Iona's A.J. English Chosen as Unanimous MAAC Preseason Player of the Year
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – Iona College senior guard A.J. English has been named the unanimous 2015-16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year and headlines the Preseason All-MAAC First Team, as selected by the leagues 11 head coaches.
English, a unanimous selection to the preseason first team, has guided the Iona Gaels to two consecutive regular season league crowns and back-to-back appearances in the MAAC Championship title game. The 6-4 Wilmington, Delaware native finished the year ranked second in scoring after averaging 20.1 points per game and finished tied for first in assists with his 5.1 average. The only returning member of both the 2014 and 2015 All-MAAC First teams, English led the conference with 106 made three-pointers and three-point field goals per game with his 3.1 average in 2014-15. He enters 2016 as the MAAC returning leader in minutes played and registered a 1.3 assists to turnover ratio last year, which was sixth best in the conference.
English is joined on the preseason first team by Fairfield University’s Marcus Gilbert, Iona teammate Schadrac Casimir, Monmouth University’s Justin Robinson, and Rider University’s Teddy Okereafor.
Fairfield’s 6-6 forward, Marcus Gilbert, was a member of the All-MAAC Third team in 2014-15 and claims a spot on the preseason first team. Gilbert averaged 16.4 points per game last season, good for fifth in the MAAC, and 5.6 rebounds per contest, 15th best in the league. Hailing from Smyrna, Delaware, he made the sixth most three point field goals last season with 56 and shot 77.7 percent from the free throw line, which also ranked in the top 10 of the conference. Gilbert also added 4.0 defensive rebounds in 2014-15 and was a member of the 2012-13 MAAC All-Rookie team.
Iona sophomore, Schadrac Casimir, joins teammate A.J. English on the first team after being named the unanimous 2015 MAAC Rookie of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAAC Second team. A 5-10 guard from Stamford, Connecticut, Casimir scored 14.5 points per outing which ranked sixth in the MAAC. He led the conference in free-throw percentage, making 89.5 percent of his attempts at the charity stripe and ranked second in both three-pointers made with 94 and three-point percentage, at 42.3 percent. Casimir was also named a 2015 freshman All-American for the Gaels.
2014-15 All-MAAC First team member, Justin Robinson earns a spot on the preseason first team for Monmouth University. Robinson, a 5-8 native of Lake Katrine New York, tallied 13.4 points per game, 12th in the MAAC and 3.6 assists per game, fourth in the MAAC. The junior guard accounted for 1.7 steals per contest which ranked fifth in the league and recorded a 1.9 assists to turnover ratio, which was fourth best in the MAAC. Robinson also ranked in the top 10 of the conference in both free-throw percentage (79.3) and three-point percentage (36.9).
Rider University’s Teddy Okereafor is the final member of the All-MAAC preseason first team. The 2014-15 All-MAAC Second team member logged 11.2 points per game and added 4.0 assists per game which was third best in the MAAC. Hailing from London, England, the 6-4 senior guard, finished last season with 1.8 steals per game, fourth in the MAAC, a 1.6 assists to turnover ratio, fifth in the conference, and pulled in 3.8 defensive rebounds per game, 15th in the league. Okereafor also played the eighth most minutes in the conference last year, logging 34.0 minutes per outing.
The preseason second team features Iona College’s senior Isaiah Williams, Manhattan College’s senior Shane Richards, Marist College’s junior Khallid Hart, Monmouth University’s senior Deon Jones, and Siena College’s junior Marquis Wright.
Members of the preseason third team include junior Phil Valenti of Canisius College, senior RaShawn Stores from Manhattan College, redshirt-junior Emile Blackman of Niagara University, sophomore Jimmie Taylor from Rider University, and redshirt-junior Brett Bisping of Siena College.
2015-2016 Preseason All-MAAC Teams
First Team
Marcus Gilbert, Fairfield, Sr., F, 6-6, Smyrna, DE
Schadrac Casimir, Iona, So., G, 5-10, Stamford, CT
A.J. English, Iona, Sr., G, 6-4, Wilmington, DE*
Justin Robinson, Monmouth, Jr., G, 5-8, Lake Katrine, NY
Teddy Okereafor, Rider, Sr., G, 6-4, London, England
Second Team
Isaiah Williams, Iona, Sr., G, 6-7, Newark, NJ
Shane Richards, Manhattan, Sr., G, 6-5, New York, NY
Khallid Hart, Marist, Jr., G, 6-2 Newark, DE
Deon Jones, Monmouth, Sr., G, 6-6, Wilmington, DE
Marquis Wright, Siena, Jr., G, 6-0, Waldorf, MD
Third Team
Phil Valenti, Canisius, Jr., F, 6-7, Victor, NY
RaShawn Stores, Manhattan, Sr., G, 5-10, Bronx, NY
Emile Blackman, Niagara, R-Jr., G, 6-4, Dix Hills, NY
Jimmie Taylor, Rider, Jr., G, 6-3, Branford, FL
Brett Bisping, Siena, R-Jr., F, 6-8, Peoria, IL
Preseason Player of the Year
A.J. English, Iona
*Denotes unanimous selection