Nov. 8, 2005
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- There are many different days that a basketball fan can pick as the official start to a new season. One of those days came on Tuesday afternoon in the form of the annual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) basketball media day.
The men's basketball coaches selected the Fairfield University squad to finish sixth in the pre-season poll, and tabbed Iona College as the team to beat in 2005-06 with 94 points and five first-place votes. Plus, the coaches chose guard Terrence Todd for the All-MAAC pre-season first team, and DeWitt Maxwell for the All-MAAC pre-season third team. All selections were a result of voting by the head coaches.
Manhattan secured the second spot in the poll with 93 points, and collected four first-place votes. Canisius was third in the rankings with 74 points and one first-place vote, followed by Marist (56 points), Rider (55 points), and Fairfield (49 points).
The remainder of the poll listed Niagara in seventh place with 45 markers, followed by Saint Peter's (43 points), Loyola (30 points), and Siena (10 points).
Todd, who was earned All-MAAC second team honors following the 2004-05 campaign, picked up a spot on the first team after a stellar junior season. The senior led the team in scoring for the second straight season, netting 15.9 points per game. He was also one of the team's leaders in assists (2.7 per game), and rebounds (4.9 per game).
Maxwell makes his second straight appearance on the All-MAAC pre-season squad, picking up third team honors last season. The forward averaged 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest over 30 games a year ago.
The Fairfield University men's basketball team, under eighth-year head coach Tim O'Toole, opens up its 2005-06 campaign against St. Francis College on November 18. The team's home opener is slated for November 21 against Saint Joseph's University at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
