2019-20 Men’s Basketball Season Tips Off
EDISON, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2019) – The 2019-20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men’s basketball season tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The regular season concludes with the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships at Atlantic City’s historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
The Iona Gaels are the team to beat after claiming their fourth consecutive MAAC Championship last season, getting the nod from the league’s head coaches as the preseason favorite. Iona looks to become the first men’s basketball program in conference history to win five straight titles.
The Gaels return Preseason All-MAAC selections in E.J. Crawford, Tajuan Agee and Asante Gist. Iona added some more depth to its roster this offseason in transfers Mo Thiam (New Mexico State) and Isaiah Washington (Minnesota). The duo received NCAA legislative relief waivers, allowing them to be immediately eligible for the 2019-20 season, as announced on Oct. 23. The defending champions start their 2019-20 campaign at La Salle on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Rider was voted second in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll and led the MAAC with four Preseason All-MAAC selections. The Broncs return a core of starters from last year’s squad in Stevie Jordan, Tyere Marshall, Frederick Scott, Dimencio Vaughn and Kimar Williams. Rider opens the season on the road on Nov. 5 at Coppin State.
The poll continued with No. 3 Quinnipiac, No. 4 Monmouth, No. 5 Manhattan, No. 6 Siena, No. 7 Canisius, No. 8 Marist, No. 9 Saint Peter’s, No. 10 Niagara and No. 11 Fairfield.
Siena, Niagara and Fairfield all enter the 2019-20 season under new leadership. Carmen Maciariello makes his head coaching debut for the Saints after spending the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach for the program. Former Duke Basketball standout Greg Paulus joins Niagara’s program after stops at George Washington, Louisville, Ohio State and Navy. Jay Young joins the Stags from the Big Ten ranks, spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers.
Siena’s Jalen Pickett looks to build off of a rookie campaign that earned him a unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year selection and a spot on the All-MAAC First Team in 2018-19. Pickett headlined the MAAC preseason honors as the Preseason Player of the Year. Pickett and the Saints open the season at home against American on Nov. 5.
Later this month, Iona and Monmouth head south to represent the MAAC in the first edition of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. The Gaels and the Hawks will take on ASUN foes Stetson and Kennesaw State. The two-day tournament is set for Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23.
Rider hosts Marist to start conference play on Monday, Dec. 16. Canisius visits Siena on Monday, Dec. 23 before the rest of the league picks up with the conference portion of their schedules at the start of the New Year.
The regular season culminates with the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships in the event’s inaugural year at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from March 10-14. The Garden State will be home to the MAAC Basketball Championships for the first time since 2003.
For the full 2019-20 schedule, click
here. See below for the full slate of season-openers:
- Canisius at Brown - Saturday, Nov. 9 / 4:30 p.m.
- Fairfield vs. Bucknell - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:00 p.m.
- Iona at La Salle - Saturday, Nov. 9 / 4:00 p.m.
- Manhattan vs. Delaware State - Tuesday, Nov. 12 / 7:00 p.m.
- Marist at VMI - Friday, Nov. 8 / 7:00 p.m.
- Monmouth at Lehigh - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:00 p.m.
- Niagara at Drexel - Friday, Nov. 8 / 7:00 p.m.
- Quinnipiac at Brown - Wednesday, Nov. 13 / 7:00 p.m.
- Rider at Coppin State - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:00 p.m.
- Saint Peter’s vs. Bryant - Wednesday, Nov. 13 / 7:00 p.m.
- Siena vs. American - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:30 p.m.
About the 2020 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships:
The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships return to New Jersey on March 10-14, 2020 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. To stay up to date on MAAC basketball, visit
http://maacsports.com/basketball and follow
@MAACHoops on Twitter.
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 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.