MAAC 2021

[gymman1031]

With almost their whole team back, I don't know if there will be a close second to Marist in 2021. Could this be their most talented team in program history?

[shaadb-man]

The MAAC was having a terrible season with 3 winless teams and a quarter of the conferences 12 total wins coming against NJIT. Even though there is often parody and upsets in this conference I think Marist is head and shoulders above the rest with their only competition being maybe Detroit. Not knowing who is and isn't coming back and what 5th years may be picked up I would assume the same for next year. Marist beating Army the way they did makes me think no one else has a shot, but being manhandled by Bucknell leaves some pause for a possible upset.

I know this has always been one of the lower profile conferences, but what happened to it? I'm scared the majority of this conference comes out of this even worse off as well.

[flyerfan17]

With almost their whole team back, I don't know if there will be a close second to Marist in 2021. Could this be their most talented team in program history?

Think you are jumping the gun a little here. The 2015 team was the best team Marist has had in the past 10 years if not ever and the 2021 team needs to actually win something before they can even be considered. As far as talent is concerned, I don't see them being as good as the 2015 14-4 team. Those 2015 Seniors were contributing Freshmen when the Foxes arguably should have beat Duke and just got better from there

[gymman1031]

With almost their whole team back, I don't know if there will be a close second to Marist in 2021. Could this be their most talented team in program history?

Think you are jumping the gun a little here. The 2015 team was the best team Marist has had in the past 10 years if not ever and the 2021 team needs to actually win something before they can even be considered. As far as talent is concerned, I don't see them being as good as the 2015 14-4 team. Those 2015 Seniors were contributing Freshmen when the Foxes arguably should have beat Duke and just got better from there

We will see. I do think the extra hunger after not being able to complete this season could be a big factor in making 2021 very special for the Red Foxes.

[bauer4429]

The MAAC does seem to be one if the weaker leagues. Marist certainly seemed to shine so if the others plan on returning their current teams it should be a repeat next season. I don’t see Monmouth getting it back. The program basically won the MAAC by keeping a strong core group together for 4 years to win in 2017. Now their lucky if they can scrape together 5 or 6 seniors a year. Not a good sign for any program.

[shaadb-man]

What has happened to Monmouth? Showed great improvement up until the break through '17 season and then have seemed to decline just as fast. I feel like a school like this with campus, location, and facilities showed be at or near the top of the MAAC every year.

[redfoxalum]

What has happened to Monmouth? Showed great improvement up until the break through '17 season and then have seemed to decline just as fast. I feel like a school like this with campus, location, and facilities showed be at or near the top of the MAAC every year.

A few things I think. The seniors on the '17 team were the first class in program history. In their senior year, they had multiyear starters throughout the lineup. That much upperclassmen veteran experience has proven to be important and a unique benefit of startup programs in their 3rd-5th seasons. Marquette is a similar example, their first 2 classes won conference championships as seniors in '16 and '17 and the program tapered off from there with losing seasons in '18 and '19. Additionally, I think Monmouth has been hurt by the introduction of the shot clock, especially on offense. Monmouth was always patient on both ends and lacked dodging threats outside of Wasserman and maybe Keen. They've only reached double digit goals in 3 games since the shot clock came into play. Monmouth's assistant wrote an article in opposition of the shot clock a few years back.
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... -quo/50755

I do think though that Monmouth will get back to being a perennial conference tournament participant as long as Fisher is there. Coaching staffs in the MAAC are better than ever, but Fisher & Co rank near the top. They are situated amongst a lot of high school talent in NJ and PA. And this may be wrong, but I've heard that Monmouth and St. Bonaventure are the only fully funded programs in the MAAC.

As for 2021, it's very hard to prognosticate anything right now with seniors still making decisions on a 5th year and roughly half of the rosters entering the season having never played a conference game.

[bauer4429]

“Fisher & co rank near the top”???

[redfoxalum]

“Fisher & co rank near the top”???

4 MAAC tournament appearances, including a championship, in the first 5 seasons of the program after a successful stint as an assistant at Notre Dame. Yes, 2019 was a major disappointment, Marist had a similarly terrible 2018. Certainly more accomplished that the Detroit Mercy or Manhattan staffs that have been around a little while. The Quinnipiac and Siena staffs have little track record having only been in place for 1+ seasons. QU staff made the final in year 1 but inherited a talented senior laden team after Fekete had to be let go and made a lot of tactical mistakes in that final. That's half the conference already before you even debate any others. So yes, near the top as of now.

[gymman1031]

Speaking of Marist, would you say Siena is probably their biggest rival in sports?

[gymman1031]

Speaking of Marist, would you say Siena is probably their biggest rival in sports?

[SCLaxAttack]

Speaking of Marist, would you say Siena is probably their biggest rival in sports?

This response will probably bore most people, but here goes.....

This is coming from the perspective of a Siena alum who happened to play in the first Siena-Marist lacrosse game - a 14-7 Siena win played at Marist in 1977. Personal plug - I had three goals and an assist that day. :-)

From a men’s lacrosse perspective you might say the Siena/Marist matchup should be the rivalry game. Siena has played Marist more than any other school since establishing its program in 1964, and has a slight 21-19 edge in wins over that time. But Siena hasn’t won against Marist since 2014, so unless Gleason can re-establish the program I fear Siena and Marist will continue to head in opposite directions.

From an all sports perspective, I can’t imagine any Marist alum, fan, or student would think of Siena as their primary sports rival. Siena just doesn’t have a focus across all sports. Siena lives and breathes basketball. Marist on the other hand, while sucking in basketball (I happily say that), has a very good record across all sports. While Siena has never finished higher than fourth (five times) in the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup standings Marist has never finished less than fourth.

Until 2013 the top MAAC athletics programs across all sports, as seen in Commissioner’s Cup standings, had been Marist, Fairfield, and to a slightly lesser extent Iona. Monmouth joined the MAAC in 2013 and quickly supplanted everyone. Monmouth has won the Cup every academic year since joining the MAAC, with Marist finishing second every year but one when it finished fourth. (The only time they ever finished that low.) With this in mind I would suspect Monmouth and Marist consider each other to be their current greatest rivals.

FWIW, Siena basketball considers Iona and Manhattan as their greatest rivals. Damn, we hate those programs! Lol.

[bauer4429]

Monmouth was horrible in 2019 and def looked to be repeating that this season. I am guessing next year will be more of the same. If the MAAC is anything like other leagues coaching changes could be in the works after 2021.

[gymman1031]

No one will ever know. But an Inside Lacrosse employee publicly said that the thinks Tuesday's Play-In game would have been a Richmond-Marist rematch on the same field, with Marist getting revenge with an 8-7 victory. I totally could see that having happened.

[rocketking]

Until 2013 the top MAAC athletics programs across all sports, as seen in Commissioner’s Cup standings, had been Marist, Fairfield, and to a slightly lesser extent Iona. Monmouth joined the MAAC in 2013 and quickly supplanted everyone. Monmouth has won the Cup every academic year since joining the MAAC, with Marist finishing second every year but one when it finished fourth. (The only time they ever finished that low.) With this in mind I would suspect Monmouth and Marist consider each other to be their current greatest rivals.

The MAAC Commissioner’s Cup might be one of the low-key
strangest trophies in college sports when you consider that almost every school has a prominent sport (successful and/or one they spend a lot of money on) that’s not in the MAAC.

Canisius: Ice hockey
Fairfield: Men’s lacrosse and nationally-ranked field hockey
Marist: Football
Monmouth: Football and nationally-ranked field hockey
Niagara: Ice hockey
Quinnipiac: Ice hockey and Big East field hockey
Rider: Wrestling (and field hockey but they’re not great)

[richlax5]

Not to derail the conversation but yesterday's PLL draft had two players with MAAC connections drafted in Peyton Smith of Marist and Reece Eddy of BU by way of Canisius. Interesting when you look at transfer portal. Could this sway a few transfers to lower conferences for playing time and exposure?

[bauer4429]

I think Detroit Mercy and Canisius are the ones Marist needs to be more concerned with. Monmouth barely beat the Bonnies last year and have certainly struggled the last few seasons. They were lucky the season ended quickly since they seemed to struggle both offensively and defensively in the games they played this year.

[redfoxalum]

The conference announced 2020-2021 postseason tournament hosts, men's lax reverts to the top seeded full member (not Detroit Mercy or St. Bonaventure) hosting the tournament.

[redfoxalum]

With Robert Morris leaving the NEC for the Horizon League effective July 1st, there are a lot of rumors that the Colonials are seeking a MAAC affiliate membership for lacrosse. It's hard to envision the NEC offering an affiliate membership to a former member that just left the conference, and these rumors point to that probably being the case. Like all MAAC schools, RMU is a private institution and is already an affiliate member for rowing and are joining Monmouth in the Big South for football. RMU is a very solid program, having won the previous 2 NEC titles. They would certainly increase the caliber of the conference in the short term. With a good coaching staff, the return of Perkins from Utah, and a lot of returning seniors for a 5th year, RMU would be no worse than preseason #2 in the MAAC.

However, I don't think Commissioner Ensor and the AD's should offer affiliate membership to RMU. In an era when athletic departments are most likely facing budget cuts, RMU is an added overnight trip for all full time members other than maybe Canisius. Conferences are in the business of supporting their full time members, and adding a geographical outlier affiliate that is a huge threat to win the AQ, could leave at any time (JU when SoCon lacrosse was established), but doesn't have the cachet to boost recruiting in the MAAC tri-state area footprint like a Hobart could, runs counter to that mandate in most regards. There is no current need to hedge against losing the AQ as there was when UDM and Jacksonville were added. In fact, adding RMU would tie the MAAC with the PL for most teams. There are no historical ties as there were with the addition of Bona, a WNY Little 3 rival of Canisius. If the MAAC wants to increase the quality of the league, they should be asking MAAC member Fairfield to rejoin for men's lacrosse.

[richlax5]

I agree with the assessment on RMU. On paper it is enticing but RMU poses a logistical nightmare for travel for all but two reams as mentioned and one has to assume next year's budgets might be trimmed back a little. While it would improve conference RPI, I am not sure it would be enough to remove MAAC winner from play in game, which has to be considered. I would take it a step further and try to get Fairfield in and try to get rid of UDM for the sake of travel partners from many years ago when teams played two games in a weekend, which may happen next year to help trim budgets back, at least a little.

The MAAC would have Western NY in Bonnie's and Canisius, Hudson Valley in Siena and Marist, Metro/NJ area on Manhattan and Monmouth and CT in Quinnipiac and Fairfield. It would make for great rivalry games and keep the foot print geographically balanced.