Bronx Insider: Sports Desk: Manhattan Men's Basketball Picked Second in MAAC Preseason Poll; Perez Named Preseason Player of the Year.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Manhattan Picked Second in Preseason Poll; Perez Named Preseason Player of the Year.

EDISON, N.J. – Manhattan men’s basketball was picked second in the MAAC Preseason Poll, and Jose Perez was named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, the league announced during its annual preseason awards show on Tuesday evening.

Perez and Ant Nelson collected Preseason All-MAAC honors too. The 2022-23 season gets underway for the Jaspers on Monday, Nov. 7, at VCU. Season and single-game tickets for Manhattan basketball are now on sale.

Manhattan was second behind Iona in the preseason poll. Iona collected 10 first-place votes, with Manhattan collecting the other first-place vote.

Rider was close behind Manhattan in third. Quinnipiac and Fairfield rounded out the top five. Siena was tabbed sixth, with Marist in seventh. Niagara and Saint Peter’s are tied for eighth. MAAC newcomers, Mount St. Mary’s was 10th, and Canisius rounded out the poll in 11th.

In addition to being Preseason Player of the Year, Perez was a unanimous Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection. Last season, Perez led the MAAC in scoring at 18.9 points and finished second in assists per game at 4.5. After last season, Perez was named First Team All-MAAC, Second Team All-Met, and NABC Second Team All-District. The Bronx native paced the league in free throws made (182) and free throws attempted (227). The free throw totals ranked fourth in Division I this past season. Perez had the highest-scoring game last season with 38 points against Niagara on Feb. 4.  

Joining Perez on the Preseason All-MAAC Teams was Nelson, who was named Preseason Second Team All-MAAC. Nelson averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists over 26 games for the Jaspers last season. The New York native had back-to-back 20-point games against Quinnipiac and Siena.

2022-23 Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1 – Iona (10)
2 – Manhattan (1)
3 – Rider
4 – Quinnipiac
5 – Fairfield
6 – Siena
7 – Marist
T8 – Niagara
T8 – Saint Peter’s
10 – Mount St. Mary’s
11 – Canisius

Preseason First Team All-MAAC

Supreme Cook, F, Jr., Fairfield
Nelly Junior Joseph*, F, Jr., Iona
Jose Perez*, F, 5Y, Manhattan
Matt Balanc*, G, R-Sr., Quinnipiac
Dwight Murray Jr.*, Guard, Sr., Rider

Preseason Second Team All-MAAC

Jordan Henderson, G, Gr., Canisius
Walter Clayton Jr., G, So., Iona
Ant Nelson, G, 5Y, Manhattan
Noah Thomasson, G, Sr., Niagara
Jackson Stormo, F, Gr., Siena

Preseason All-MAAC Third Team

Jake Wojcik, G, R-Sr., Fairfield
Jalen Benjamin, G, Sr., Mount St. Mary’s
Dezi Jones, G, Jr., Quinnipiac
Mervin James, F, Sr., Rider
Allen Powell, G, Sr., Rider

*-Unanimous Selection