- (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: How's this for a vote of confidence -- Enough pollsters thought enough of the Siena Saints to send 13 votes their way when the first AP rankings came out at the beginning of November. Really, that's all one needs to know in order to give the Saints the respect they're due, especially within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Saints have Kenny Hasbrouck who has been projected as the league's top performer this year, but one player does not a successful team make. Giving Siena a run for the top spot in the MAAC will be the Fairfield Stags and the Rider Broncs, the latter will have to recover from the loss of the league's player of the year in Jason Thompson. Similarly, a team like Niagara will also have to fill a gaping hole left by the second-best scorer in the nation (Charron Fisher), but that's not to say that the Purple Eagles can't figure out a way to tie together all the loose ends and make it work in 2008-09. In the case of Canisius and Marist, those programs will have to work on their defense and offense, respectively, while Manhattan and Loyola linger somewhere in the middle in terms of success and failure on a conference scale. Tested early by the rest of the MAAC and by top-flight non-conference competition, the Gaels could lose confidence in themselves right out of the gate, while one wonders just how confident a group like Saint Peter's actually is with so much youth. CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Siena

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Siena; 2. Fairfield; 3. Rider; 4. Niagara; 5. Loyola-Maryland; 6. Manhattan; 7. Canisius; 8. Marist; 9. Iona; 10. Saint Peter's

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

SIENA: Despite having only three seniors on the roster, the Saints have to be pleased with the fact that they have perhaps the top performer in all of the MAAC in guard Kenny Hasbrouck. The MAAC Tournament MVP from a season ago, Hasbrouck was second on the team and sixth in the conference in scoring in 2007-08 with his 16.1 ppg and became the third-fastest Siena player to score 1,000 career points since the team moved to Division I. The Preseason MAAC Player of the Year heading into this his final campaign, Hasbrouck will not be expected to lead Siena all by himself, especially while junior guard/forward Edwin Ubiles and junior forward Alex Franklin are around. Head coach Fran McCaffery is probably like everyone else who believes that Ubiles may well be the top athlete in the conference. A member of the all-tournament team and a First Team All-MAAC pick both at the beginning and end of the season, Ubiles led the program with his 17 ppg and was fourth in the league as well. Just as important, the New York native cleared almost four and a half rebounds per outing and was ready with nearly two assists per game as well. A Second Team All-MAAC selection himself, Franklin grew immensely following his freshman campaign, hitting for 15.1 points and collecting 7.8 rebounds per game to give the Saints a huge presence on the inside. Keeping it all together for the Saints is Ronald Moore who has managed to hand out 338 assists in his first two years with the team and is not afraid to work his way to the glass where he's averaging just under four rebounds per game in 66 career contests.

FAIRFIELD: Last year, the Stags had just one player who managed to place on the league's top-20 scoring list as Jonathan Han checked in at No. 18 with his 11.7 ppg. Then again, Fairfield wasn't much of a scoring program as it finished eighth in the league with only 65.7 ppg. For head coach Ed Cooley, now entering his third campaign with the team, the focus will again be on defense as the Stags try to slow down the pace. A year ago, Fairfield was second in the conference in scoring defense with a mark of 68.9 ppg allowed, just a tenth of a point behind Marist. With that in mind, Han will again be a crucial element of the team's success after leading the group, not only with 186 assists over 30 starts, but also with 50 steals. Junior forward Anthony Johnson ended up second in the team in scoring with his 9.6 ppg, despite shooting only 53.3 percent at the free-throw line, but he too excelled at the defensive end of the floor where he logged a team-best 41 blocked shots and averaged better than four rebounds per outing. Overall, Johnson was good for close to seven and a half rebounds per game. Junior forward Greg Nero is also a contributor on the boards with his 4.6 rebounds per game a season ago, but with some experience coming back in 2008-09 the Stags should be able to place higher than last in the conference as they did in 2007-08 with just 32.9 rpg. The perimeter defense for the group will also have to pick up after it finished ninth in the conference by allowing opponents to shoot 38.2 percent from three-point range.

RIDER: Head coach Tommy Dempsey, who won the 2008 MAAC Coach of the Year Award, knows full well that this is not the same Rider squad that won the league's regular season title and posted a program-best 23 wins. He admits that losing an NBA Draft Lottery talent as he did in All-American Jason Thompson creates a huge hole in the roster that won't easily be filled, yet the coach still has four of his starters back from a year ago which has to be comforting. First up on that list is Thompson's brother Ryan who was a Second Team All-MAAC performer for the group in 2007-08. Ryan shot better than 53 percent from the field last year, placing him third in the conference as he helped the Broncs come in 13th in the nation overall with a mark of 48.5 percent. While the Thompson brothers worked the inside for Rider, the trio of Harris Mansell, Lamar Johnson and Patrick Mansell handled the shooting duties out on the perimeter. Between Johnson and Harris Mansell there are more than 300 three-point field goals in their combined careers and last season the team as a whole was not only one of the best in the MAAC, they placed 11th in the nation among 328 teams with 39.8 percent accuracy. Knowing that those sharpshooters are always hanging around and waiting for their moment has to be a comforting feeling for coach Dempsey. But as strong as this team was a year ago, there's still a concern with the squad's ability to hit clutch free throws. Rider shot a mere 64.3 percent at the stripe, which means the team was not only the worst in the Metro Atlantic, it was 297th in the country.

NIAGARA: In Charron Fisher the Purple Eagles had the nation's second-best scorer a year ago at 27.6 ppg, yet because Fisher was unleashed so much the squad as a whole suffered with just 40.5 percent shooting from the field. That lack of accuracy carried the team to ninth in the conference and 299th in the nation, so this season the expectations are for that number to rise. Back again for another season with Niagara and head coach Joe Mihalich are Tyrone Lewis and Benson Egemonye who were the second and fourth scoring options, respectively, for the Eagles in 2007-08. A junior guard standing just under six feet Lewis, who was an All-MAAC Second Team performer, started all 29 games for the unit a year ago as he averaged 16.1 ppg and was one of the best rebounding guards in the conference with better than four boards per game. A transfer from Northeastern, Egemonye gives Niagara a strong presence in the paint with his 6-10 frame, which is why he ended up shooting an impressive 62.6 percent from the field to lead the program. In addition to his 9.0 ppg, Egemonye also paced the team with his 43 blocked shots and was second in rebounding with better than six and a half boards per outing. Although he was just a freshman last year, guard Anthony Nelson contributed heavily by way of the pass with his 5.1 dishes per game and already has plenty of starting experience under his belt and will only get better as the season wears on.

LOYOLA-MARYLAND: Head coach Jimmy Patsos has taken quite a ride on the Loyola roller coaster since taking over for Scott Hicks who watched the program pick up just a single win in 28 tries during the 2003-04 campaign. Patsos has brought the group along from a mere six wins in 2004-05 to winning records the last three years and back-to-back seasons of 18-13, winning an impressive 11 of 13 home games last year. Although Loyola no longer has Gerald Brown to lean on, both Marquis Sullivan and Brian Rudolph are back and are gearing up for what observers think should be all-conference performances. Sullivan was second on the team in scoring a year ago with his 12.4 ppg, despite coming off the bench in all but nine contests, thanks in large part to his 43.2 percent accuracy behind the three-point line. Even though the team shot just 36.9 percent out on the perimeter, guys like Sullivan made sure the group continued to let the long-distance shots fly, to the tune of 8.1 makes per game to rank first in the MAAC. An 85 percent shooter at the free-throw line, Sullivan also helped lead the group to seventh in the nation with 77.4 percent accuracy at the charity stripe. Although he was just a freshman, Rudolph came in and immediately contributed for the Greyhounds last season with his 7.1 ppg and a team-best 134 assists over 31 appearances, so the numbers should only get better this time around. Playing a bit too physical at times was something the Greyhounds had a tough time curbing, but in order to move forward this season the team has to cut down on the fouls, ranking second-to-last in the conference and 307th in the country with more than 21 per game in 2007-08.

MANHATTAN: For a number of years the Jaspers were the cream of the MAAC crop, but the cycle of success now has the program on a down turn and it is up to head coach Barry Rohrssen to bail the squad out before it gets any worse. Now entering his third season with Manhattan, Rohrssen's job is getting even tougher as he tries to motivate the kids to produce a winning streak longer than last year's three-game run in February. The unit maintains just two seniors in Devon Austin and Herve Banogle, the latter having appeared in just 17 games a year ago and averaging an insignificant 0.8 ppg. However, in the case of Austin he was second on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg and was one of the better rebounders with just over four boards per game. Now a junior, guard Antoine Pearson will again be the focal point of the offense for the Jaspers after they averaged just 69.3 ppg to rank 159th in the nation. Playing close to 30 minutes per game, Pearson produced 12.2 ppg and was also first with his 70 assists, all while making more free-throws (109-of-146) than any of his teammates had even attempted. Just as important, Pearson shot 41.1 percent from three-point range. One of the goals for Manhattan this season has to be playing better defense because a year ago the squad was weak when it came to stopping opponents shooting from the floor. Overall, Manhattan foes knocked down 47.5 percent from the floor, which meant the Jaspers had the 309th ranked defense in the nation.

CANISIUS: First and foremost, this Golden Griffins needs to find an offensive spark and tighten things at the defensive end, all at the same time. Canisius finished 2007-08 ranked last in the MAAC in scoring (62.0 ppg) and was worst in the conference in clamping down on opponents, giving up 73.2 ppg. With a scoring margin of minus-11.2 ppg, there were only a handful of teams at the Division I level that had a harder time staying close to the competition than the Golden Griffs. Head coach Tom Parrotta knows the road to success will not be an easy one and will be expecting junior guard Frank Turner to shoulder much of a responsibility. An All-MAAC Third Team choice in the preseason, Turner scored in double figures in a team-best 22 games a season ago, finishing with 12.9 ppg to rank 12th in the conference. But more than just a scorer, Turner also made sure that his teammates were involved as much as possible as he handed out 3.8 assists per game to rank fourth in the MAAC. The only player to score in double figures a season ago, Turner shot just 25.7 percent from three-point range and 64.2 percent at the free-throw line, squandering a number of opportunities throughout the campaign. As a unit, Canisius shot a mere 39.8 percent from the floor, which ended up placing the team 314th in the country. Although just a sophomore this season, Greg Logins will have to grow up a little faster than expected after he placed second on the team with his 8.0 ppg and was first on the glass with five and a half rebounds per outing. Logins did well to knock down 23-of-56 (.411) of his three-point attempts, but he needs to stay in the paint more in order to give the opposition something to battle against.

MARIST: Chuck Martin's guard-heavy roster, filled with young and inexperienced faces, is going to make him grow old before his time. Coach Martin lost both of his double-digit scorers from a year ago and is counting on preseason All- MAAC Third Team pick David Devezin to be a leader for the group. A transfer from San Jacinto Community College, Devezin started all but one game for the Red Foxes a season ago, was first on the team with 139 assists and third in scoring with 9.7 ppg. However, even though Devezin shot a respectable 47 percent from the field as he played nearly 1,100 minutes over the course of 32 outings, he knocked down only 25.4 percent behind the three-point line and was a dismal 58.8 percent at the charity stripe. Then again, the team as a whole was one of the worst in all of college basketball at the free-throw line with a mere 64.7 percent (294th nationally) conversion rate. Except for Dejuan Goodwin who appeared in 32 games and started 14 of those, no one else on the current roster has a single start for Marist to his credit. Goodwin (4.4 ppg) had a few moments in 2007-08, but in shooting better from three-point range (42.2 percent) than the field overall (37.5 percent) defenders didn't always have to take him seriously. A transfer from Vermont, Ryan Schneider (4.9 ppg) could be a crucial piece to the puzzle this season after playing sparingly in his first full campaign with the Red Foxes last year. Schneider's two seasons with the Catamounts saw him post 10 double-doubles, so coach Martin is well aware of his potential.

IONA: Gary Springer apparently has played well enough for the Gaels during his career to warrant being named to the preseason All-MAAC Second Team, yet there has to be some skepticism as to whether or not he'll be able to weather the entire season. Springer, who missed all of the 2006-07 campaign with an injury, went down right out of the box in the 2007-08 season opener versus Robert Morris and ended up sitting on the sidelines for seven games following his high-ankle sprain. Now in his second season with Iona, head coach Kevin Willard had better strap himself in for a bumpy ride in 2008-09 because the competition for the Gaels is going to be fierce. The second-tallest player on the roster behind Jonathan Huffman, who followed Willard from Louisville, Springer ended up second on the unit in scoring a season ago with his 10.9 ppg and was a dominating force on the glass with better than seven and a half rebounds per outing. However, in addition to having a mere 15 assists over the course of more than 500 minutes of playing time, Springer suffered like everyone else on the squad with turnover issues, the program ranking 308th in the nation with 17.5 miscues per outing. As the only other senior on the team, aside from Springer, Devon Clarke has the potential to be a strong player for the group after he placed third on the team with his 10.0 ppg, especially considering he shot an outstanding 60 percent from the field and was solid at the free-throw line at 79.2 percent.

SAINT PETER'S: Chock full of basketball products grown in the Garden State, the Saint Peter's Peacocks will at least have an interest on a local level when they take the floor for coach John Dunne this season. The fact that this team is willing to follow a youngster like Wesley Jenkins tells you that the Peacocks are in full rebuilding mode. Jenkins, who was a member of the MAAC All-Rookie Team a season ago when he led the program with 13.0 ppg and managed to shoot better than 41 percent behind the three-point line, was named to the preseason All-MAAC Third Team heading into 2008-09. Needing something, or someone, to celebrate after such a depressing 2007-08 season when they finished a mere 6-24 and only 3-15 in conference play, not to mention 1-14 on the road, the Peacocks had three players who finished with double-digit scoring averages and Darrell Lampley was one of them. Just a freshman, Lampley (10.1 ppg) did much of his damage behind the three-point line where he connected on 40 attempts, yet still finished at a mere 29.4 percent nonetheless. Losing Todd Sowell (12.7 ppg), one of the nation's leading rebounders with 10.4 boards per game, is going to force the Peacocks to find new alternatives on the glass. However, height and experience are two of the commodities lacking at Saint Peter's which means someone like junior forward Akeem Gooding will have to use his 6-4 frame to help out in the paint and try to recover more than the 4.8 rpg he collected a season ago.





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