Quinnipiac: Richie Springs 6’9 235 grad transfer
With Tymu Chenery transferring to Binghamton and Ike Nweke graduating, Richie Springs is poised to help solve a major hole for Quinnipiac at power forward. Finishing his high school career at basketball powerhouse The MacDuffie School, Springs was heavily recruited by a wide-range of programs, including thirteen high-majors.
At UConn, Springs played limited minutes behind a crowded and talented frontcourt that included Adama Sanogo, Donovan Clingan, Alex Karaban, Isaiah Whaley and Tyrese Martin, so Springs will look to parlay his new opportunity to showcase a wide array of skills: “I’m excited to show my ability to make plays, handle the ball in transition and also showcase my improved outside,” Richie Springs wrote to me back in May.
With a 6’9 235 frame, athleticism and versatility to his game, the offensive-minded Springs pairs perfectly with defensive stalwart Paul Otieno and backup big JJ Riggins.
A championship ring to his name and four years of experience at Storrs, Springs also elaborated on the veteran leadership role he is poised to take on in Hamden: “I’m going to lead by example with my work ethic and how hard I go in practice everyday. Being on that championship team has taught me a lot and I can’t wait to bring what I learned to QU.”
Bobcats fans have got to be salivating at what Springs can bring to the court. Not many teams on the MAAC field a forward with his size and willingness to run and stretch the floor, making Springs an easy pick to breakout next season.
Iona: Greg Gordon 6’5 210 junior
Greg Gordon, Iona’s only Junior College addition, brings toughness and intangibles that makes him a top breakout threat this season out of the eleven new pieces new head coach Tobin Anderson has added in his first offseason at the helm.
In both seasons at Dyersburg State Community College, Gordon was a NJCAA Division I All-American where he averaged a career 23.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Watching Gordon’s highlight reel draws immediate parallels to FDU’s Sean Moore, a do-everything, two-way glue guy who played both forward positions and led Tobin Anderson’s previous team in offensive rebounding rate despite his modestly listed measurements of 6’4 and 175 pounds.
Like Moore, even though Gordon is only listed at 6’5 210, he has the strength, makeup and motor to fight for the starting power forward spot, and at the very least, develop into an important energy piece off the bench.
Fairfield: Birima Seck 6’11 200 junior
As of mid-July, the Stags’ strength is their backcourt, led by starting point guard Caleb Fields returning for his extra year of eligibility, but after Supreme Cook (Georgetown), Chris Maidoh (Stony Brook) and Makai Willis (Louisiana-Monroe) all transferred this offseason, New Mexico transfer Birima Seck is set up to be the Stags’ savior at center.
Originally from Senegal, the 6’11 200 forward was offered by the likes of Kansas, Texas Tech and Arizona State during his time at Dream City Christian School before landing at Albuquerque.
Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal wrote of Seck: “He’s a former soccer star that can run the floor, use his agility to create problems for defenders and has great footwork. He’s got some stretch-4 to him and I think he was at his best when playing a little farther from the rim than some might expect of a 6’11 guy,” which in turn, would allow the Stags to open up more space for cutters and penetrating guards, something that was a problem for the Stags last year after the team shot just 28.5% from three last season.
Grammer adds: “defensively, he’s a good shot blocker and rebounder, but is foul prone. Gets too active at times, but also in playing limited minutes at UNM, played more with a reckless abandon than he likely will if his minutes are going to be consistently over the 20 minute mark. His length allows him to block and alter shots without him dropping his hands.”
A project that has been steadily developing for two years, Stags fans should be excited that Seck’s “improvements he was making on defense – not just coaches talking about a kid getting better, you could tell he was a better player the day he left UNM from the day he arrived.”
Calling Seck “happy, positive and likable guy as there is,” Grammer sums up: “He’s still getting better and I think has a chance to be a really good piece to a team’s puzzle because he not only has that length, but is really starting to realize the best ways to use it on the court.”
I expect that the Stags will add more size between now and the start of the season, but Seck is poised to impact the Stags’ frontcourt from day one.
Rider: Tariq Ingraham 6’11 255 senior
A three-star recruit out of Philadelphia, Tariq Ingraham finally got regular rotation minutes in his first season at Rider after playing a total of sixteen minutes across his first three seasons at Wake Forest.
A preseason Achilles injury forced Ingraham to redshirt his first season and he dealt with long-term Covid symptoms after playing just two games as a redshirt freshman, but Ingraham played every game last season, starting the the last fourteen games of the season.
Overall, Ingraham’s minutes were inconsistent, but underlying analytics lauded Ingraham’s defensive abilities, as Ingraham finished last year as Rider’s most efficient defender on the roster, according to Eyanmiya.com.
At 6’11 255, Ingraham is a classic low-post big, whose season highlight was a 20 point, 8 rebound and 3 block performance against Saint Peter’s back in March. With Ogemuno-Johnson graduated, Ingraham is finally poised to step up as next year’s full-time starting big.
Marist: Max Allen 6’9 260 sophomore
Last season, Patrick Gardner parlayed his Division 1 breakout into an All-MAAC Second Team selection and an invitation to the NBA Summer League by the Miami Heat.
In his wake, Max Allen, a transfer from San Jose State, has an opportunity to fill the massive void left behind in Gardner’s graduation.
Originally from Las Vegas, the former three-star recruit finished his high school career at the basketball powerhouse AZ Compass Prep where he chose SJSU over Houston, BC, DePaul and his hometown UNLV.
Playing just eight games in his freshman year before a lower-leg injury cut short the remainder of his season, Max Allen brings a whole lot to the court than just a low-post frame and a soft touch under the basket. In high school, Allen was comfortable shooting it from the elbow and beyond, with a true shooting form that, with time, translates to three-point potential.
Only a sophomore, Allen will compete with The Citadel sharpshooter Jackson Price for minutes at the 5, but Allen’s long-term potential is evidently clear.
Saint Peter’s: Marcus Randolph 6’5 195 junior
With six new players, Saint Peter’s is rebuilding their backcourt in short order and Richmond transfer and Willingboro, NJ native Marcus Randolph is looking to parlay his length and smooth shooting ability into a breakout role with the Peacocks.
At 6’5 195 and with a career 39.6 three-point percentage, Randolph will look to offset Saint Peter’s seventh worst three-point percentage in the nation, shooting an inauspicious 29.0%.
Prior to his first two seasons at Richmond, Randolph was one of four current D1 basketball players in his class at the venerable Archbishop Wood High School where he averaged 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
While his career minutes have not allowed Randolph the time to develop into the versatile scorer he was back in high school, Randolph’s shooting efficiency will help jumpstart the Peacock’s revamped offense.
Mount St. Mary’s: Jedy Cordilia 6’9 210 junior
Sometimes injuries propel younger players into breakout roles and Jedy Cordilia was one underclassmen last year who benefitted from that scenario. An early January injury to the Mountaineers all-time rebounding leader Malik Jefferson opened the door for Cordilia to step into the starting role and he even played alongside Jefferson once he returned from injury.
While Cordilia’s career numbers are modest, over the last sixteen games of the season he averaged 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and shot over 60% from two and 80% from the free-throw line. Six three point attempts hint towards a possible development of his outside game, which would in turn help open up the floor on offense.
The mid-July addition of Presbyterian forward Terrell Ard creates competition to Cordilia’s playing time, but Cordilia is expected to break out, providing Mount St. Mary’s with a bouncier and shiftier forward than Malik Jefferson to allow Dan Engelstad to possibly be able to play at a quicker pace than his mostly glacial offenses over the last five seasons.
Niagara: Harlan Obioha 7’0 280 sophomore
There is not a physical specimen in the MAAC, or frankly, almost anywhere else in Division 1, quite like Harlan Obioha.
Hailing from Hoxie, Kansas, Niagara was Obioha’s only D1 offer but saw his playing time increase throughout his redshirt freshman season, averaging 4.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in about 14 minutes per game, shooting 81% in the span across the last nine games of the season, highlighted by an 11 point, 11 rebound and 2 block performance against Quinnipiac.
Also an offensive lineman in high school, Obioha’s footwork on the line of scrimmage translates to the low-post, as he’s quicker in small spaces than expected and he is also able to keep his head up, kicking out when necessary.
Part of what drives Obioha’s potential breakout is Niagara’s new look frontcourt: starting center Sam Iorio graduated, leaving Obioha to compete for a starting role alongside UMBC transfer Yaw Obeng-Mensah and JUCO addition Aime Rutayisare.
Siena: Killian Gribben 6’10 208 sophomore
If there is one consistent theme in this piece, it is showcasing the opportunities for young forwards to step up in the place of their All-MAAC predecessors and Siena’s Killian Gribben, with Second Team selection Jackson Stormo graduating, has the tools to become Siena’s next great big.
Playing his high school ball at Choate Rosemary Hall after moving from his hometown of Letterkenny, Ireland, Gribben is just as comfortable letting it go from the three point line as he is working out of the post, evident by the fact that nearly half of his field goal attempts last season were from the three point line, converting 27% of those attempts.
For the second straight summer, Gribben is representing his home country in the FIBA U20 Division B championship where he is currently averaging 11.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a whopping 4.3 blocks per game across the first four games of the tournament.
Canisius: Joe Jones III 6’9 230 junior
With Jacco Fritz transferring to Hofstra and George Maslennikov graduating, ultimately, whichever player who secures the starting center spot, be it Georgia State transfer Joe Jones III or sophomores Youri Frtiz or Frank Mitchell, will be the breakout performer for Canisius.
Buffalo native and graduate of Buffalo’s Orangeville Prep, Joe Jones III is poised to finally breakout and become the defensive stalwart he started to show in his freshman season at Georgia State where he finished the season with the team’s top defensive metrics, according to Evanmiya.com.
However, after injuries derailed his 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, Jones ceded playing time to a new wave of forwards and a new coaching staff, so a wide open competition in the Griffins’ frontcourt will allow Jones to not only return to his hometown, but provide Canisius with a steady low-post presence that is much needed after the team allowed a way too high 51% of two-point attempts during conference play.
Manhattan: Shaquil Bender 6’2 170 junior
After the Manhattan administration unceremoniously chose not to retain RaShawn Stores, who rallied the Jaspers after Manhattan fired Steve Masiello in late October, just weeks before the start of the season, new head coach John Gallagher is facing the present challenge of rebuilding a program on the fly that returns just three scholarship players from last year.
JUCO addition Shaquil Bender, fresh off his award-winning season where he not only won the Orange Empire Conference Offensive Player of the Year after finishing the season averaging 13.9 points and 2.0 threes made per game at an insane 47.1%, but also earned the MVP award in the California Community College State tournament where his Fullerton College Hornets won the championship after finishing the season with a 32-1 record.
Simply put, it is always wise to instill winners to a rebuilding squad and Bender is a good bet to start in the Jaspers’ opening backcourt alongside former Hartford stud Briggs McClain.
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