Iona's Big Group: 4 Frosh, 2 Redshirts

College basketball’s season is still three weeks away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t begin anticipating how a favored team might fall into place for 2009-10.

This blogger has compiled a list of players joining MAAC programs, whether they be freshmen, red-shirted players becoming eligible this season, and transfers from other programs who are eligible now or will be in the second semester. In some cases, this blogger either has seen the players in question or has elicited some opinion/expertise from other sources and will pass along those insights.

I’ll be posting a team-by-team look at newcomers, in no particular order. If your team’s list isn’t up when you read this, check back soon. I’ll list the players’ pertinent stats, if they’re available. And, as always, thanks for reading.

First up ... Iona

Incoming freshmen

- Mike McFadden, 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Technology High School of Newark, N.J. He averaged 19 points, 12.5 rebounds last season. Sources indicate he might be ready to be in the playing group almost from the start of the season.

- Chris Pelcher, 6-10 center from Albany (N.Y.) Academy. This blogger has seen Pelcher play multiple times. He has a college-ready physique, can bang inside yet hit mid-range jumpers. Fairly mobile for his size. He could also be in the playing group early, and be a solid contributor throughout his time with the Gaels.

- Rashard McGill, 6-5 small forward, Massanutten Military Academy, a prep school in Woodstock, Va. There he averaged 17.8 points and had a one-game high of 46. As a senior at East Gadsden High School in Havana, Fla., in the 2007-08 season he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds.

- Ben Mockford, a 6-2 guard from England who played prep school in the U.S. last year at Oak Hill Academy. Mockford played for England’s Under-20 team in this summer’s European Men’s Championship tournament. He saw action in five games, averaging 12.6 points per outing and hit 13-of-36 shots from three-point range.

Eligible Redshirts:

- Keon Williams, a 6-6, 220-pound forward who sat out last season with an Achilles injury. As a senior at Hackensack, N.J., H.S. he averaged 22 points and 14.1 rebounds in the 2007-08 season.

- Kyle Smith, a 6-4 guard who played one game last year, scoring six points in 17 minutes. After that, an ankle injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. As a high school senior at Don Bosco H.S., he averaged 13.6 points and 4.3 assists.