Rush The Court

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC.

Top Storylines

• Canisius Surprises. Not a big surprise given the pool of talent here, a good bit better than a lot of people anticipated, and the coaching of Jim Baron. A win over ‘Little Three’ rival St. Bonaventure was particularly sweet for Baron, a former Bonnie player and coach.
• St. Peter’s also merits a note. A preseason pick at the bottom of the league, the Peacocks have wins at Rutgers, Cornell and a home conquest of Central Connecticiut. A loss to Binghamton doesn’t damper the early enthusiasm in Jersey City.
• Manhattan Winless. At Louisville and at Harvard. Not an easy way for anyone to open up its season. In the long run these tests should be a benefit for Steve Masiello’s Jaspers.

Reader’s Take

Player of the Week: Lamont Jones– The Iona senior guard averaged 30.5 points over the first two games in the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. He set a tournament record 40 points in the Gaels’ overtime loss to Quinnipiac.

Rookie of the Week: Tyler Hubbard– The Loyola redshirt freshman guard came off the bench to spark the Greyhounds’ Hall of Fame Classic championship in Springfield. He scored a career-high 17 points in a win over UMBC.

Power Rankings

1. Canisius  (3-0)- Jimmy Baron’s Griffs  enjoyed a big win over the coach’s alma mater. Canisius came from behind to defeat St. Bonaventure 72-69 on Saturday in Buffalo. A Chris Manhertz tip in with 53 seconds left put the Griffs in the lead. Senior guard Harold Washington, Canisius’ primary option this season, scored 23 points.
2. Loyola (4-1)– Defeated  Norfolk State 65-49 at the Hall of Fame Tip Off. Greyhounds had a few key players step up. Dylon Cormier scored 19 points, Tyler Hubbard hit a pair of key treys and Erik Etherly scored 12 points while adding nine boards.
3. St. Peter’s (3-1)- Got off to a 3-0 start with a win at Rutgers and Cornell sandwiched by a home victory over Central Connecticut. The Peacocks were stopped at Binghamton 62-54. Blaise Ffrench paced St. Peter’s with 19 points. Desi Washington, a primary scorer in the two victories, was limited to nine points, shooting 4 of 13 from the floor.
4. Fairfield (2-2) – Busy schedule with five games prior to Thanksgiving. In a 62-53 win over Penn (had to be especially gratifying to Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson, a Princeton alum), Derek Needham led a balanced attack with 14 points. Stags held Penn to 14% shooting (2 of 14) from three point range while clicking on 38.5% (5 of 13) shots of their own.
5. Iona (2-2)– In the Paradise Jam, the Gaels rolled over Wake Forest 94-68. Sean Armond was the pacesetter with 28 points while Lamont Jones added 21.  Gaels were deadly on the perimeter burying 14 three pointers with Armond hitting seven of them. Win was a nice bounce back after a disappointing setback to Quinnipiac.
6. Niagara (2-2)– Split their first four contests. The most recent game an 86-83 victory over New Mexico State in the 2K Sports Classic . After a busy start,  Purple Eagles have some time off with their next game at St. Bonaventure on Saturday. The win over New Mexico State at Niagara’s Gallagher enter, saw Joe Mihalich’s club rally from 16 down at the half. Juan’ya Green scored a game high 28 points for Niagara who forced the Aggies into 24 turnovers.
7. Rider (2-2) – Edged Monmouth 65-62. Daniel Stewart is off to a strong start for the Broncs.  Stewart had 18 points, 13 rebounds in that win. Nurideen Lindsey is making his presence felt as well. The St. John’s transfer hit a few crucial free throws in the stretch to seal the verdict.
8. Siena (2-3) – In the NUCDF Basketball Challenge in San Diego, the Saints defeated Northern Kentucky 56-52.  Evan Hymes scored a game high 22 points for Siena. Inside O. D. Anosike was effective with an 11 point, 12 rebound double-double.
9. Marist (1-2)– In a game featuring 11 lead changes, Marist knocked off Clumbia 67-62. Mainstays for the Red Foxes Chavaughn Lewis (19 points) and Devin Price (16 points) led the way.  Chucky Martin’s group will be tested at the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving.
10. Manhattan  (0-2)-  Opened up jumping ‘into the fire’ with losses at Louisville and Harvard. Louisville forced Manhattan into 27 turnovers. Jaspers only trailed by nine at the half in the 79-51 loss. Rhamel Brown paced Manhattan with 18 points. Turnover woes continued as the Crimson forced 26 on the way to a 79-45 decision. Emmy Andujar led Manhattan with a dozen points but did commit a team-high five turnovers.

A Look Ahead

• November 22- Marist vs. West Virginia (Old Spice Classic)
• November 29- Manhattan at Fordham. ‘Battle of the Bronx’ could be interesting.
• December 1 – Albany at Siena. For New York State capitol bragging rights.
• December 5- Iona at St. Peter’s. We will learn more about John Dunne’s club in this one.
• December 8- Iona-Rutgers. The MSG Holiday Festival game is a good opportunity for the Gaels to get an early win over a Big East (soon to be Big Ten) program.

Final Notes

• The MAAC hosts the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. Marist is the conference school of representation in the eight-team field. The Red Foxes open with West Virginia on Thanksgiving. Three games are guaranteed and the next opponent will be Vanderbilt or Davidson. UTEP, Oklahoma, Gonzaga and Clemson round out a fairly strong field.
• Rider will be another team to keep a look out for. Daniel Stewart, a junior forward, is very effective. The addition of Nurideen Lindsay, a St. John’s transfer, has strengthened the backcourt and gives the Broncs a lethal scorer.