They won’t be challenging Marist for the top of the league this year, though; in fact there are few that stand a good chance of unseating the reigning champion.
One that might stand a chance is Fairfield, one of the three programs with a new coach. It’s a tall task but the Stags may make a good run at the Red Foxes.
1. Marist (29-6, 17-1): Even though the Red Foxes were without the 2005-06 MAAC Player of the Year Fifi Camera, they never missed a beat. Coach Brian Giorgis simply plugged super freshman Rachele Fitz into Camera’s role and Marist steamrolled its way through the league, losing only one game. After winning the MAAC Tournament Championship and earning the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, Marist proceeded to stun the women’s basketball world by upsetting Ohio State and Middle Tennessee State to advance to the Sweet 16, where it lost to eventual champion Tennessee.
The Red Foxes have lost only one key player to graduation, point guard Alice Kresge, but Kresge was a big part of Marist’s success. While she didn’t score a lot a lot, she took awfully good care of the ball, turning it over only 69 times all season while amassing 190 assists (2.8 assist to turnover ratio, if you’re not motivated enough to do the math). Replacing Kresge may not be impossible, though. Senior Nikki Flores is expected to step into the point guard spot, backed up by freshman Elise Caron, the Canadian High School Player of the Year. If Marist has any weakness, it may be that it is thin on experienced players in the frontcourt. If either Fitz or senior center Meg Dahlmann is unable to play, Marist could have problems. In the meantime, the Red Foxes are the defending champions and will remain so until someone in the MAAC figures out how to knock them off.
2. Fairfield (15-15, 11-7): Dianne Nolan, the Stags’ head coach for 28 years, stepped down after the end of the 2006-07 season. After an intensive search, Fairfield hired Joe Frager, who had coached Southern Connecticut State to the Division II national championship last season. Frager did an exceptional job rebuilding a women’s program that had fallen into disarray back into a national power. So far, it seems Frager has reenergized the Stags, who’ve started their 2007-08 season 6-1 – and only one of the games has been played at home.
It helps that virtually everyone is back from last year’s squad. Senior guard Sabra Wrice and junior forward Baendu Lowenthanal, both all-MAAC honorees, were the leading scorers and they’ll be expected to lead the team, at least initially. Frager wants the upperclassmen to establish themselves early in the season before integrating the younger players into his system. He also wants the team to dedicate itself to playing a consistently tough defense, something the Stags failed to do last season. So far, Fairfield’s opponents are making only 37.2% of their shots, much improved from the 41.2% it allowed in 2006-07. It seems that Frager has a clear idea of what he wants to accomplish and how he wants to achieve his goals. If history is any indication, Frager will have the Stags contending for the top of the league in short order.
3. Siena (10-20, 8-10): There is good talent on this team; especially the consistently excellent forward Laura Menty. She is one of three seniors expected to lead the Saints, the other two being point guard Melissa Manzer and shooting guard Liga Alpe-Luka. A host of talented juniors also return, especially Shondaya Burrell, the second leading scorer. However, two key players expected to have an impact are injured. Junior forward Heather Stec, the team’s leading rebounder, broke her foot in the preseason but will return in December, while forward Sarah Parnell has a knee injury and the date of her return is unknown.
So far, the loss of the two players is having an effect, causing Siena to start out its season 3-4. The defense, which had improved somewhat last season, has become rather porous again, allowing opponents to make 41.5% of their shots. If Stec returns soon and gets in game shape quickly, and the Saints are able to tighten up on defense, Siena has a chance of at least maintaining its spot in the MAAC.
4. Loyola (18-12, 12-6): There are some big shoes to fill for the Greyhounds. Loyola has lost 51% of its scoring and 32% of its rebounding with the graduation of four seniors, most notably Jill Glessner and Brittany Dunn. It was hoped that fifth year senior Meghan Wood could step in for Glessner and while she’s done a good job distributing the ball, Wood doesn’t pack the same scoring punch as Glessner. Sophomore Erica DiCemente, though, has improved her game to the point where she’s become a reliable starter for Loyola in the backcourt.
Much is expected of senior center Vika Sholokhova. She has lived up to those expectations so far, especially in regards to rebounding. Sholokhova and DiClemente could use some help with the scoring burden and there may be some hope from one of the team’s freshmen. Candice Walker has been a spark for the Greyhounds, not only in scoring but also by averaging 2.5 apg and leading the team in steals. There are some talented freshmen for Loyola who are having an impact early in the season. The team isn’t quite ready for the MAAC season yet but should be much more seasoned when in-conference play starts in earnest.
5. St. Peter’s (12-18, 7-11): Anyone who started watching MAAC women’s basketball in the last few years might be surprised to know that St. Peter’s had been a perennial power in the conference in the past. The Peahens won the league as recently as 2002 with a record of 25-6. Since then, though, they have struggled to finish above .500 in the win-loss column. Last year, a combination of poor defense combined with an inefficient offense doomed St. Peter’s to finish in the bottom third of the league.
This year, the team has been reenergized by the play of Charlene Riddick, a freshman forward who is playing with an energy and aggressiveness that’s been missing from the team, which returns all but one starter from last year. There is good senior leadership, especially from point guard Johnell Burts, who led the league with an average 5.8 apg last year. The defense has improved markedly from last season and is, in fact, currently tied for second place in the MAAC. Things are looking up from previous seasons and St. Peter’s may very well begin its move back towards the top of the league.
6. Manhattan (11-20, 7-11): The 2006-07 season had started out with so much promise for the Jaspers, but the preseason expectations were never realized. Previously known as one of the top defensive teams in the MAAC, Manhattan dropped to ninth out of ten teams in field goal percentage defense. It didn’t help that the Jaspers were also last in scoring offense. The major reason the offense sputtered is because the starting point guard, Joann Nwafili, played only eight games last year due to an injury. Nwafili was not only the point guard, but she led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals as well.
This season Nwafili has some rust on her game but she has been able to add some much needed scoring to the offense. A trio of seniors has also elevated their games to average double figures, which will help Manhattan offensively. There is more work to be done, though. The defense is still allowing opponents to shoot too high a percentage and the rebounding has been poor. But even with those weaknesses, Manhattan has only lost two games early in the season by a total five points and both on the road to Big East teams. If Nwafili can shake off the rust, she and the other three seniors should be able to help the Jaspers see an improvement over last year’s eighth place finish.
7. Iona (21-13, 13-5): Last year, Iona enjoyed its best season ever in the MAAC, winning 21 games and earning a spot in the postseason WNIT. A lot of that was due to the efforts of the MAAC Player of the Year, Martina Weber. Weber is one of three key players who have graduated (and landed on the New York Liberty roster for a while), another being point guard Toni Horvath. The loss of these players will be difficult to overcome but not impossible as there are still a lot of upperclassmen for the Gaels.
Two of them are senior guard Tiara Headen and Lauren DeFalco, who are expected to lead the team this season. They are two of 11 guards for Iona. Headen is the leading returning scorer but it’s DeFalco who’s leading the team in scoring early on. There must be some concerns with the frontcourt, though. There are only four post players on the roster and two of them are freshmen and one saw limited playing time last season. The lack of experience in the post could be an Achilles’ heel for Iona, which may also have difficulty rebounding the ball. This season, in short, the Gaels will come back to the pack.
8. Canisius (16-14, 8-10): Only three seasons ago, Canisius won the MAAC championship. After last year’s 8-10 record and sixth place finish, the Golden Griffins are hungry to reach the top of the league again, but that is probably asking too much this year. Four players have graduated, three of them were starters and the fourth was a key contributor off the bench. The injury bug has also bitten the Griffs for the second consecutive season. Tasia Lee and Tauralee Tenn, both wings, are out indefinitely with injuries. Forward Ellie Radke sat out last season and seems to suffering lingering effects from her injury. Those injuries leave Canisius very thin in the post.
The two returning starters are senior shooting guard Amanda Cavo and sophomore point guard Brittane Russell. Russell had a terrific freshman year and, so far, has been just as good this season. Senior center Laura Beutow will be expected to anchor the frontcourt. All are capable players but this team needs a scorer. Canisius is averaging only 58.2 ppg so far this season and in one game, against Wright State, managed only 40. Unless Canisius can get its offensive woes corrected, it won’t be able to improve on last year’s finish.
9. Rider (2-28, 1-17): Shortly after the end of last season, former Rider player Lynn Milligan was hired to take over for coach Tori Harrison, who had compiled a 14-73 record in her three years with the Broncs. The change seems to have worked, as Rider already has three wins, more than it earned in the entire 2006-07 season. Currently 3-4, the Broncs’ losses are all by eight points or fewer, an improvement over the blowouts suffered last year. One reason for the improvement is that the defense has tightened up. It was absolutely dreadful last year with opponents being allowed to make 46.7% of their shots. While still not stellar, the defense is no longer so porous.
The team lost two starters to graduation, but the top scorers have returned. Senior guard Janele Henderson and junior guard Shaunice Parker continue to carry the scoring load but this year they’re joined by sophomore transfer Tammy Meyers, who adds another dimension to the offense. Parker, especially, has upped her game and now leads her team in rebounding with 10.3 rpg. This has helped Rider erase the –8.4 rebound margin from last year. Will all of this be enough to drag the Broncs out of the basement? There does seem to be a new energy this season, enough to make a move out of mediocrity and perhaps enough to move towards the middle of the pack.
10. Niagara (14-16, 6-12): Only four months after accepting a contract extension from Niagara, coach Bill Agronin stepped down, citing family issues as the reason. On Aug. 28, former Canisius assistant Kendra Faustin was named head coach. Faustin assembled her new coaching staff less than a month later, only weeks before the start of practice.
Faustin takes over a team that has lost its top two scorers, Shaunna Ambrose (17.4 ppg) and Chantelle Wilson (9.2 ppg). So far, the Purple Eagles haven’t been a very good shooting team, making only 37.8% of their shots. Niagara seems to be playing hard and is rebounding better than last season, but it just can’t close out games. It may be a new offensive scheme that’s throwing off the players but it seems that Niagara may be headed to another year near the bottom of the MAAC.