Atlantic City, N.J. (October 17, 2023)—Mount St. Mary's senior guard
Dakota Leffew has been named Preseason First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Mount St. Mary's has been tabbed to finish seventh in the league standings in the annual preseason coaches poll, announced this morning by the MAAC.
Rider is the league's preseason favorite according to the coaches, garnering eight first-place votes and 117 points in the poll. Iona (108), Canisius (89), Siena (77), Quinnipiac (71), Fairfield (70), Mount St. Mary's (59), Marist (48), Niagara (43), Saint Peter's (30) and Manhattan (14) round out the poll.
Leffew is the Mount's top returning scorer after averaging 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals while starting all 31 games played for the Mount in 2022-23. Leffew scored in double figures 24 times during the year, including five games with 20 or more points. The team's top three-point threat, he shot 73-of-192 (.380) from beyond the arc. He had seven games with four or more three-pointers made, including season-high six against Canisius on Feb. 19.
Rider's Mervin James was named the MAAC's Preseason Player of the Year, and he is joined by Leffew, Iona's Osborn Shema, Quinnipiac's Matt Balanc and Rider's Allen Powell on the Preseason First Team All-MAAC squad.
The Mountaineers are looking to build off last year's strong finish that saw the team post a 5-2 record over the final seven games, including a win in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament. This year's schedule features 14 home games beginning with the Behan Strong Charity Exhibition game against Bucknell on Saturday, October 28, at 4:00 p.m. at Knott Arena. The home opener is set for Saturday, November 11, against Coppin State at 4:00 p.m. The first home game of MAAC play is Sunday, December 3, when Siena visits Knott Arena for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.
Don't miss out on the action at Knott Arena this season. Get your tickets at
www.mountathletics.com/tickets or by calling the Mount Ticket Office at 301-447-5700. Fans can also email at
tickets@msmary.edu for more information.
| 2023-24 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1 |
Rider |
117 (8) |
| 2 |
Iona |
108 (2) |
| 3 |
Canisius |
89 (1) |
| 4 |
Siena |
77 |
| 5 |
Quinnipiac |
71 |
| 6 |
Fairfield |
70 |
| 7 |
Mount St. Mary's |
59 |
| 8 |
Marist |
48 |
| 9 |
Niagara |
43 |
| 10 |
Saint Peter's |
30 |
| 11 |
Manhattan |
14 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Mervin James – Rider |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Osborn Shema |
Forward |
Gr. |
Iona |
| Dakota Leffew |
Guard |
Sr. |
Mount St. Mary's |
| Matt Balanc |
Guard |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Mervin James* |
Forward |
R-Sr. |
Rider |
| Allen Powell |
Guard |
R-Sr. |
Rider |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Tahj Staveskie |
Guard |
So. |
Canisius |
| Caleb Fields |
Guard |
Gr. |
Fairfield |
| Isaiah Brickner |
Guard |
So. |
Marist |
| Paul Otieno |
Forward |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Michael Eley |
Guard |
So. |
Siena |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Xzavier Long |
Forward |
Jr. |
Canisius |
| Alexis Yetna |
Forward |
Gr. |
Fairfield |
| Joel Brown |
Guard |
Gr. |
Iona |
| Idan Tretout |
Guard |
Gr. |
Iona |
| Corey Washington |
Forward |
So. |
Saint Peter's |
*Denotes unanimous selection
The 2023-24 campaign culminates with the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from March 12-16 at Atlantic City's Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the fifth consecutive year dating back to 2020. For all information regarding the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter.
