2017-18 MAAC Hoops Season Recap: The Pursuit of Greatness
By; Sean Brennan
By: Sean Brennan
It all began back in October with the Iona Gaels being tabbed the top dogs on the men’s side in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason basketball poll. Ditto the Quinnipiac Bobcats on the women’s side. No surprise there at all, considering they were coming off a trip to the Sweet 16 last spring.
And five months later, when every game had been played, every championship net was cut down, and every piece of championship hardware had been handed out, there were the Gaels and Bobcats again, the last teams still standing after a memorable 2017-18 MAAC season.
It had all gone as predicted, but in between preseason prognostications and postseason jubilance, there were enough highlights, milestones, and memorable moments to fill the Times Union Center.
As good a place as any to start would be with the above-mentioned Gaels, who struggled, for them at least, through an 11-7 MAAC regular season and an uncustomary fourth place finish. But as has been the case for the past six seasons, there were the Gaels again, partaking in their usual March custom of participating in the MAAC championship game and winning it for the third-straight season. It was just the third time in conference history that a men’s team had won three-straight MAAC titles as Iona joined the Siena Saints (2008-10) and the LaSalle Explorers (1988-90) in the rather exclusive club.
Meanwhile, the Quinnipiac Bobcats completed a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after they rolled to a perfect 21-0 record in MAAC play (18-0 regular season, 3-0 in the championship). The final MAAC win for the ‘Cats was a hard-fought 67-58 victory over Marist, completing a three-game sweep of the Red Foxes. It was also a season that saw Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri record her 400
th career victory and see her Bobcats eliminate the University of Miami (FL) from the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. Not surprisingly, Fabbri was also named The Rock MAAC Coach of the Year.
But not all the highlights were reserved for Iona and Quinnipiac this past season.
On the men’s side, Rider became the men’s co-regular-season champions after posting a 15-3 mark in conference play under The Rock MAAC Coach of the Year Kevin Baggett. The Broncs were upset in the MAAC Championship by Saint Peter’s but earned an NIT Tournament bid due to their regular-season crown.
Niagara, with the dynamic duo of Kahlil Dukes and Matt Scott (how fun were they to watch? Well, as long as you weren’t an opposing coach), earned a bid to the CollegeInsider Tournament with co-regular season champion Canisius receiving an invitation to the CBI Tournament. The Marist women’s team also saw some postseason action when it earned the leagues’ automatic qualifier to the Women’s NIT Tournament.
But, there was also a good bit of history made in the MAAC this season.
Aside from Fabbri’s historic achievement, which made her the winningest coach in Quinnipiac women’s basketball history, there was Tyler Nelson becoming the all-time leading scorer at Fairfield when he dropped 32 points on Quinnipiac on Feb. 17 and finished his Stags’ career with 2,172 points. Nelson, by the way, led the MAAC in scoring this season at 22.2 points a game.
Also, for the first time in conference history, two players shared the men’s Player of the Year award with Niagara’s Dukes and Canisius’ Jermaine Crumpton each hearing their names called at the MAAC awards show in Albany. Dukes, at 21 points a game, and Crumpton, at 17.1, finished second and sixth, respectively, in scoring this season.
“I’m truly honored to be named MAAC Co-Player of the Year,” Crumpton said. “This award is not just for me personally, but for our entire Canisius men’s basketball team and the Canisius College community.”
There were no co-winners on the women’s side with Niagara senior Victoria Rampado taking home the gold as women’s Player of the Year all by her lonesome. The all-time leading scorer in Niagara women’s basketball history, Rampado led the MAAC in scoring at 20.8 points a game and was a five-time MAAC Player of the Week.
Another first for the conference was seeing one of its original members, Manhattan College, play in the first Division I college basketball games ever held in Europe when the Jaspers took part in the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic. The Jaspers went 1-1 in their brief visit to the Emerald Isle, knocking off Holy Cross before dropping a 56-55 decision to Towson.
“The experience and the people have been phenomenal,” Manhattan coach, Steve Masiello, said after the tournament. “It has been a great opportunity for our student-athletes, our coaches and college. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We are part of history and honored and humbled about that.”
It was also a season in which so many talented seniors gave stellar performances in their swansong seasons. And that discussion about super seniors has to start with Dukes.
“You start with Dukes at Niagara, he’s terrific,” Iona head coach Tim Cluess said earlier this season. “That kid is as offensively gifted as any kid in the MAAC in the last 10 years.”
Cluess was not the only one impressed with Dukes.
“The guys from Niagara can really go,” coach John Dunne said of Dukes and fellow senior Matt Scott. “They’re fantastic. In my opinion they are the best 1-2 combo in the league.”
But there were other great seasons from some of the conference’s other upperclassmen as well.
There’s the aforementioned Tyler Nelson from Fairfield and the Manhattan tandem of Zane Waterman and Rich Williams, who returned from a missed season in 2016-17 to lead the Jaspers in minutes played, field goals, three pointers and scoring average. It was quite the farewell performance for Williams.
There was also the Iona duo of Zach Lewis and TK Edogi, who played pivotal roles in the Gaels’ run to the MAAC Championship title, Brian Parker, the Marist marksman who finished fifth in the conference in scoring at 17.1 points a game, and Quinnipiac’s Cameron Young, who came out of nowhere after a pedestrian junior year to finish fourth in the league in scoring at 18.1 points a game.
On the women’s side, the conference will bid adieu to such talented players as Manhattan’s Kayla Grimme and Amani Tatum, who helped the Jaspers rebound from a four-win conference season a year ago to go 9-9 this past season. Siena’s Kollyns Scarbrough, who finished tied for third in scoring at 16.0 points a game is also graduating, as is Fairfield’s Samantha Cooper, who averaged a double-double this past season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Rider’s Kamila Hoskova, who finished ninth in the conference in scoring at 14.6 points per outing.
It was a wonderful curtain call for all of the above.
But as those fine seniors took their final bows, there is still talent o’plenty returning to the MAAC next season.
On the men’s side you can start with the young guns at Rider. Three red-shirt freshmen in Dimencio Vaughn, an All-MAAC First Team pick, Frederick Scott, the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year and Jordan Allen, along with sophomore Stevie Jordan, who all scored in double figures this season for the co-regular-season champion Broncs. Canisius will come at you next season with Isaiah Reese, who just enjoyed a stellar sophomore season, finishing seventh in the MAAC in scoring at 16.9 points a game, as well as Rookie of the Year Takal Molson, who is likely to play an even bigger role for the co-regular season champion Griffs next year with Crumpton gone.
Iona will return a good portion of its championship team led by Rickey McGill, Fairfield brings back Jesus Cruz, Monmouth will return All-Rookie team pick Deion Hammond, while Quinnipiac and Siena will roll with Rich Kelly and Prince Oduro, respectively. The latter pair joining Hammond on the MAAC All-Rookie team.
And don’t forget Pauly Paulicap, who has become quite the fan favorite at Manhattan’s Draddy Gym and who was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Paulicap led the league in blocks with 2.6 per game and blocked at least three shots in a game 14 times last season.
The women will have more than their share of top-shelf talent returning next season led by the Quinnipiac (who else?) tandem of Jen Fay and Aryn McClure. Fay averaged 12.9 points and her 7.1 rebounds per game were sixth best on the circuit. Her running mate, McClure, averaged 12.3 points last season as a junior and they became the first Quinnipiac tandem to ever be named to the All-MAAC First Team since the Bobcats joined the MAAC in 2013-14.
Marist super sophomore Rebekah Hand will look to have an even better season than this one that saw her finish second in the MAAC in scoring (16.3 points a game) while her near-perfect free-throw shooting (94.1%) led the league. After earning Rookie of the Year honors last season and landing on the All-MAAC First Team, this year, who knows what Hand has up her sleeve next season?
Another Marist player that promises to light up the court is Alana Gilmer, who joined Hand in the MAAC top five scorers by averaging 15.5 points a game. And let’s not forget Rider’s Stella Johnson, third in the conference in scoring at 16.0 per game and second on the Broncs with 40 three-balls.
Despite the exodus of brilliant basketball heading out the door, there is still an embarrassment of riches returning for next season, one that promises to be as memorable - or more so - than the scintillating one that just ended.
Award winners, three-peat champions, unbeaten conference seasons, and new all-time leaders. It was quite the ride in the MAAC this season and it won’t be all that long until the next batch of memories will be ready to be made.
Only seven months until we tip off the 2018-19 season. Ladies and gentlemen, start the countdown.