With the MAAC conference men’s basketball season well underway, we gathered our writers to compare each MAAC team with a team in the NBA.
Rider Broncs: Los Angeles Clippers
The top-ranked team in the MAAC conference coming into the season draws a lot of attention after a second-place regular season finish in 2022-23. Rider is on a quest to win their first-ever MAAC tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993. The Broncs bring in an experienced roster, headlined by the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Mervin James, who is a redshirt senior. They are led by two-time MAAC Coach of the Year, Kevin Baggett.
This Broncos team draws similar comparisons to that of the Los Angeles Clippers. Both squads have been regular season juggernauts, but have not shown up when it comes to playoff time. From the 2017-18 season to the 2019-20 season, Rider had a stretch of top 3 finishes in the MAAC, with one regular season title. The Clippers have made the playoffs 10 of the 12 years since 2011-12. Just as Rider has never won the conference and made the big dance, the Clippers have never made an NBA final in their franchise history.
Currently, the Clippers have an experienced roster full of former MVPs. They have seen their fair share of injuries and complications, but at full strength, they are a threat to the Western Conference. The Clippers are projected for a top-six finish in the Western Conference, according to ESPN Analytics. All around, the Clippers match well with the Broncs, who look to take a veteran squad to championship status.
–Tommy Armstrong
Iona Gaels: Brooklyn Nets
Iona making March Madness last year was not a big surprise to anyone. They had arguably the best player in the MAAC in Walter Clayton Jr. and one of the best rebounders in the conference with Nelly Junior Joseph. Both of them departed due to the transfer portal this summer; with this being the case, the Brooklyn Nets are the perfect comparison for the Gaels.
The Nets were looked at as a surefire title contender the last few years. Even after James Harden’s departure, the Nets still had firepower in with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on their roster. They also had a solid man in the middle in Nic Claxton. Last season’s trade deadline was a fire sale for Brooklyn, shipping Durant to Phoenix and moving Irving to Dallas. This is similar to how the Gaels lost Clayton, Junior Joseph, and their assists leader from last year, Daniss Jenkins, in the transfer portal.
Each team has a completely new look and both have new coaches. Jacques Vaughn stepped in last year with the Nets as their interim head coach and proved he could win. For Iona, it remains to be seen how much the Gaels will miss legendary leader Rick Pitino. Will Iona continue to dominate the MAAC conference without Pitino and their core players from last season? Can the Nets fully embrace their new identity?
-Hayden Shapiro
Canisius Golden Griffins: Portland TrailBlazers
The Canisius Golden Griffins and Portland Trail Blazers share some similarities in men’s basketball. First, Buffalo-based Canisius finished third to bottom in the MAAC ranks last season, mirroring the Trail Blazers’ standing in the NBA ranks. Another similarity is that Canisius has sophomore guard Tahj Staveskie, an All-Rookie Team member last season, while the Portland Trail Blazers have rookie guard Scoot Henderson. Both young players are aiming to make a big impact in their respective conferences.
The history of both teams is also similar. Portland won their only NBA Championship in 1977 while reaching the NBA Finals twice in the 1990s. Canisius’ history also paints a similar picture as they are also 1-2 in the finals, winning one MAAC conference championship in 1996 against Fairfield, but then losing the following year. They also lost the conference championship game a few years later to Iona in 2001.
This season, both teams also face new challenges as they lost key players coming in—Canisius lost Jordan Henderson, a third-team all-MAAC member, while the Portland Trail Blazers traded away franchise icon Damian Lillard just a few months ago.
-Finnegan Corcoran-Doolin
Siena Saints: Miami Heat
One of the most consistent teams in the MAAC conference, the Siena Saints always find their way to the top of the standings. Having five regular season conference championships within the past 15 years, as well as two round of 32 appearances, the Saints have a knack of playing in big games.
With success through the 2000s, the perfect comparison is the Miami Heat. Sienna began a new era in 2005 with head coach Fran McCaffery. Within his first three seasons, he brought two NCAA tournament appearances to the program. Miami also rehired head coach Pat Riley in 2005. Just like McCaffery, Riley found immediate success, winning an NBA championship in 2006.
After short but successful coaching tenures, both teams changed coaches and looked within, hiring assistant coaches to take over. Erik Spoelstra took over for the Heat, and Mitch Buonaguro got the top job with Sienna. High expectations for these new coaches were met immediately, as Siena earned another tournament appearance in 2010, and the Heat won two straight NBA Finals in 2011 and 2012 amid a run of four consecutive Eastern conference titles. Star players were the catalyst for each team, with Sienna’s Kenny Hasbrouck playing a vital role and even joining the Miami Heat organization after his collegiate career. Obviously, the Heat’s LeBron James led the way for Miami.
As the 2010s rolled on, success followed. Siena frequently appeared at the top of the MAAC conference rankings, and the Heat seemingly always battle for a playoff spot. When the 2020s arrived, both teams found their swagger again, each winning their conference in 2020.
-Tommy Jacobellis
Quinnipiac Bobcats: Sacramento Kings
Following a 14-win campaign in their first season in the MAAC in 2013-14, the Bobcats have been stuck in the middle of the pack since. For nearly the next full decade, Quinnipiac only finished conference play with a record over .500 once. They took a big step towards turning the program around last year, winning a total of 20 games, going 11-9 in MAAC conference play and earning the third seed in the conference tournament. They were upset in their first game of the tournament by a red-hot Marist team, but there’s hope for the Bobcats, who clocked in at 5th in the preseason coaches poll.
The current trajectory of the Quinnipiac program is very similar to that of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings spent the past decade-plus as a middle to low-tier squad in the NBA but broke out last year in a big way, snagging the three seed in a loaded Western Conference, seemingly out of nowhere. Similarly enough, they were also bounced in their first matchup of the playoffs, with a lack of experience on the big stage playing a role in their early exit.
Quinnipiac has not reached the NCAA tournament since making the jump to Division I in 1998, and the Kings have yet to appear in the NBA Finals since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985. Both Sacramento and Quinnipiac are certainly teams to watch for as they try to build on their recent success.
-Ben Leeds
Fairfield Stags: Minnesota Timberwolves
Let’s call them the Fairfield Timberwolves, at least that is what I think if we are comparing NBA teams to the MAAC. For the Fairfield Stags, success has been hard to come by over the past 20+ years.
Since their inaugural D-I season in 1964–65, they have been crowned the MAAC regular season champions twice: 1986 and 2011. Since The Minnesota Timberwolves’ first season in 1989–90, they have won the Western Conference once, in the 2003–04 season, only finishing in the top 4 one other season (2002–03). Their respective performances over the long run have been similar, as they have largely been borderline .500 teams with some good talent, but lacking an established winning culture and postseason success. Over the last three seasons, Fairfield has finished 9-11, 8-12, and 7-11 respectively in MAAC play, while the Timberwolves have gone 42-40, 46-36, 23-49, over the previous three seasons.
For Minnesota, they’ve had a few players make all-star appearances over the past decade in Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns but have lacked a consistent All-Star representative. All-MAAC first-team selections have been similarly inconsistent for Fairfield, with only two since the 2016 season. Star power in each franchise’s existence has been rare, but in each of their history, one player holds almost all records: Kevin Garnett for Minnesota, and Tyler Nelson for Fairfield. The two hold their team’s respective all-time single season-scoring title and career points-scored title.
Excitement however is on the rise for both of these teams. During the 2021-22 season, the T-Wolves won the Play-In spot for the eighth seed in the NBA playoffs, with young superstar Anthony Edwards leading the way. Minnesota seems to have finally broken out this season, as they currently hold the top seed in the NBA Western Conference. For the Stags, Pre-Season All-MAAC selection Caleb Fields looks to be their main scorer, last season posting averages of 36.1 minutes per game and scoring 11.7 points per contest.
-Will Rosen
Mount St. Mary’s: Houston Rockets
The Mountaineers are in just their second year in the MAAC, so for their NBA comparison, let’s take a look at what their program has done in their previous conference, the Northeast Conference (NEC). Mount St. Mary’s won the NEC tournament six times since joining the conference in 1989. Highlighted by these appearances on the national stage, the Mountaineers remind me a lot of the Houston Rockets. Both won two championships in the 1990s and remained competitive since.
Houston has yet to return to the NBA Finals since their 1995 victory but remained a strong contender throughout the majority of the 2010s thanks to star guard James Harden. Harden appeared in the All-Star Game all eight years he played in Houston, and took home the 2017-18 MVP award, as well as three scoring titles. During his tenure, Houston made two Western Conference Finals appearances, where they lost both to the Golden State Warriors in 2015 and 2018. Following Harden’s trade to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, the Rockets were thrust into a rebuilding phase.
At the same time, the Mountaineers continued to contend in the NEC, winning the conference title in 2014, 2017, and 2021. But, like the Rockets, they are now in a state of limbo. It is hard to predict where they will now stack up in the MAAC, where they ranked 7th in the preseason coaches poll. As “The Mount” looks to make a name for themselves in the MAAC, the same can be said about the Rockets on the NBA landscape, where young talents such as Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün look to solidify Houston as a soon-to-be contender.
-Ben Leeds
Marist Red Foxes: Orlando Magic
The Marist Red Foxes in my opinion can be compared to the Orlando Magic. Before focusing on the current state of the Magic and the Red Foxes, the easiest past comparison between the two teams is that neither team has won a championship in their respective leagues.
This season, Marist is loaded with talented young freshmen and sophomores on their roster. The Orlando Magic have a similar situation on their roster, with forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner leading the way, not to mention multiple young guards in Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs who were very good in college.
Freshman Marist guard Jadin Collins compares particularly well with Suggs. Both guards are athletic and love to drive to the hoop. Senior Marist forward Javon Cooley reminds me of Magic small forward Joe Ingles, as both are left-handed and love to shoot from the corners of the court. Both Cooley and Ingles are a presence in the locker room, with each being the oldest member of their team.
The future is bright for both of these teams with their young stars and veteran leadership.
-Danny Deslter
Niagara Purple Eagles: San Antonio Spurs
The Purple Eagles certainly lived many of their glory days two decades ago, making the national tournament five times from 2003-04 to 2012-13 (NCAA tournament in ‘04 and ‘06, NIT in ‘03, ‘08, and ‘12). Similarly, the Spurs are far past the glory days of the Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Tim Duncan era, while 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard departed the franchise five years ago. The Spurs have shifted, and so too has Niagara, where both teams struggled to find an identity after the early 2010s.
Yes, this is a slight stretch knowing the Spurs were the No. 2 team in the Western Conference in 2016-17. After getting swept by the Warriors in the conference finals, the Spurs have yet to find their way past the No. 7 seed in the West over the last six seasons. On the flip side, Niagara has not found success in the MAAC since their 2017 invite to the CIT tournament with a 12-6 in-conference record, and have not had a conference record better than .500 in the last five years, while the Spurs have hovered around .500 in the same span.
Before you ask, no, there is no Victor Wembanyama-level prospect currently on the Niagara roster. However, leading the way for the Purple Eagles is rookie Ahmad Henderson II, a 5’9 guard who has averaged nearly 15 points in his first eight games played. Impressive rookie play has elevated both teams, who still have room to grow as programs before making a run at a title.
-Dan Aulbach
Saint Peter’s Peacocks: Toronto Raptors
When it comes to comparing the recent tournament darling St. Peter’s Peacocks, the Toronto Raptors are the perfect fit.
In their history, the Peacocks only have four MAAC championships, while the Raptors only have one championship, but that’s beside the point. The most recent championship since 2022 for St. Peter’s was back in 2011 under current Marist head coach John Dunne, 11 years ago.
The star of the show for the New Jersey school during was Doug Edert, as he was the backbone of the squad during the conference tournament and their Cinderella run in March Madness. And for the 2019 NBA Champion Raptors, Kawhi Leonard was that guy.
Both players had huge moments respectively, whether it be Leonard’s game-seven dagger against Philidelphia or Edert’s 20-point performance against Monmouth in the MAAC championship.
But as soon as it came, it went for both teams, as both Leonard and Edert left after their incredible runs, and neither team has been the same since.
The Raptors have been a playoff team as recently as 2022, but not a very good one at that. It is only year two since the magical Peacocks run, but St. Peter’s lost to Marist in the MAAC tournament semifinal last season and were ranked tenth in the preseason poll this year.
-Jimmy Tsiantoulas
Manhattan Jaspers: Detroit Pistons
When thinking of a team that compares to the Manhattan Jaspers, one team automatically came to mind: the Detroit Pistons.
The Manhattan Jaspers have clinched five MAAC championships in their history, with their last victory in 2015, marking an eight-year gap. They’ve seen three coaches in that time, with Coach Steve Masiello leading them during the 2014 and 2015 championship wins. The Pistons have three NBA Finals championships to their name, coming in 1989, 1990 and the 2004 defensive juggernaut.
Both the Jaspers and the Pistons currently have young teams; the Jaspers have only four players beyond their junior year, setting the stage for their program’s future, while the Pistons have a starting lineup of players all under the age of 23, indicating immense potential and an ability to grow within the organization’s youthful structure.
Pistons’ 19-year-old forward/center Jalen Duren has shown potential in his second NBA season, while Jaspers’ forward Daniel Rouzan has stepped up in his sophomore year to control the game.
The Pistons have long aimed for a playoff breakthrough, which remains unfulfilled. Meanwhile, the Jaspers seek to change their status, aiming to contend in their conference for a playoff spot and potentially compete for a championship. Both teams, with their youthful rosters yet to experience the playoffs, strive to demonstrate progress this season.
-Stefan Duncan
Edited by Sam Murphy and Luke Sassa
Graphic by Ben Monrad; Photos via Creative Commons
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