By Jonah Bronstein
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coaches’ poll predicts another second-place finish for the Niagara men’s basketball team, and has two Purple Eagles on the preseason all-conference team.
“That means nothing to us,” senior guard Bilal Benn said.
Niagara knew that Benn and Tyrone Lewis were likely to be recognized at Tuesday’s MAAC media day, but didn’t want to pull either play out of classes to attend the event in New York City’s Times Square.
“Our guys don’t even know it’s MAAC media day,” Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said after Monday’s practice.
Mihalich said he has never talked to his team about the preseason coaches poll, even in years when it could’ve been used as motivation.
“It really doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “It’s guesses and prognostication and all of those things.
You’ll hear it all year along from me, after a bad loss or a good win: The only thing that matters is we want to be the best team in the league for three games in March.”
The message has gotten through to at least one player.
“We’re not worried about stats, rankings, or anything like that. We just want to cut down the nets,” Benn said. “My focus is on my team right now, and whether the freshman are getting better and whether all of the seniors are on the same page.”
Benn and Lewis were joined on the preseason all-conference team by Siena’s Edwin Ubiles and Ronald Moore, and Rider’s Ryan Thompson, who was picked as the preseason player of the year.
Siena finished atop the coaches poll for the third straight year, garnering nine of 10 votes. Rider coach Tommy Dempsey voted for his own team.
“As a leader of the program, I talk to my kids about believing we’re the best team,” Dempsey said. “I have to back that up. I have to show confidence in those guys and say, ‘Hey, I believe we’re the best team, now let’s go prove it.’ I can’t just preach it and not back it up.”
Mihalich and Monday said that he still regards Siena as the clear favorite in the MAAC.
“I think it’s probably more true this year,” he said. “It’s still Siena’s league. They haven’t just won our league, they’ve won a game in the NCAA tournament the past two years. They’ve done what all of us want to do.”
• The Niagara women’s team was picked to finish last in the coaches poll. Junior forward Liz Flooks was voted to third-team all-conference.
