ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Oct. 8, 2024) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Preseason All-MAAC honors have been announced, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches. Defending MAAC Regular Season Champions, Quinnipiac University has been voted as the favorites to win the MAAC in 2024-25, while the Bobcats’ junior forward, Amarri Monroe was named as the Preseason Player of the Year.
Quinnipiac earned 166 points and were the recipients of 11 first-place votes to lead all other teams in the poll. This marks the first time in program history that the Bobcats have been selected as the preseason favorites and this is the highest preseason ranking for the program since 2019-20 when that team was picked third in the preseason. In 2023-24, Quinnipiac posted a 15-5 MAAC regular season and 24-10 overall record, earning the program's first-ever regular season MAAC title and a post season berth to the 2024 Ro College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The 15 league wins were the most ever for the school and the 24 overall wins were also a program record. The Bobcats have never won a MAAC title nor has the team ever made a championship title game appearance since joining the league in 2013-14, but the team has advanced to the semifinal round four times total, including making the league’s final four last year and twice over the past three seasons.
Marist College finished second in the preseason poll, receiving 144 points and one first-place vote. The Red Foxes are coming off of a 12-8 MAAC season last year and back-to-back MAAC Championship semifinals appearances. Marist has also never won a MAAC title and has only made the championship final once in program history, doing so two seasons ago in 2023. Iona University compiled 139 points, good for third place in the poll. The most successful program in MAAC history, the Gaels have won a conference-leading 14 MAAC Championships dating back to the inception of the conference, securing seven out of the last 12 MAAC tournament titles dating back to 2013. Iona has also made 10 championship final appearances since 2011, the most by any MAAC school during that time span and has garnered a league-best six regular season titles since 2011-12.
Checking in at fourth place were the Fairfield University Stags, garnering 119 points and the final first-place vote. The Stags won a conference-leading 25 overall games in 2023-24 and was the league’s most-successful postseason team last season, making the CBI semifinals. Fairfield has won three MAAC titles in its history but has not clinched a league trophy since 1997. Most recently, the Stags made the championship title game last year and has made it into the championship game three times since 2018, and 10 times overall – second-most in MAAC history. Rounding out the top five is defending MAAC Champion, Saint Peter’s University, which collected 118 points in the poll. The Peacocks have been the most successful postseason unit in the MAAC over the past three seasons, claiming two MAAC Championships (2022 and 2024) and winning a conference-most eight tournament games over the timespan. Overall, Saint Peter’s has five MAAC trophies and has nine championship game appearances total.
Amarri Monroe, previously known as Amarri Tice, was voted as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. A junior from Newburgh, NY, Monroe was named to the 2023-24 All-MAAC Second Team after stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks in his first season with the Bobcats. He appeared in all 34 games for Quinnipiac last season, making 33 starts during the program’s most-successful season which led to a MAAC Regular Season trophy. Monroe also led the Bobcats with five double-doubles last year, which ranked fifth on the MAAC leaderboard.
Joining Monroe on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team was Dejour Reaves of Iona, Josh Pascarelli from Marist, Adam “Budd” Clark of Merrimack College, and Quinnipiac teammate, Savion Lewis.
The full Preseason Coaches’ Poll and remainder of the Preseason All-MAAC Teams can be found below.
| 2024 MAAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Quinnipiac |
166 (11) |
| 2 |
Marist |
144 (1) |
| 3 |
Iona |
139 |
| 4 |
Fairfield |
119 (1) |
| 5 |
Saint Peter’s |
118 |
| 6 |
Merrimack |
112 |
| 7 |
Rider |
99 |
| 8 |
Niagara |
66 |
| 9 |
Siena |
54 |
| 10 |
Manhattan |
49 |
| 11 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
42 |
| 12 |
Canisius |
38 |
| 13 |
Sacred Heart |
37 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Amarri Monroe – Quinnipiac |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Dejour Reaves |
Guard |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Josh Pascarelli |
Guard |
So. |
Marist |
| Adam “Budd” Clark |
Guard |
So. |
Merrimack |
| Savion Lewis |
Guard |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Amarri Monroe |
Forward |
Jr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Deon Perry |
Guard |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
| James “Biggie” Patterson |
Guard/Forward |
Jr. |
Iona |
| Shaquil Bender |
Guard |
Sr. |
Manhattan |
| Jadin Collins-Roberts |
Guard |
So. |
Marist |
| Paul Otieno |
Forward |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Major Freeman |
Guard |
Jr. |
Siena |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Clarence Rupert |
Forward |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Jaden Winston |
Guard |
So. |
Manhattan |
| Dola Adebayo |
Forward |
R-Jr. |
Mount St. Mary's |
| Tanner Thomas |
Forward |
R-Jr. |
Sacred Heart |
| Marcus Randolph |
Guard |
Sr. |
Saint Peter's |
| Mouhamed Sow |
Forward |
R-Jr. |
Saint Peter's |
The 2024-25 campaign culminates with the 2025 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 11-15 at Atlantic City's Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the sixth consecutive year dating back to 2020. For all information regarding the 2025 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 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist College, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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