ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 6, 2023) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today announced the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball All-MAAC Teams, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The All-MAAC First Team included the Iona University duo of Walter Clayton Jr. and Nelly Junior Joseph, Manhattan College’s Ant Nelson, Niagara University’s Noah Thomasson, and Rider University’s Dwight Murray Jr. The trio of Clayton, Thomasson, and Murray were unanimous choices to the squad.
Clayton helped lead the Gaels to its second consecutive MAAC Regular Season title, earning a unanimous selection to the first team. The sophomore guard was Iona’s leading scorer, tallying 16.5 points per game, good for third in the MAAC, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals. One of the most efficient scorers in the conference, Clayton led the country in free throw percentage, successfully making 94.4 percent of his shots at the charity stripe, while also ranking third in the MAAC in three-point field goal percentage, and 15th in field goal percentage. A native of Lake Wales, Florida, he also landed in the league’s top-10 in assists, steals, and assist/turnover ratio. He was the MAAC Player of the Week twice during the regular season, earning the award on Feb. 13 and Feb. 27. This is Clayton’s second all-conference honor after he was a unanimous 2021-22 All-Rookie choice last season.
Earning a spot on the All-MAAC First Team for the second straight season, Junior Joseph helped guide the Gaels to back-to-back MAAC Regular Season crowns while adding his third all-conference distinction this season. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 15.4 points 9.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, also posting 18 double-doubles to lead the MAAC and rank fifth in the NCAA during 2022-23. Junior Joseph’s scoring was seventh and his rebounding was second among conference leaders. Defensively, he ranked second in blocked shots and seventh in steals. Hailing from Benin City, Nigeria, Junior Joseph became a four-time MAAC postseason honoree with his first team appearance last and his Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie team awards as a freshman in 2020-21. Additionally, he compiled the most Player of the Week awards this year, winning five.
Nelson ascended into the top scoring option for Manhattan, pacing the Jaspers and ranking ninth in the MAAC in scoring with his 15.1 scoring average. A product of the New York, NY, he averaged 4.7 assists (second in MAAC), 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 steals (first in MAAC). On the national charts, his steals per game ranked 34th while his steals total was 49th. The 6-foot-4 guard dropped 10 or more points 23 times and had nine occasions where he surpassed 20 points. In addition to his scoring, he dished out 11 assists on Jan. 22 at Rider, the second-most in a single game this season. This is the second conference accolade for Nelson, who earned a spot on the All-MAAC Third Team in 2020-21.
The MAAC scoring leader this season, Thomasson averaged just under 20 points per game, averaging 19.7 per outing while racking up 571 total points, ranked 30th and 47th in the nation, respectively. He appeared and started in all 29 games for the Purple Eagles this season, putting up 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists, in 36.1 minutes of work. A native of Houston, Texas, Thomasson sat on the MAAC leaderboard in assists (8th), field goal percentage (10th), three-point field goal percentage (13th), assist/turnover ratio (14th) and minutes (2nd). He scored in double figures in all but two games this season, en route to a unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First Team. Thomasson’s 35 points that he poured in on Mar. 4 at Canisius is tied for the MAAC single-game high for individual performances this season. He captured a pair of Player of the Week accolades this season, winning the awards on Nov. 21 and Feb. 6.
Murray claimed his spot on the All-MAAC First Team unanimously after averaging 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. The Austell, Georgia native led the MAAC and was 21st in the NCAA in minutes played; he ranked fourth in scoring, 16th in rebounding, seventh in three-point field goal percentage, 11th in free throw percentage, 10th in assists, fourth in steals, ninth in assists/turnover ratio, and eighth in defensive rebounds. Murray had 22 games where he scored over 10 points, five games with 20 or more, and a 30 point outing, with it coming against Central Arkansas in the MAAC/ASUN Dublin Challenge. Murray now becomes a two-time all-league player, having made the second team in 2020-21.
| All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Walter Clayton Jr.* |
Guard |
So. |
Iona |
| Nelly Junior Joseph |
Forward |
Jr. |
Iona |
| Ant Nelson |
Guard |
5Y. |
Manhattan |
| Noah Thomasson* |
Guard |
Sr. |
Niagara |
| Dwight Murray Jr.* |
Guard |
Sr. |
Rider |
| All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Daniss Jenkins |
Guard |
Jr. |
Iona |
| Patrick Gardner |
Center |
R-Sr. |
Marist |
| Dezi Jones |
Guard |
Jr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Mervin James |
Forward |
Sr. |
Rider |
| Jackson Stormo |
Forward |
Gr. |
Siena |
| All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Jordan Henderson |
Guard |
Gr. |
Canisius |
| Supreme Cook |
Forward |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
| Josh Roberts |
Forward |
5Y. |
Manhattan |
| Jalen Benjamin |
Guard |
Sr. |
Mount St. Mary’s |
| Javian McCollum |
Guard |
So. |
Siena |
*Denotes unanimous selection
One of the five members of the All-MAAC First Team will be honored as the 2022-23 MAAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year when major awards are announced on Wednesday, March 8.
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. For tickets to the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
ticketmaster.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 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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