EDISON, NJ (Oct. 18, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has revealed the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Preseason All-MAAC Teams, announced tonight during the annual MAAC Basketball Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3. Defending regular season champions, Iona University was selected as the favorites to win the MAAC crown in 2022-23, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Led by Hall of Famer and 2022 MAAC Coach of the Year Rick Pitino, Iona was the recipients of 10 out of the 11 possible first-place votes, earning 119 points and making the Gaels the top choice to win its conference-leading 13th MAAC Championship. Iona has won six out of the last 10 MAAC tournament titles dating back to 2013 which also includes nine total championship final appearances since 2011, the most by any MAAC school during that time span. In addition to the postseason success, the Gaels have garnered a league-best five regular season titles since 2011-12. Iona led the MAAC in scoring offense, points per game, scoring margin, assists, and field goals, while also blocking a league-most 199 shots and collecting a conference-best 377 offensive rebounds.
Manhattan College followed with a second-place finish in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, receiving 104 points and the final first-place vote. Under the guidance of two-time MAAC Championship winning head coach Steve Masiello, the Jaspers return four out of five starters from a year ago and six out of seven key players that scored 120 or more total points in 2021-22. Known for their defensive intensity, Manhattan led the conference with 7.17 steals per game and held its opponents to a league-low 33.7 rebounds average.
Rider University was the final team to collect over 100 votes, finishing with 101 for a third-place selection. The MAAC’s top rebounding unit a year ago, the Broncs and two-time MAAC Coach of the Year Kevin Baggett bring back four out of five starters from last year’s squad that upset regular season and defending MAAC champs Iona in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament. Rider was the best in the MAAC at crashing the boards last season, pulling in 37.1 rebounds per outing.
Quinnipiac University and Fairfield University rounded out the top five, garnering 80 and 77 points, respectively. The Bobcats and Stags each ranked first and second in the conference in three-point field goals made last season, with Quinnipiac knocking down 8.9 triples per game and Fairfield making 7.6 threes per contest. Quinnipiac was also the second highest scoring offense behind Iona last season, putting up 71.8 points per game. Fairfield held the third-best scoring margin in the MAAC during 2021-22.
Rounding out the poll was Siena College in sixth (70), Marist College in seventh (41), tied for eighth was both Niagara University and defending MAAC tournament champions Saint Peter’s University (39), MAAC newcomer Mount St. Mary’s University in 10th (34), and Canisius College in 11th (22).
Manhattan’s Jose Perez was voted as the 2022-23 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. A 2021-22 MAAC First Team member, Perez was the top offensive threat in the league a year ago, scoring MAAC-highs 567 total points and 18.9 points per outing, while also dishing out the second-most assists, with 136 total and 4.5 per game. The Bronx native lit up the scoreboard in 2021-22, recording a league-most three 30-point performances, which included 38 points against Niagara on February 4, the highest MAAC output of the campaign. Perez logged a conference-most 16 20-point performances last year and posted a MAAC single game-high 12 assists against Manhattanville on November 9. Additionally, he was the only MAAC player to attempt over 200 free throws, making a MAAC-high 182 while also shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Perez was one of four unanimous choices to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team, with Nelly Junior Joseph of Iona, Matt Balanc from Quinnipiac, and Dwight Murray Jr. of Rider, also garnering unanimous honors. Supreme Cook from Fairfield was the final member of the first team.
The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team included Jordan Henderson of Canisius, Walter Clayton Jr. of Iona, Ant Nelson of Manhattan, Noah Thomasson of Niagara, and Jackson Stormo of Siena. The members of the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team featured Jake Wojcik of Fairfield, Jalen Benjamin of Mount St. Mary’s, Dezi Jones of Quinnipiac, and the Rider duo of Mervin James and Allen Powell.
Below is the full poll and preseason honors list:
| 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Iona |
119 (10) |
| 2 |
Manhattan |
104 (1) |
| 3 |
Rider |
101 |
| 4 |
Quinnipiac |
80 |
| 5 |
Fairfield |
77 |
| 6 |
Siena |
70 |
| 7 |
Marist |
41 |
| T8 |
Niagara |
39 |
| T8 |
Saint Peter’s |
39 |
| 10 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
34 |
| 11 |
Canisius |
22 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Jose Perez – Manhattan |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Supreme Cook |
Forward |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
| Nelly Junior Joseph* |
Forward |
Jr. |
Iona |
| Jose Perez* |
Forward |
5Y |
Manhattan |
| Matt Balanc* |
Guard |
RSr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Dwight Murray Jr.* |
Guard |
Sr. |
Rider |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Jordan Henderson |
Guard |
Gr. |
Canisius |
| Walter Clayton Jr. |
Guard |
So. |
Iona |
| Ant Nelson |
Guard |
5Y |
Manhattan |
| Noah Thomasson |
Guard |
Sr. |
Niagara |
| Jackson Stormo |
Forward |
Gr. |
Siena |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Jake Wojcik |
Guard |
RSr. |
Fairfield |
| Jalen Benjamin |
Guard |
Sr. |
Mount St. Mary’s |
| Dezi Jones |
Guard |
Jr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Mervin James |
Forward |
Sr. |
Rider |
| Allen Powell |
Guard |
Sr. |
Rider |
*Denotes unanimous selection
The 2022-23 campaign culminates with the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 7-11 at Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the fourth consecutive year. For all information regarding the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter.
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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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