ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 7, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today unveiled the members of the 2021-22 Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The MAAC All-Rookie Team featured Fairfield University’s TJ Long, Iona College’s Walter Clayton Jr., Marist College’s Jao Ituka, Saint Peter’s University’s Jaylen Murray, and Siena College’s Jared Billups. Both Clayton and Ituka were unanimous selections to the rookie team.
The lone freshman on the All-Rookie team to take the court in every game for his respective team, Long played in all 31 games while averaging 17.2 minutes, 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds each time out. A 6-foot-4 guard from Rockville Centre, New York, he served as the Stag’s three-point specialist, knocking down 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, good for fourth on the MAAC leaderboard. Long’s seven made triples against Rider on Mar. 3 tied for the second-most made three-pointers in a single-game during the regular season. Moreover, he collected the second-most rookie weekly awards, garnering three during the season.
Playing a key role as a reserve for the MAAC Regular Season champions, Clayton seen action in 30 games while making four starts and playing in 15.5 minutes per outing. He scored 7.1 points, grabbed 2.2 rebounds, and handed out 1.5 assists each game. Coming to New York from Lake Wales, Florida, the guard surpassed double-digit scoring nine times, including a 21-point effort against Delaware on Dec. 21, en route to his first Rookie of the Week award on Dec. 27. Clayton would end up registering back-to-back rookie weekly accolades, adding the honor again on Jan. 3.
Arguably the most dominate newcomer this season, Ituka jump on the MAAC scene and made an immediate name for himself, claiming a league-best eight Rookie of the Week awards. He ended the regular season leading the Red Foxes and all other freshman in scoring while ranking third overall in the conference with his 15.5 points per game average. Ituka posted the eighth-best field goal percentage amongst MAAC players, connecting on 53 percent of his shot attempts. In addition to his plethora of rookie weekly honors, the Gaithersburg, Maryland native picked up a MAAC Player of the Week award on Dec. 20, following a 34-point outburst against Boston University, the second-highest scoring output by any league player during the 2021-22 campaign.
Murray appeared in all but one game for the Peacocks, making three starts at the point guard position. A freshman from the Bronx, Murray averaged 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during his first season in Jersey City. In the regular season, he twice led Saint Peter’s in scoring and steals, while handing out a team-high in assists five times.
Hailing from Waldorf, Maryland, Billups emerged as a reliable guard for the Saints, being one of just four players on the lineup to play over 27 minutes per game. Earning 16 starts and dressing in 26 total games, he scored in double figures five times, averaging 5.5 points. Billups also ranked third on Siena by grabbing 4.8 rebounds per outing. He was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 10, additionally.
One of the five members of the MAAC All-Rookie Team will be honored as the 2021-22 MAAC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year when major awards are announced on Wednesday, March 9.
The 2021-22 campaign culminates with the 2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 8-12 at Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Stay up to date with all MAAC basketball by visiting
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 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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