2018-19 MAAC Men's All-Rookie Team Announced
EDISON, NJ - The 2018-19 MAAC Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team has been announced. The coaches voted on the members of the team without voting for their players.
One of the five freshmen will be honored as the 2017-18 MAAC Rookie of the Year at the Postseason Awards Show, which will be at the Renaissance Hotel on Friday, March 8 at 10:30 a.m. The Postseason Awards Show airs live on ESPN3.
Jalen Pickett of Siena College was a unanimous choice on the MAAC All-Rookie Team. The first-year Saint helped Siena finish in a tie for second after being picked 11th in the preseason poll. Pickett lead the MAAC in assists (6.7) & assist to turnover ratio (2.7). Pickett collected a MAAC record-tying 10 Rookie of the Week honors in the regular season. Pickett was named National Freshman of the Week on February 19 after averaging 28.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks while shooting an even 50-percent from the field. That week included a 46-point and 13-assist performance in a triple-overtime loss to Quinnipiac. The 46 points are tied for second-most in a league game in MAAC history.
Guard Neftali Alvarez of Fairfield University was named to the All-Rookie Team. Alvarez averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for Fairfield. The native of Puerto Rico won the first two Rookie of the Week honors of the season and collected another one on December 24. Alvarez scored in double figures in the first nine games of the campaign. Alvarez had a season-high 23 points in a Stags win at New Hampshire on December 22. Alvarez is the first Stag since the 2015-16 campaign to make the All-Rookie Team.
Manhattan College’s Warren Williams, who averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds a game, earns a spot on the All-Rookie Team. The forward closed the season with five straight games scoring in double figures—14 games in total on the season. Williams tallied a season-high 15 points against Monmouth on March 1. The New Jersey native shot 56-percent from the field, which led the MAAC.
Quinnipiac University guard Tyrese Williams joins the backcourt on the All-Rookie team. Williams started 28 games while playing 30 minutes a game for the Bobcats. The product of Beacon, NY had a season-high 23 points in Quinnipiac’s overtime win over Rider University on February 12. Williams averaged 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during the season. Against Lafayette on December 8, Williams dished out seven helpers to go along with 16 points.
Sloan Seymour joins his teammate Pickett on the All-Rookie Team. The forward was third in the MAAC in 3-pointer made per game at 2.7—connecting on 85 triples in 31 games. The 85 3-pointers accounted for 92-percent of Seymour’s made field goals on the season. The Albany, NY native scored a season-high 15 points three times; at Providence (Nov. 6), versus Canisius (Jan. 5), and at Monmouth (Jan. 31).
The 2019 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship gets underway on Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m. at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. There are three first-round games on Thursday. All men’s first round, quarterfinals, and the first semifinal game will air on ESPN3. The second semifinal will air on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m. The Men’s Championship Game will be on Monday, March 11 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
For more information on the 2019 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops19. Tickets for the championship can be purchased by going to
ticketmaster.com or the Times Union Center Box Office.
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 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 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.