"The MAAC Experience" to Debut at Preseason Awards Show
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. - The MAAC will debut its exhibit, "The MAAC Experience," at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, MA., when the league hosts its Men's and Women's Basketball Preseason Awards Show, also at the Hall, on Oct. 25.
"The MAAC Experience" will showcase the league's 10 institutions and will feature a digital display with the most up-to-date information about MAAC men's and women's basketball, as well as historical artifacts and memorabilia from the conference's 30-year history.
The 600-square foot exhibit will also include the video "A Day in the Life," which features 10 basketball student-athletes from each of the MAAC institutions, giving viewers an insight to a typical day in their lives. The video was filmed on the league's 10 campuses and includes many of the MAAC's rising stars who will compete this season, including:
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Canisius
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Jamie Ruttle
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Sophomore
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Burlington, Ont./Notre Dame
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Fairfield
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Derek Needham
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Junior
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Dolton, Ill./De La Salle
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Iona
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Kyle Smyth
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Junior
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River Edge, N.J./Don Bosco
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Loyola
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Justin Drummond
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Sophomore
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Upper Marlboro, Md./ Riverdale Baptist
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Manhattan
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Maggie Blair
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Junior
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Briarcliff, N.Y./Briarcliff
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Marist
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Leanne Ockenden
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Sophomore
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Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy
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Niagara
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Kayla Stroman
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Sophomore
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Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy
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Rider
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Daniel Stewart
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Sophomore
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Philadelphia, Pa./ Neumann-Goretti
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Saint Peter's
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Teresa Manigrasso
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Sophomore
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Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Saint John Vianney
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Siena
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OD Anosike
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Junior
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Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys
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Authentic jerseys worn by MAAC student-athletes stars past and present will be another exhibit highlight. Among the jerseys on display is the number "3" worn by former Saint Peter's College great Keydren "Kee Kee" Clark, who led the NCAA in scoring in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons and is one of only seven student-athletes to surpass the 3,000-point scoring mark in NCAA men's basketball history. Also featured is Marist jersey number "12" worn by Rachele Fitz, a three-time MAAC Player of the Year. Fitz led the Red Foxes to four consecutive MAAC titles and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2007-2010), scoring 2,447 points and grabbing 1,066 rebounds in her career. She became the first woman in Marist history to have her jersey retired.
Additional jerseys worn by former MAAC greats included in the display are number "11" worn by Manhattan's Sheila Tighe from 1981-84; number "53" worn by Siena's Gunta Basko; and number "1" worn by Jason Thompson of Rider. Tighe, a two-time MAAC Player of the Year, is the league's all-time leader in career scoring average with 22.0 points per game, and poured in 45 points against La Salle on Jan. 17, 1984, still the second highest scoring outburst in a MAAC game. Another two-time MAAC Player of the Year, Basko racked up 1,833 points, 13th best in MAAC history, and 1,027 rebounds, 10th best in conference history, in her career with the Saints (1999-2003). Thompson concluded his tenure (2005-08) with the Broncs as the ninth leading scorer in MAAC history with 2,040 points, and second best rebounder with 1,171 caroms.
The conference will also focus on 10 historical milestones in its history with the display "MAAC Moments." Thompson is featured along with former La Salle superstar Lionel Simmons as the MAAC's two NBA lottery picks. Simmons, the consensus national Player of the Year following the conclusion of the 1989-90 season and a three-time MAAC Player of the Year, is also featured with Clark as two of just seven men's basketball student-athletes who surpassed the 3,000 point mark in their careers. Additional "MAAC Moments" will look at top performances and careers of the conference's student-athletes, coaches and teams.
"The MAAC Experience" will include artifacts and historical items from MAAC history, featuring championship trophies, nets, rings, and basketballs, and a scrapbook that chronicles the MAAC's first-year of existence (1981-82).
The debut of "The MAAC Experience" coincides with the league moving its men's and women's basketball championships to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA for the next three seasons (2012-14). The 2012 MAAC Championships, featuring men's and women's teams from all 10 institutions, will be March 1-5.