Niagara's Green Earns Top Mid-Major Frosh Honor

Here's a nice honor for a player from a conference team, just passed along to your scribe by the Niagara's sports information office ...

Niagara's freshman guard Juan'ya Green has been named the CollegeInsider.com's mid-major level Freshman of the Year.

The Philadelphia native led the Purple Eagles in scoring, assists, steals, field goals and free throws while starting in every game this past season.

He was the nation's second-leading freshman scorer (17.7 points per game), and his scoring average was third in the MAAC. He was also third in the conference in assists (4.5 per game) and led the league in steals (1.9 per contest).

Green also set the school's freshman single-season record for points (585), field goals made (188), free throws made (148) and steals (63).

The individual honor is a just reward for a terrific season.

Loyola Men Lose Key Reserve Guard Drummond

The Loyola men lost a key role player earlier this week with the announcement that 6-foot-4 sophomore guard guard Justin Drummond has told school officials of his intention to transfer to another school. The perception, according to news reports, is that Drummond will seek to play at a higher level.

This one is a little bit of a head scratcher. From observations, it doesn't appear that Drummond will be a significant factor at a higher level. Not if, in his first two years, he couldn't break into the Greyhounds' starting lineup. And, not after averaging just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor (25.4 percent on 3-point attempts) and committing nearly three times as many turnovers (63) as assists (23).

Then, again, he did average 10.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as Loyola's fourth leading scorer.

But, with starters Dylon Cormier, Robert Olson and R.J. Williams back at the team's perimeter positions the likelihood is that Drummond would have been facing another season of coming off the bench.

In the era where personal situations often become more important than team goals (i.e. ... who's getting playing time), the guess here is that Drummond's departure has more to do about finding a place where he can be a starter and get more minutes than anything else.

Drummond was named the MAAC's Sixth Player of the Year for this past season.

"We would like to thank Justin for his contributions to the program," said Loyola head coach Jimmy Patsos, in a statement released by the school's sports information area. "We met with Justin and his family, and we offered to redshirt Justin to help him continue his development as a top-level player. Justin, however, expressed his desire to play at the highest level of college basketball in an effort to continue his career beyond college.

"Justin helped us to do something special this year (Loyola won the MAAC's post-season tournament and advanced to the NCAA's), and we want to support him in his decision to move on to another school ... He will always be part of the Loyola basketball family."

There is no indication what schools Drummond is considering for his next location.

Team Report: Canisius Women Set To Bounce Back

Here's another in the "state of MAAC programs" series, looking back and ahead at conference men's and women's teams.

Up now ...

CANISIUS WOMEN


2011-12 RECORD: 6-12 in MAAC play, 12-18 overall.

RECAP: The team of the future still looks to have a bright one, but it didn't come this past season. After a 6-12 league mark and an 11-20 overall record in 2010-11, with four key freshmen in that year's playing group, there was the expectation of significant progress. It never came ... or, at least when it did appear to be on the verge, things fell apart. The Golden Griffins started 8-6 overall and, then, went 4-12 after that including five straight season-ending losses that concluded with a conference tournament play-in round setback to 5-26 Saint Peter's. The problem? The Griffs were still very young. Every other conference team had at least two seniors on its roster except Canisius which had zero. What solid experience it did have was lost at midseason when 5-10 junior swingperson Allison Braun, a team player and prototypical "glue" player, went down with a leg injury. She played 18 games and was instrumental in the team's fast start, but her loss was the start of the season's second-half slide. Hard to envision that a player who averaged just 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds had such an effect, but she did. Then, two other frontcourt players, sophomores Jen Lennox and Courtney VandeBovenkamp, were nicked up  physically for much of the season and didn't match strong freshman seasons.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Jamie Ruttle, a 6-4 post player, had a nice sophomore season (11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds) and showed the ability, once she becomes a little more assertive, to eventually be one of the conference's better inside players. Another soph, guard Jen Morabito, remained one of the MAAC's best long-range snipers and her 38.5 percent accuracy from bonus territory was 19th-best nationally. Kayla Hoohuli, who was limited early while recovering from a knee issue, was one of the conference's top freshmen, an under-control player with a nice outside shot. She made more three-pointers than any other league freshman. Junior point guard Ashley Durham made 89.1 percent of her free throws, the 7th-best percentage nationally and Canisius was 6th best as a team from the foul line (78.0 percent). That 8-6 start was also a positive trend that, unfortunately, didn't continue. Still, there were some satisfying victories, including a 64-60 non-leaguer over UAlbany, the America East Conference's representative to the NCAA tournament; and a 58-57 win over regional rival Niagara.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Braun's injury and subsequent loss for the season's second half was a big blow. So, too, were the nagging woes to VandenBovenkamp and Lennox. Overall, there just wasn't enough experience. The team failed to make plays or have consistent positive stretches ... signs of a young team still figuring things out. While Durham did average 4.2 assists per game, she still struggled at times running the team and was in and out of the starting lineup all season. Freshman Ashley Gomez, who might have helped out at point guard, suffered a preseason knee injury and never returned. With all those woes, the team needed more from Ruttles than it did. But, to be fair, she didn't get a lot of inside help this past season. And, while the Griffs have plenty of height on the roster, there isn't a lot of inside athleticism. What little athleticism the team had up front came from 5-11 junior college transfer Ashley Wilkes (7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds), but just not on a consistent enough basis.

WHAT'S AHEAD: The Griffs will probably go back to the future. The program that, not so long ago, ruled with its three-point shooting ability will probably rely heavily on the long-range attack again as Morabito and Hoohuli will both be a year older and incoming freshman Emily Weber, a 5-7 guard from Shenedehowa High School (Clifton Park, N.Y.), will fit right in as a stellar three-point sniper. Ruttle almost assuredly will step up and if VandenBovenkamp and Lennox are fully healthy and Wilkes steps up just a little, Canisius could make significant improvements in the coming season.

PREDICTION FOR 2012-13: Almost no place to go but up for a team that has every player back. This is a program that, as recently as 2008-09, looked like a serious challenger to Marist's long-time league superiority. That year the Griffs went 14-4 in league play and 24-9 overall. And, the Griffs are the MAAC's last team other than Marist to advance to the NCAA tournament (2005). But since the 24-9 mark of 2008-09, the Griffs have been 6-12 in league play for three consecutive seasons without winning more than 12 overall in any of those seasons. Still, there's enough returning talent to expect the team to finish in the upper half of the league standings, possibly as high as second or third.

MAAC Women Have Several On Nat'l Stat Lists

Here's a look at how MAAC women's players and teams finished among the national leaders, mentioning any that finished in the top 25.

Individually ...

- Canisius' sophomore guard Ashley Durham finished seventh nationally in free-throw percentage (89.1).

- Canisius' sophomore guard Jen Morabito finished 19th in 3-point field-goal percentage (38.5).

- Loyola's junior guard Katie  Sheahin finished ninth nationally in steals (3.4 per game).

- Iona's senior guard Suzi Fregosi finished 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.14).

Teams ...

- Canisius was 6th nationally in free-throw percentage (78.0.

- Fairfield was 5th nationally in scoring defense (52.0) 18th in fewest turnovers per game (13.9) and 14th in fewest fouls per game (13.5).

- Niagara was 16th nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage (35.7).

- Manhattan was 6th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (12.7), 14th in steals (12.1 per game), 19th in turnover margin (4.85 per game fewer than opponents) and 24th nationally in scoring defense (54.0).

- Marist was 9th nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (12.9), 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08), 17th in fewest turnovers per game (13.8), 20th in 3-pointers made per game (7.0), 23rd in field-goal defense percentage (35.1) and 24th in free-throw percentage (75.3).

Many Mentions for MAAC Men Among Stat Leaders

With college basketball season over, statistical totals are also final. And, the MAAC had several prominent mentions among national leaders.

Here are how MAAC men's players and teams finished statistically, with mentions to any that finished in the top 25 nationally.

Individually ....

- Iona's senior guard Scott Machado led the nation in assists at 9.9 per game. Machado was also one of just 30 players nationally to record a triple-double this season, and he also finished fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.03).

- Siena's junior forward O.D. Anosike led the nation in rebounds with 12.5 per game. He was also second nationally in double-doubles (23).

- Iona's senior forward Mike Glover was second nationally in field-goal percentage (63.7 percent).

- Manhattan's sophomore forward Rhamel Brown was 20th nationally in blocked shots (2.47 per game).

- Manhattan's junior swingman George Beamon was 24th nationally in scoring (19.0).

- Canisius' junior guard Alshwan Hymes was 22nd nationally in three-pointers made per game (2.8).

Teams ...

-Iona was No. 1 nationally in scoring offense (82.9 points per game), No. 1 nationally in assists (19.3), No. 2 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.54), No. 3 in field-goal percentage (50.2), No. 14 in turnover margin (3.5 fewer turnovers per game than opponents) and No. 21 in 3-point field-goal percentage (38.7).

- Fairfield was No. 23 nationally in steals per game (8.4).

- Manhattan was 22nd nationally in blocked shots (5.0).

- Niagara was 18th nationally in turnover margin (3.3 fewer per game than opponents).

- Siena was 3rd nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.9).

Baron, Transfers Could Mean Success at Canisius

April is here, college basketball season comes to an end after tonight's NCAA women's tournament's championship game, and that means one thing ..

A time to look back, and to look ahead. Today begins the annual team-by-team report on all 10 men's and women's MAAC programs. We'll start from the bottom of this season's men's standings and work upwards. After reviewing the men's program, we'll do the same for that school's women's program (regardless of where it finished this past season). So, after doing the Canisius men first, we'll follow up with the Canisius women's review in our next post.

So, let's begin. First up ...

CANISIUS MEN


2011-12 RECORD: 1-17 in MAAC play, 5-25 overall.

RECAP: A season of transition for the program in just about every way possible. After losing four starters to graduation after the 2010-11 season, the Golden Griffins knew they'd be down this past year. But, they didn't expect to be this far down. Blame a little bit on the injury to all-league caliber guard Gaby Belardo, who played through the season with significant back issues. He practiced fewer than 10 times all season, and was clearly far  below his best physically. Blame, too, an effort by coach Tom Parrotta to reload for next season by bringing in three quality transfers in 6-10 center Freddie Asprilla (Kansas State), 6-10 center Jordan Heath (Robert Weslyan) and 6-3 guard Isaac Sosa (Central Florida). All are expected to be significant contributors next year ... heck, all three might be in the starting lineup. But, that didn't help things this year as the Griffs got just one victory in MAAC play (a 67-57 victory over Marist). It wasn't anywhere near enough for Parrotta to keep his job. School officials fired him the morning after Canisius lost its first-round MAAC tournament game.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: A little. For instance, the emergence of junior college transfer Harold Washington (17.0 points per game), one of the most-talented backcourt performers in the league. Also, the development of Alshwyn Hymes as a premier long-range sniper (84 tree-pointers). Reserve guard Reggie Groves also bounced back well after knee woes. Freshman Josiah Heath, the 6-9 younger brother of Jordan, had flashes including back-to-back rebounding efforts of 18 and 15 in mid-season non-conference games. But, he only had one other double-figure rebounding effort other than those contests. And, 6-6 sophomore Chris Manhertz (7.0, 7.4) had a nice season as an undersized power forward while moving into the starting lineup after being a lightly used reserve as a frosh.

WHAT WENT WRONG: With the perimeter talent, Canisius should have had a better record. But, then, came the back woes of Belardo that probably cost the team a couple of wins. And, there just wasn't enough quality height. Teams just pounded the ball inside against the Griffs with great success. Canisius allowed 75.7 points per game, the worst by more than a point among conference teams and 323rd of 338 teams nationally. Other than watching Washintgon's individual achievements and Hymes' long-range accuracy, just about everything else went wrong. And, fans can justifiably question whether it was wrong to bring in three transfers, two of which (Sosa and Asprilla) only have one season of eligibility apiece, rather than traditional four-year players who could have used this past season to develop and create a better foundation for the program.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Canisius hire 58-year old Jim Baron, who was fired after 11 seasons at Rhode Island, to replace Parrotta. The good news here is that Baron has a lot to work with right away. Every player who saw significant minutes this past season returns, and the three talented transfers can all play next season. Parrotta did the shopping and, now, Baron gets to do the cooking. The result should be an on-court culinary delight, at least for a season. After that? Baron better get to recruiting right away because Belardo, Washington, Jordan Heath and Asprilla, arguably the program's best four players, will be gone after the 2012-13 season. The coming season could well be a one-hit wonder. Baron knows western New York, having played at St. Bonaventure and coaching there for nine seasons before taking over at Rhode Island. How much will Baron mean to Canisius? He is a know commodity, and will probably command the respect of his players which will be huge as he tries to fit all the pieces into a cohesive unit and salve egos. There are at least eight, if not nine, players here that could start for most MAAC teams and three or four of them might not be overjoyed about coming off the bench. As far as creating something here for the long term ... the jury is still out. Baron had four straight 20-win seasons before a 7-24 mark this past season, and one bad season was all Rhode Island needed to get rid of him despite two years remaining on his contract. Plus, he has only gone to the NCAA's twice in 25 years as a head coach.

PREDICTION FOR 2012-13: Things can't get any worse. In fact, they'll get much better. All Baron has to do is keep his players' egos in place and figure out how to find enough playing time for nine quality players, and where they all fit. Hard to tell, for sure, how things will go particularly since the three key transfers haven't been seen by most MAAC observers (including your scribe). But, if they are as good as advertised ... and Balardo's back improves ... Canisius has as much talent as any other MAAC team. The feeling here, though, is that it's difficult to incorporate so many new players into a team concept. Loyola and Manhattan will probably be the two teams expected to do the most next season, but Canisius won't be far behind contending for third, fourth or fifth in the conference. For sure, it will contend for the greatest positive turnaround of any program nationally.

Canisius Set to Name Baron As Its New Coach

The next men's basketball coach at Canisius College will be Jim Baron, who last month was fired after 11 seasons at Rhode Island.

There are a variety of interesting points to make about the Golden Griffins' decision to bring Baron aboard. So, in no  particular order:

- Baron, who turned 58 on March 20th, is believed to be the oldest individual ever hired as a MAAC coach. The closest ones your scribe can remember are Mitch Buonaguro (57 when Siena promoted him from assistant to head coach) and Jerry Welch (55 when Iona brought him in).

- The hiring probably means a greater emphasis on the men's basketball program at Canisius. No word on Baron's salary, but it is sure to be higher than what Tom Parrotta, who the school fired in early March, received. Also, there were reports that Baron, during contract negotiations, was seeking higher salaries for assistants within the program. Higher salaries, theoretically, help ensure Baron will be able to higher quality assistants and, possibly, keep them longer than he could otherwise.

Baron's reported salary at Rhode Island was a $350,000 base with attainable incentives that pushed his pay rate to close to $500,00 annually. He assuredly won't approach those numbers at Canisius.

- Baron walks into a relatively good situation. The program returns every significant player, and also has three transfers who will be eligible next year, and all three (6-foot-10 center Freddie Asprilla of Kansas State; 6-10 center Jordan Heath of Robert Weslyan and guard Isaac Sosa of Central Florida) are likely starters next season). It's not hard to envision a top-five finish within the conference for the Griffs next season.

- Baron should have western New York connections, although he's been at Rhode Island for the past 11 seasons. Prior to that he coached nine years at Saint Bonaventure, and five years before that at St. Francis (Pa.), He also graduated from St. Bona's.

- Baron's record isn't sterling, although he did have some success most notably at Rhode Island. In his 25 previous years as a head coach he has taken two teams to the NCAA tournament: St. Francis in 1991 and St. Bona's in 2000. He failed to secure an NCAA berth for Rhode Island in 11 seasons.

He had a record of 74-71 at St. Francis, of 132-131 at St. Bona's and 184-166 at Rhode Island. But, he did win at least 20 games in four consecutive seasons with the Rams, a streak that ended this past year when Rhode Island finished 7-24. He was also the only Rhode Island coach in the program's history to have three 20-loss seasons. Baron had two years remaining on his contract when Rhode Island opted to go in a different directions and replace him with former Wagner coach Danny Hurley.

Baron, according to Canisius officials, will receive a five-year contract and will be introduced at an afternoon press conference tomorrow (Tuesday).