ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 4, 2026) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today announced the 2026 Men’s Basketball All-MAAC Teams, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.
Headlining the All-MAAC First Team were a pair of unanimous selections which included Kevair Kennedy of Merrimack College and Gavin Doty of Siena University. Also chosen to the first team were Ernest Shelton of Merrimack College, Amarri Monroe of Quinnipiac University, Anquan Hill of Sacred Heart University and Brent Bland of Saint Peter’s University.
One of the six members of the All-MAAC First Team will be honored as the 2026 MAAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
Kennedy had a breakout freshman campaign for the Warriors, winning a MAAC-leading nine weekly honors, which included seven Rookie of the Week awards – the most in the conference – and a pair of Player of the Week selections. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.9 steals in 36:40 minutes per game. Kennedy was the MAAC’s top overall scorer with 572 points and led the league in points per game and minutes per game. He also was the top free throw shooter, logging the most free throw attempts (260) and free throws made (212). Additionally, Kennedy was third in steals, fourth in assists, fifth in field goal percentage (46.7) and sixth in field goal attempts (375).
Shelton appeared in all 31 games for Merrimack, posting a statline of 15.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. He ranked second in the MAAC in minutes per game, playing 35:35 minutes per outing. Shelton placed fourth on the MAAC leaderboard in total scoring and fifth in points per outing. He was second in free throws made (130), fourth in both free throw percentage (87.2) and free throw attempts (149), and ninth in field goal attempts (349). From beyond the arc, Shelton led the conference in three point attempts (255), was second in the MAAC in three-point field goals made (90), third in three pointers per game (2.90), and seventh in three point percentage.
Monroe, last season’s Player of the Year, was the lone returning All-MAAC First Team member in 2026 and became a three-time all-league choice after also making the second unit in 2024. Monroe averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.3 steals during the regular season. He ranked sixth in the MAAC in scoring and points per game, fourth in rebounds and third in rebounds per game. Monroe led the MAAC in defensive rebounds pulling down 6.31 per game and ranked second in double-doubles with 12. Defensively, he was second in the league in both steals and steals per game. An efficient shooter, Monroe checked in at sixth in field goals (165), third in field goal attempts (397) and eighth in field goal percentage (41.6).
Named to the 2025 All-MAAC Third Team, Hill was the Sacred Heart leader in points, rebounds, and blocks. He had averages of 17.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 25 games of action. Hill checked in at third on the MAAC scoring leaderboard, 10
th in rebounds, and tied for eighth in blocks. His 4.08 defensive rebounds per game was 13
th while his 2.04 offensive rebounds were 15
th. From the field, Hill was sixth in field goal percentage (45.7), eighth in field goals (153), and he connected on 94 shots at the charity stripe, the 11
th most in the MAAC. Additionally, his four double-doubles ranked eighth among MAAC leaders this season.
Bland was one of two Peacocks to average double figure scoring in 2025-26, posting 14.0 points per game. He added 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 steals during the season. Bland’s scoring average and his total points each ranked 13
th in the MAAC. His 58 steals ranked fourth in the league and his steals per game was third. When shooting from downtown, Bland was fifth in three point percentage (36.9), sixth in three point attempts (206), and seventh in three pointers per game (2.71) and three point field goals made (76).
Doty earns his second All-MAAC honors, having been voted to the MAAC All-Rookie Team in 2025. The sophomore scored 17.5 points per game, grabbed 7.0 rebounds, dished out 2.3 assists, and accounted for 1.3 steals. He ranked third in scoring after making 543 points and was fourth in scoring average. On the glass in the MAAC, Doty was sixth in rebounds, fourth in defensive boards, and seventh in rebounds per game. He was first in the conference in field goals (190), second in field goal attempts (402), third in field goal percentage (47.3), free throws (126), and free throw attempts (150). Moreover, his six double-doubles were the fifth most in the league.
The MAAC All-Defensive Team consisted of Jaden Winston of Manhattan University, Jaden Daughtry of Marist University, KC Ugwuakazi of Merrimack College, Abdou Khadre Kebe of Mount St. Mary’s University, and Amarri Monroe of Quinnipiac University. One of the five members of the MAAC All-Defensive Team will be chosen as the 2026 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Four of the five members of the MAAC All-Rookie Team were unanimous choices in 2026. They included, Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig of Fairfield University, Kennedy, and Francis Folefac of Siena University. The fifth member of the All-Rookie team was Keith McKnight of Quinnipiac University. One of the five members of the MAAC All-Rookie Team will be chosen as the 2026 MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Below is the full list of All-MAAC Teams:
| All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Kevair Kennedy* |
Guard |
Fr. |
Merrimack |
| Ernest Shelton |
Guard |
Jr. |
Merrimack |
| Amarri Monroe |
Forward |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Anquan Hill |
Forward |
R-Sr. |
Sacred Heart |
| Brent Bland |
Guard |
R-Sr. |
Saint Peter’s |
| Gavin Doty* |
Guard |
So. |
Siena |
| All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Brandon Benjamin |
Forward |
Fr. |
Fairfield |
| Braden Sparks |
Guard |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| CJ Anthony |
Guard |
Gr. |
Iona |
| Jaden Zimmerman |
Guard |
So. |
Quinnipiac |
| Justice Shoats |
Guard |
Sr. |
Siena |
| All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Jaden Winston |
Guard |
Jr. |
Manhattan |
| Elijah Lewis |
Guard |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Justin Menard |
Guard |
So. |
Marist |
| Asim Jones |
Guard |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Dashon Gittens |
Guard |
Sr. |
Sacred Heart |
| MAAC All-Defensive Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Jaden Winston |
Guard |
Jr. |
Manhattan |
| Jaden Daughtry |
Forward |
Sr. |
Marist |
| KC Ugwuakazi |
Forward |
Jr. |
Merrimack |
| Abdou Khadre Kebe |
Guard |
So. |
Mount St. Mary’s |
| Amarri Monroe |
Forward |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| MAAC All-Rookie Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Brandon Benjamin* |
Forward |
Fr. |
Fairfield |
| Declan Wucherpfennig* |
Guard/Forward |
Fr. |
Fairfield |
| Kevair Kennedy* |
Guard |
Fr. |
Merrimack |
| Keith McKnight |
Forward |
FY. |
Quinnipiac |
| Francis Folefac* |
Forward |
Fr. |
Siena |
*Denotes unanimous selection
In addition to Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year, the MAAC will also honor a Sixth Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year, which will be announced this afternoon.
The 2025-26 MAAC basketball season culminates with the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 5-10 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 2026 will be the seventh consecutive year Boardwalk Hall will host the annual championship dating back to 2020. For the second straight season, the championship field will feature the conference's top 10 teams. Additionally, with the shift of the basketball championship schedule to a week earlier, the women’s championship game will be a standalone contest on Monday, March 9, while the men’s championship game will air live nationally on ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 10.
For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on X.
Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at:
https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.
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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
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