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The Blog's midseason MAAC honors
PLAYER OF THE FIRST HALF: RONALD MOORE 
COACH OF THE FIRST HALF: ED COOLEY
ROOKIE OF THE FIRST HALF: DEREK NEEDHAM
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE FIRST HALF: ANTHONY JOHNSON Presenting the Blog's first-ever mid-season all-MAAC honors, which are up today because it's exactly the half-way point in the conference season.
First, a few ground rules:
1. League games are weighed more heavily than non-league games.
2. Some people have made all-league arguments in the past based on the flawed premise that all-league representation should be proportional to each team's performance.
That isn't how this team is drawn up, nor is it how I believe coaches should fill out their postseason ballots.
Siena is very well represented on these lists because its five starters are all having outstanding individual years -- not because of its 9-0 record.
Following that mindset, there's not a single Iona player on any of the first three teams. That isn't a slap in the face to Iona. It's simply a product of the Gaels having by far the best bench in the league -- a factor that has watered down the numbers of starters such as Scott Machado, who could likely average 20 points a game on certain teams, but who instead is one of several important components of Iona's roster.
3. Lastly, lest anyone accuse me of cheerleading for my alma mater when selecting top individual honors, let the record state that in my preseason rankings, I picked Fairfield sixth.
Without further delay, the Blog's mid-season honors:
FIRST-TEAM ALL-MAAC:
Alex Franklin, Siena: Easily league's best offensive post player
Ronald Moore, Siena: He's Jared Jordan, only much quicker
Ryan Rossiter, Siena: Averaging double-double in MAAC games
Frank Turner, Canisius: First in scoring, fifth in assists, sixth in FG%
Edwin Ubiles, Siena: 19.4 ppg, 62% from 3 in MAAC games
SECOND-TEAM ALL-MAAC:
Bilal Benn, Niagara: Toughest first-team omission. Still a darkhorse POY candidate
Julius Coles, Canisius: Sixth in scoring overall and in MAAC games
Tyrone Lewis, Niagara: Tied for overall scoring lead with Turner
Derek Needham, Fairfield: Second in assists, eighth in scoring
Rico Pickett, Manhattan: League-leading 22 ppg in MAAC games
THIRD-TEAM ALL-MAAC:
Darryl Crawford, Manhattan: 15.2 ppg in MAAC games
Clarence Jackson, Siena: Will be a POY candidate next year
Wesley Jenkins, St. Peter's: Can go off on any night
Anthony Johnson, Fairfield: Third in rebounds, first in blocks
Yorel Hawkins, Fairfield: Seventh in scoring, 13th in rebounding
FOURTH-TEAM ALL-MAAC:
Ryan Bacon, St. Peter's: 10 points, 10.7 rebs in MAAC games
Nick Leon, St. Peter's: Performance in double-OT win was dazzling
Scott Machado, Iona: Best player by far on a 6-3 team
Justin Robinson, Rider: Leads league in 3-point shooting
Ryan Thompson, Rider: Huge disappointment, but still 10th in scoring
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM:
Needham: One of most dominant freshmen in league history
Kyle Smyth, Iona: 41.3 percent from 3 -- tied for third in league
Sam Prescott, Marist: Fifth in FG% in MAAC games
Devin Price, Marist: Seventh in 3-pt shooting; leads team in assists
Candon Rusin, Marist: Tied with Smyth in 3-pt shooting
PLAYER OF THE FIRST HALF: Moore.
Ubiles has been remarkable in MAAC play, making him a very strong candidate. But Moore's assist numbers are mind-boggling: He's had five or more in 19 of 20 games and 11 or more seven times. His 2.8/1 assist/turnover ratio is almost an entire assist better than his nearest MAAC competitor, Canisius' Robert Goldsberry. And he's managed to keep everyone happy in a lineup full of scorers -- no small task when the Saints' fourth-leading scorer, Rossiter, would be the go-to guy on half of the teams in the MAAC.
COACH OF THE FIRST HALF: Ed Cooley, Fairfield
Even if the Stags were at full strength, Cooley would be a candidate simply for taking a team that finished 9-9 in the league last year and winning seven of nine to start the conference season. Having accomplished that feat despite missing his two best returning players (Greg Nero and Warren Edney) for the year makes him a virtual lock for Coach of the Year.
ROOKIE OF THE FIRST HALF: Needham
The Stags' point guard has been so much better than the competition for this award that he could take the rest of the season off and still be the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. Barring injury, he should be the best Fairfield perimeter player -- and maybe the best Fairfield player overall -- in a generation.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE FIRST HALF: Johnson
With no obvious choice, I went with the Stags senior, who, in addition to being the feel-good story of the year for overcoming a life-threatening blood clot in his lungs, leads the league in blocks. But a number of other players are strong candidates, including Rossiter (tied for first in defensive rebounds, sixth in blocks); Benn (tied for first in defensive rebounds, fifth in steals); Niagara's Rob Garrison (first in steals); and Jackson (first in steals in MAAC play).
posted by Ben Doody at
1:04 PM
12 Comments:
2 Rider players on the 4th team. Ben are you kidding, they don't deserve any.
Ben, Clarence Jackson, Third Team? Had the biggest shoes to fill in the league and has been great. When Jackson doesn't shoot it well and score, they are vulnerable (See the Loyola game this week).
looks like dempsey didn't get a vote here. haha. that guy is terrible.
I'm surprised Jermaine Jackson didn't make a all league team and Dempsey is not coach of the year.
Jared Jordan was a tremendous player. Incredible shooter, quick, dish the ball, play defense. Moore is great with the ball but have you seen him shoot?
Ben, how about a "You should donate your scholarship to a child in Haiti" team. Your frontcourt is a no brainer, Jermaine Jackson, Ryan Thompson, and Novar Gadson.
there is no such thing as 4th team all-league. stop kissing up to chuck t to get the preseason POY on a team.
Rositer? are you kidding? that guy stinks. Ubiles has missed half the games since he is the tin man and has no heart.
Benn is the best player in the league, hands down.
Wow.
I'm thrilled this generated some discussion, but I must say I'm surprised at the level of absurdity in a few of these comments.
Since a few of them are too ridiculous to warrant responses, I'll tackle a few that actually relate to the comments I made in the post.
1. I'll admit the Moore-Jordan comparison isn't perfect, and that there are certainly a few things Jordan did better. I would dispute, though, the notion that Jordan was an "incredible shooter."
2. As for the comment that Benn is "hands down" the best player in the league and that Rossiter "stinks," I'd love to hear the basis for either of those claims.
DOODY,
if you are going to consider yourself the "beat writer" for Rider, how about a piece on "what happened to RT." The guy went from POY candidate to not worthy of a spot on any all-league team. Do an investigative piece instead of just listing postgame quotes.
1. does he think the team stinks and can wait for the year to be over?
2. Does he have one eye on the NBA (haha)?
3. Is he hurt?
It is clear that his play is the reason why Rider has struggled this year, yet you hardly mention this in your posts and stories.
Anon,
Go through every game story this year on a Rider loss, and you'll see that a phrase going something like "Ryan Thompson continued to struggle" appears in just about all of them.
As for stories on him going forward, I'm sure there will be at least a couple during the last month or so of the season.
Thanks so much for the great post. I've been searching for blogs like this now for 30 minutes and i finall found one
that's worthwhile. I'm really into video games, do you have any information on the new Call of Duty? I know this
is off topic, but I thought I'd ask. Thanks...oh also, I have some video game writings if you want to check them
out. Here are a few of them
WoW Warlock
Arms Warrior Build
I agree that you have said "RT has struggled" which is why I said "you hardly mentioned it" in my post. One sentence a post or game story does not do justice to explain the biggest reason why rider is struggling.
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