EDISON, NJ (Oct. 19, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has revealed the 2021-22 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Preseason All-MAAC Teams, announced tonight during the MAAC Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3. Defending champions, Iona College was unanimously selected as the favorites to claim the MAAC crown in 2021-22, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Recipients of all 11 first-place votes and the maximum 121 points, the Iona College Gaels were chosen to repeat as league champions following last season’s unprecedented run to the 2021 MAAC Championship title, the program’s league-leading 13th championship. The Gaels became the first No. 9 seed to win the conference tournament and just the second team in MAAC history to go 4-0 en route to the league trophy. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino, Iona will be seeking its seventh MAAC Championship crown dating back to 2013.
Saint Peter’s University followed with a second-place finish in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, receiving 91 points. Under the leadership of fourth year head coach and 2020 MAAC Coach of the Year, Shaheen Holloway, the Peacocks have posted back-to-back top-three finishes in the MAAC standings, winning over 10 league games in each of the last two seasons.
Marist College, 2020-21 Co-Regular Season Champions Monmouth University, and Rider University were all within a mere point of each other in the poll, earning 75, 74, and 73 points respectively to round out the top five spots.
Fairfield University was slotted sixth (62 points), Manhattan College ended up in seventh (58 points), and defending Co-Regular Season Champions Siena College placed eighth (54 points) in the poll. Closing the poll was Quinnipiac University in ninth, Niagara University in 10th, and Canisius College in 11th.
Saint Peter’s KC Ndefo was voted the 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Ndefo claimed his second-consecutive MAAC Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the nation in blocked shots and finishing eighth in the league in steals. The 6-foot-7 Elmont, New York native led the Peacocks and posted career-highs with 342 points, 162 rebounds, 91 blocks and 38 assists while appearing in 25 games. Ndefo was also a 2020-21 unanimous All-MAAC First Team honoree and helped the Peacocks to the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Championship and a semifinals appearance at the MAAC Championship. The unanimous 2020-21 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year finished last season with a Saint Peter’s-leading 13.7 points per contest, 3.6 blocks per game and 1.4 steals per outing. Throughout the course of his career, the senior forward has also been named a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American, the 2019-20 MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, and is a two-time All-MAAC Selection.
Joining Ndefo on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team were Nelly Junior Joseph of Iona, George Papas from Monmouth, Marcus Hammond of Niagara, and Dwight Murray Jr. from Rider.
The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team features Manhattan’s Warren Williams, the Quinnipiac duo of Kevin Marfo and Jacob Rigoni, Rider’s Dimencio Vaughn, and Saint Peter’s Daryl Banks III. The Preseason All-MAAC Third Team includes Malek Green from Cansiuis, Fairfield’s Jake Wojcik, Ant Nelson of Manhattan, Marist’s Ricardo Wright, and Shavar Reynolds Jr. from Monmouth.
Below is the full poll and preseason honors list:
| Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Iona (11) |
121 |
| 2 |
Saint Peter’s |
91 |
| 3 |
Marist |
75 |
| 4 |
Monmouth |
74 |
| 5 |
Rider |
73 |
| 6 |
Fairfield |
62 |
| 7 |
Manhattan |
58 |
| 8 |
Siena |
54 |
| 9 |
Quinnipiac |
53 |
| 10 |
Niagara |
39 |
| 11 |
Canisius |
26 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| KC Ndefo – Saint Peter’s |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Nelly Junior Joseph |
Forward |
So. |
Iona |
| George Papas |
Guard |
Gr. |
Monmouth |
| Marcus Hammond |
Guard |
Sr. |
Niagara |
| Dwight Murray Jr. |
Guard |
Sr. |
Rider |
| KC Ndefo |
Forward |
Sr. |
Saint Peter’s |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Warren Williams |
Forward |
Sr. |
Manhattan |
| Kevin Marfo |
Forward |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Jacob Rigoni |
Forward |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Dimencio Vaughn |
Forward |
Gr. |
Rider |
| Daryl Banks III |
Guard |
Jr. |
Saint Peter’s |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Malek Green |
Forward |
Sr. |
Canisius |
| Jake Wojcik |
Guard |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Ant Nelson |
Guard |
Sr. |
Manhattan |
| Ricardo Wright |
Guard |
So. |
Marist |
| Shavar Reynolds Jr. |
Guard |
Gr. |
Monmouth |
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 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.
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