# 2019–20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball season

The 2019–20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball season began with practices in October 2019, followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 1. Conference play started in January and concluded March 11, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season was the 39th season of MAAC basketball.
In a most unpredictable season, all 11 teams had an equal shot at being the top team in the MAAC, but at the end, only one could emerge. The regular season crown came down to the final day. Siena, picked sixth, controlled their own destiny, beat Monmouth and clinched their first outright MAAC regular season championship in almost a decade. Siena would put the game away early and cruise to an 86–72 victory, clinching the MAAC regular season championship and the #1 seed in the 2020 MAAC tournament. Upstart Saint Peter's, picked ninth, would finish one game behind Siena, so close to their first conference championship since 1987. Iona, who was the preseason favorite in the MAAC, was without their coach Tim Cluess, who missed the entire 2019–20 season with an undisclosed illness, and finished in sixth place. It was their lowest finish in the standings since finishing seventh in 2008–2009.
The 2020 MAAC tournament was held on March 10 and March 11 at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 2020 MAAC Basketball Championship moved to the historic Boardwalk Hall for the first time in MAAC history. However, after the two quarterfinal games on March 11, the other two quarterfinal games, semifinals and finals were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Siena, who was the #1 seed, and who had won their quarterfinal game, would have been the MAAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament should it have been held. On March 12, the tournament, as well as all other NCAA championships for the remainder of the academic season, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time the tournament had been cancelled since its creation in 1939.

## Head Coaches
### Coaching changes

On March 11, 2019, Fairfield head coach Sydney Johnson was fired. He finished at Fairfield with an eight-year record of 116–147. On April 3, Rutgers assistant Jay Young was announced as Johnson's replacement.
On March 11, 2019, Niagara head coach Chris Casey was fired. He finished at Niagara with a six-year record of 64–129. On March 28, 2019, Niagara hired Patrick Beilein as their new head coach. On October 24, it was announced that Beilein would be stepping down from his job, citing personal reasons. That same day, assistant coach Greg Paulus was announced as interim head coach.
On March 21, 2019, it was announced that Siena head coach Jamion Christian would be accepting the head coaching position at George Washington. On March 25, it was announced that assistant coach Carmen Maciariello would be named as Christian's successor.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Year at school | Overall record | MAAC record | MAAC Tournament championships |
| Canisius | Reggie Witherspoon | Chattanooga (asst.) | 4 | 54–45 | 36–20 | 0 |
| Fairfield | Jay Young | Rutgers (asst.) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Iona | Tim Cluess | LIU Post | 10 | 199–108 | 124–46 | 5 |
| Manhattan | Steve Masiello | Louisville (asst.) | 9 | 127–131 | 80–72 | 2 |
| Marist | John Dunne | Saint Peter's | 2 | 12–19 | 7–11 | 1 |
| Monmouth | King Rice | Vanderbilt (asst.) | 9 | 131–133 | 70–46 | 0 |
| Niagara | Greg Paulus | George Washington (asst.) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Quinnipiac | Baker Dunleavy | Villanova (asst.) | 3 | 28–36 | 18–18 | 0 |
| Rider | Kevin Baggett | Rider (assoc. HC) | 8 | 123–104 | 80–54 | 0 |
| Saint Peter's | Shaheen Holloway | Seton Hall (asst.) | 2 | 10–22 | 6–12 | 0 |
| Siena | Carmen Maciariello | Siena (asst.) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2019–20 season.
* Overall and MAAC records are from time at current school and are before the beginning of the season.
* Previous jobs are head coaching jobs unless otherwise noted.

## Preseason
### Preseason Coaches Poll

| Rank | Team |
| 1. | Iona (10) |
| 2. | Rider (1) |
| 3. | Quinnipiac |
| 4. | Monmouth |
| 5. | Manhattan |
| 6. | Siena |
| 7. | Canisius |
| 8. | Marist |
| 9. | Saint Peter's |
| 10. | Niagara |
| 11. | Fairfield |
 first place votes

### Preseason All-MAAC teams

2019-20 MAAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-MAAC Teams :
| First Team | Second Team | Third Team |
| Tajuan Agee – Iona †E.J. Crawford – Iona Stevie Jordan – Rider Rich Kelly – Quinnipiac Jalen Pickett – Siena | Asante Gist – Iona Deion Hammond – Monmouth Malik Johnson – Canisius Ray Salnave – Monmouth Frederick Scott – Rider Dimencio Vaughn – Rider | Jesus Cruz – Fairfield Tyere Marshall – Rider Pauly Paulicap – Manhattan Jacob Rigoni – Quinnipiac Landon Taliaferro – Fairfield Warren Williams – Manhattan |
† denotes unanimous selection

### Preseason Player of the Year

| Recipient | School |
| Jalen Pickett | Siena |

## MAAC Regular Season
### Conference Matrix

This table summarizes the final head-to-head results between teams in conference play during the regular season.
| | Canisius | Fairfield | Iona | Manhattan | Marist | Monmouth | Niagara | Quinnipiac | Rider | Saint Peter's | Siena |
| vs. Canisius | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Fairfield | 0–2 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Iona | 0–2 | 0–2 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Manhattan | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Marist | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Monmouth | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Niagara | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Quinnipiac | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Rider | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Saint Peter's | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | | 1–1 |
| vs. Siena | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Total | 7–13 | 8–12 | 9–11 | 8–12 | 6–14 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 12–8 | 14–6 | 15–5 |

### Player of the week

Throughout the regular season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference offices named player(s) of the week and rookie(s) of the week.
| Week | Player of the week | Rookie of the week |
| November 11, 2019 | Frederick Scott, Rider | Tyler Saint-Furcy, Marist |
| November 18, 2019 | Malik Johnson, Canisius | Jacco Fritz, Canisius |
| November 25, 2019 | Tyere Marshall, Rider | Jacco Fritz (2), Canisius |
| December 2, 2019 | Landon Taliaferro, Fairfield | Jacco Fritz (3), Canisius |
| December 9, 2019 | Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac | Gary Harris, Jr., Siena |
| December 16, 2019 | Ray Salnave, Monmouth | Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter's |
| December 23, 2019 | Elijah Burns, Siena | Hassan Drame, Saint Peter's |
| December 30, 2019 | Jalen Pickett, Siena | Armon Harried, Canisius |
| January 6, 2020 | Tykei Greene, Manhattan | Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter's |
| January 13, 2020 | Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac | Armon Harried (2), Canisius |
| January 20, 2020 | Malik Johnson (2), Canisius | Hassan Drame (2), Saint Peter's |
| January 27, 2020 | Jalen Pickett (2), Siena | Tyler Sagl, Marist |
| February 3, 2020 | Dimencio Vaughn, Rider | Aaron Estrada, Saint Peter's |
| February 10, 2020 | E.J. Crawford, Iona | Fousseyni Drame (2), Saint Peter's |
| February 17, 2020 | Marcus Hammond, Niagara | Aaron Estrada (2), Saint Peter's |
| February 24, 2020 | Jalen Pickett (3), Siena | Doug Edert, Saint Peter's |
| March 2, 2020 | Marcus Hammond (2), Niagara | Aaron Estrada (3), Saint Peter's |
| March 8, 2020 | Elijah Burns (2), Siena | Fousseyni Drame (3), Saint Peter's |

### Records against other conferences

2019–20 records against non-conference foes. Records shown for regular season only.
| Power 7 Conferences | Record |
| American | 0–3 |
| ACC | 0–4 |
| Big East | 0–3 |
| Big Ten | 0–3 |
| Big 12 | 0–2 |
| Pac-12 | 0–2 |
| SEC | ––– |
| Power 7 Total | 0–17 |
| Other NCAA Division I Conferences | Record |
| America East | 6–5 |
| A-10 | 3–7 |
| ASUN | 3–1 |
| Big Sky | ––– |
| Big South | 2–1 |
| Big West | 0–1 |
| CAA | 1–6 |
| C-USA | 0–1 |
| Horizon League | 2–0 |
| Ivy League | 2–6 |
| MAC | 1–4 |
| MEAC | 5–1 |
| MVC | ––– |
| Mountain West | ––– |
| NEC | 5–5 |
| OVC | ––– |
| Patriot League | 8–3 |
| Pacific West | ––– |
| SoCon | 2–2 |
| Southland | 0–1 |
| SWAC | ––– |
| The Summit | 0–1 |
| Sun Belt | ––– |
| WAC | ––– |
| WCC | ––– |
| Other Division I Total | 40–45 |
| NCAA Division I Total | 40–62 |

## Postseason
### MAAC Tournament

* 2020 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
* Tournament was canceled before the games of March 12 began due to COVID-19.
| First Round Tuesday, March 10 ESPN3 | First Round Tuesday, March 10 ESPN3 | First Round Tuesday, March 10 ESPN3 | Quarterfinals Wednesday/Thursday, March 11/12 ESPN3 | Quarterfinals Wednesday/Thursday, March 11/12 ESPN3 | Quarterfinals Wednesday/Thursday, March 11/12 ESPN3 | Semifinals Friday, March 13 ESPNews | Semifinals Friday, March 13 ESPNews |
| | | | 1 | Siena | 63 | | |
| | | | 9 | Manhattan | 49 | | |
| 8 | Fairfield | 43 | 9 | Manhattan | 49 | | |
| 9 | Manhattan | 61 | | | | | |
| 9 | Manhattan | 61 | | | | 1 | Siena |
| | | | 4 | Monmouth | | | |
| | | | 5 | Quinnipiac | | | |
| | | | 2 | Saint Peter’s | 56 | | |
| | | | 7 | Iona | 54 | | |
| 7 | Iona | 70 | 7 | Iona | 54 | | |
| 10 | Canisius | 60 | | | | | |
| 10 | Canisius | 60 | | | | 2 | Saint Peter's |
| | | | 3 | Rider | | | |
| | | | 6 | Niagara | | | |
| 6 | Niagara | 56 | 6 | Niagara | | | |
| 11 | Marist | 54 | | | | | |
* denotes number of overtimes

### NCAA Tournament
## Honors and awards
### MAAC Awards

2019-20 MAAC Men's Basketball Major Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Player of the Year | Jalen Pickett, So, G, Siena |
| Coach of the Year | Shaheen Holloway, Saint Peter's |
| Rookie of the Year | †Aaron Estrada, Fr, G, Saint Peter's |
| Defensive Player of the Year | KC Ndefo, So, G, Saint Peter's |
| Sixth Player of the Year | KC Ndefo, So, G, Saint Peter's |
2019-20 MAAC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams :
| First Team | Second Team | Third Team | Rookie Team |
| E.J. Crawford, Sr, G/F, Iona Deion Hammond, Jr, G, Monmouth Marcus Hammond, So, G, Niagara Dimencio Vaughn, Jr, G, Rider Manny Camper, Jr, G, Siena †Jalen Pickett, So, G, Siena | Tajuan Agee, Sr, F, Iona Ray Salnave, Jr, G, Monmouth Rich Kelly, Jr, G, Quinnipiac Kevin Marfo, Sr, F, Quinnipiac Elijah Burns, Sr, F, Siena | Malik Johnson, Sr, G, Canisius Pauly Paulicap, Sr, F, Manhattan Tyere Marshall, Sr, C, Rider Frederick Scott, So, F, Rider Aaron Estrada, Fr, G, Saint Peter's KC Ndefo, So, G, Saint Peter's | Jacco Fritz, Fr, F, Canisius Chris Maidoh, Fr, F, Fairfield Tyler Sagl, Fr, G, Marist Darryl Banks III, Fr, G, Saint Peter's Doug Edert, Fr, G, Saint Peter's †Aaron Estrada, Fr, G, Saint Peter's |
† denotes unanimous selection

## 2019–20 Season final statistic leaders

Scoring leaders :
| Rk | Player | PTS | PPG |
| 1 | E.J. Crawford (Iona) | 525 | 18.8 |
| 2 | Rich Kelly (Quinnipiac) | 500 | 16.7 |
| 3 | Deion Hammond (Monmouth) | 506 | 16.3 |
| 4 | Jalen Pickett (Siena) | 438 | 15.1 |
| 5 | Dimencio Vaughn (Rider) | 443 | 14.8 |
Rebound leaders :
| Rk | Player | REB | RPG |
| 1 | Kevin Marfo (Quinnipiac) | 400 | 13.3 |
| 2 | Manny Camper (Siena) | 311 | 10.4 |
| 3 | Tyere Marshall (Rider) | 233 | 8.0 |
| 4 | Tajuan Agee (Iona) | 210 | 7.2 |
| 5 | Pauly Paulicap (Manhattan) | 205 | 6.6 |
Assist leaders :
| Rk | Player | AST | APG |
| 1 | Jalen Pickett (Siena) | 175 | 6.0 |
| 2 | Malik Johnson (Canisius) | 189 | 5.9 |
| 3 | Rich Kelly (Quinnipiac) | 134 | 4.5 |
| 4 | Stevie Jordan (Rider) | 122 | 4.1 |
| 5 | Isaiah Washington (Iona) | 112 | 4.0 |
Block leaders :
| Rk | Player | BLK | BPG |
| 1 | KC Nedefo (Saint Peter's) | 67 | 2.4 |
| 2 | Pauly Paulicap (Manhattan) | 59 | 1.9 |
| 3 | Seth Pinkney (Quinnipiac) | 43 | 1.4 |
| 4 | Kevin Marfo (Quinnipiac) | 37 | 1.2 |
| 5 | Tajuan Agee (Iona) | 36 | 1.2 |
Steal leaders :
| Rk | Player | STL | SPG |
| 1 | Malik Johnson (Canisius) | 64 | 2.0 |
| 2 | Dimencio Vaughn (Rider) | 54 | 1.8 |
| 3 | Isaiah Washington (Iona) | 48 | 1.7 |
| 4 | Christian Hinckson (Monmouth) | 47 | 1.5 |
| 5 | Ray Salnave (Monmouth) | 45 | 1.5 |
Three point leaders :
| Rk | Player | 3P | 3PA | % |
| 1 | Matthew Lee (Saint Peter's) | 27 | 59 | .458 |
| 2 | Doug Edert (Saint Peter's) | 53 | 120 | .442 |
| 3 | Marcus Hammond (Niagara) | 74 | 174 | .425 |
| 4 | Justin Roberts(Niagara) | 54 | 127 | .425 |
| 5 | Jacob Rigoni (Quinnipiac) | 66 | 163 | .405 |