of his nine seasons on the sidelines and won 20 or more games in eight. The Gaels also earned a MAAC regular season or tournament championship in his last eight seasons. Iona's 199 wins and .650 winning percentage in the Cluess-era were the highest among the 23 NCAA Division I schools in the New York Metropolitan area. The Maroon & Gold also appeared in more NCAA tournaments (6) and total postseason events (9) than any other team in the New York area. Cluess was named the MAAC Coach of the year twice in 2014 and 2019, as well as MBWA Coach of the Year in 2018. |
| Manhattan College |
| Emmy Andujar |
2011-15 |
| Keith Bullock |
1989-93 |
| George Beamon |
2009-14 |
| Tim Cain |
1981-85 |
Luis Flores – 2001-04
Luis Flores finished his career as the men's basketball program's all-time leading scorer with 2,046 points, despite playing just three seasons in Riverdale. He was named the MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Tournament MVP in both 2002-03 and 2003-04, as he led the Jaspers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior in 2003-04, he led Manhattan to an upset win over Florida in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Following graduation, he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets chose him with the 23rd pick of the second round in 2004. Flores would go on to play two seasons in the NBA before a distinguished international basketball career. |
| Marist College |
| Khallid Hart |
2013-18 |
| Sean Kennedy |
1998-2002 |
| Chavaughn Lewis |
2011-15 |
| Brian Parker |
2015-19 |
Jared Jordan – 2003-07
Jared Jordan led all of Division I men's basketball in assists as both a junior and a senior, becoming the first player to lead the nation in that category two straight years since Avery Johnson 20 years earlier. Jordan was named MAAC Player of the Year in 2007 as he led the Red Foxes to their first outright MAAC regular-season title, a school record for wins in a season (25), and the program's first postseason victory (a win at Oklahoma State in the first round of the NIT). That season, he also won the Haggerty Award from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Jordan set a program record with 813 career assists. He was selected in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, and has gone on to a long and prosperous playing career overseas. He is the all-time assists leader in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga. |
| Monmouth University |
| Deion Hammond |
2015-18 |
| Andrew Nicholas |
2011-15 |
| Micah Seaborn |
2015-18 |
| Austin Tilghman |
2014-18 |
Justin Robinson – 2013-17
Justin Robinson is the only MAAC player in the last decade and one of just four players in conference history to earn the honor twice. He was a three-time All-MAAC First Team selection, and set Monmouth's Division I scoring record with 2,003 points. His second Player of the Year was unanimous, while he was also named the Lou Henson National Player of the Year. |
| Niagara University |
| Kahlil Dukes |
2016-18 |
| Tyrone Lewis |
2006-10 |
| Charron Fisher |
2004-08 |
| Alvin Young |
1997-99 |
Juan Mendez – 2001-05
Juan Mendez rewrote the Niagara record books during his four seasons on Monteagle Ridge. He amassed over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his four-year career. He led the Purple Eagles to their second NCAA Tournament berth in school history in 2005 en route to being named MAAC Player of the Year, MAAC Tournament MVP, and named on the AP All-America Honorable Mention Team. Mendez was named First-Team All-MAAC a record three times. He was inducted into the Niagara Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 and the MAAC Basketball Honor Roll in 2014. |
Coach Joe Mihalich
Joe Mihalich, the all-time winningest coach in the MAAC history with 265 wins, coached the Purple Eagles from 1998-2013. The accomplishments during Mihalich's 15 years career at Niagara yielded numerous titles and honors. He led the Purple Eagles to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 35 years when they appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Niagara returned two years later where the Purple Eagles won their opening round game. He led the Purple Eagles to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) three times (2004, 2009, 2013), won a pair of MAAC Tournament titles, and had four MAAC regular-season crowns. Mihalich coached three MAAC Players of the Year, two MAAC Tournament MVPs, two MAAC Defensive Players of the Year, one NCAA single-season scoring leader and one national mid-major freshman of the year to go along with numerous conference and regional awards for his student-athletes. Mihalich accumulated nine coach of the year honors while at Niagara, including MAAC Coach of the Year (1998-99, 2004-05, 2012-13), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 1 Coach of the Year twice (2008-09, 2012-13), and CollegeInsider.com Coach of the Year (2012-13). Mihalich also received the 2013 Skip Prosser Man of the Year award. |
| Quinnipiac University |
| Ike Azotam |
2010-14 |
| Ousmane Drame |
2011-15 |
| Zaid Hearst |
2011-15 |
| Rich Kelly |
2017-19 |
Cameron Young – 2016-19
Young broke the Bobcats’ single-season D1 scoring record in two consecutive seasons, scoring 622 points (18.8 PPG) in 2017-18 and 728 points (23.5 PPG) in 2018-19. The 2018-19 MAAC Player of the Year/Associate Press All-America selection recorded 55 points in a win over Siena on Feb. 17, 2019, setting a new MAAC single-game record. Young holds Quinnipiac’s D1 career records for scoring average (19.3 PPG) and three-point field goal percentage (45.0 percent). |
| Rider University |
| Jerry Johnson |
2001-05 |
| Mario Porter |
1998-2002 |
| Daniel Stewart |
2010-14 |
| Ryan Thompson |
2006-10 |
Jason Thompson – 2004-08
Jason Thompson was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America, US Basketball Writers’ Association District II Player of the Year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 3 selection, MAAC Player of the Year and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year at Rider. He compiled 2,040 points (third most ever at Rider) and a Rider-record 1,171 rebounds. He was selected 12th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and spent eight seasons in the NBA. |
| Saint Peter’s University |
| Ricky Bellinger |
1996-00 |
| Willie Haynes |
1985-89 |
| Wesley Jenkins |
2007-11 |
| Todd Sowell |
2004-08 |
Keydren Clark – 2002-06
Keydren Clark graduated from Saint Peter’s as one of the most decorated players in program, MAAC, and NCAA history. Clark is the all-time scoring leader for the Peacocks, the state of New Jersey, and second on the MAAC all-time scoring charts after compiling 3,058 career points. He left college ranked sixth on the NCAA Division I scoring list and is one of just eight players all-time to surpass the 3,000-point scoring plateau. Clark led the MAAC in scoring all four seasons and was a two-time NCAA Division I scoring champion in 2004 and 2005 after averaging 26.7 and 25.8 points per game respectively. In 2002-03 as a freshman, he averaged 24.9 points, which led all freshmen in the country in addition to the MAAC. Over his four years, Clark connected on 435 three-point field goals, making him the NCAA all-time leader in the category at the time (currently third on the list). Clark was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and Collegehoops.net Honorable Mention All-American in 2006. He was named to the 2006 All-MAAC Tournament team and he was the third player in Saint Peter’s history to reach the 500-assist mark. The 2006 MAAC Pepsi Player of the Year, Clark was named to the All-MAAC First Team three times, to the NABC District 3 Second Team four times and the MAAC Rookie of the Year. He was the 2005 Haggerty Award Winner (Best Division I Basketball Player in Metropolitan NY) and a Mid-Major All-American (One of 21 selected by College Insider.com). Clark was a member of the 2011 Saint Peter’s University Athletics Hall of Fame class. |
| Siena College |
| Doremus Bennerman |
1990-94 |
| Marcus Faison |
1996-00 |
| Alex Franklin |
2006-10 |
| Kenny Hasbrouck |
2005-09 |
Marc Brown – 1987-91
A 1998 Siena Athletics Hall of Fame selection, Marc "Showbiz" Brown is the program's all-time leading scorer (2,284 points) and second all-time in assists (796). An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American in 1991, He was a four-time All-Region selection, Two-time First Team All-MAAC honoree (1990-91) and the MAAC Player of the Year in 1991. |
Coach Fran McCaffery
McCaffery coached the Saints from 2005-10, amassing a 112-51 (.687) overall record and a 68-22 (.756) mark in the MAAC. He led Siena to the MAAC Regular Season & Tournament championships in 2008, 2009 & 2010, becoming the only Division I program to win both their regular season and tournament championships during those three consecutive years. McCaffery was also the first coach in MAAC history to win multiple NCAA Tournament games, leading the Saints to wins over Ohio State (2008) & Vanderbilt (2009) while in those same years earning MAAC Coach of the Year which was shortly followed by NABC District I Coach of the Year in 2009-10 |
| Former MAAC Members |
| Randy Cozzens (Army) |
1981-85 |
| Kevin Houston (Army) |
1983-87 |
| Joe Paterno (Fordham) |
1985-89 |
| Dwight Pernell (Holy Cross) |
1986-90 |
| Tim Legler (La Salle) |
1984-88 |
| Doug Overton (La Salle) |
1987-91 |
| Randy Woods (La Salle) |
1989-92 |
Lionel Simmons (La Salle) – 1986-90
Lionel Simmons sits as the all-time leading scorer (3,217 points) and rebounder (1,429 rebounds) in MAAC history. Upon his entry into the league in 1987, he was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year. A three-time MAAC Player of the Year (1988-90), Simmons was also named the National Player of the Year in 1990. Simmons led Explorers to three NCAA Tournament appearances over his historic four-year career. |
| Kevin Green (Loyola) |
1989-92 |
| Mike Powell (Loyola) |
1995-98 |
Gerald Brown (Loyola) – 2006-08
A transfer student, Brown earned first team All-MAAC honors in each of his two seasons with Loyola. He averaged 20.3 points per game for the Greyhounds, ranking 14th in program history, and he totaled 1,256 points overall during his two seasons in the MAAC. |
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) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 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.