MAAC Monday: eFG, offensive boards, assists, stat leaders, power rankings

Jim Baron and Canisius are near top of MAAC in assist and effective field goal rankings, and lead league in offensive rebounding. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

After a one-week hiatus, "MAAC Monday" returns to highlight statistical trends and performances, as well as stat leaders across the conference and our weekly power rankings. In our last edition two weeks ago, defenses came to the forefront, with a specialization on defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage against, and forced turnovers. This time around, we will shed further light on offensive effectiveness both in field goals and rebounds, and also take a look at who shares the ball the best by measuring assist rates. Once again, all games played to this point will be taken into consideration, and as always, any and all statistics were gleaned from the individual stat pages on each school's website.

Offensive Effective Field Goal Percentage (from highest to lowest)
1) Iona (.542)
2) Fairfield (.525)
3) Siena (.525)
4) Marist (.514)
5) Canisius (.495)
6) Monmouth (.489)
7) Manhattan (.484)
8) Saint Peter's (.482)
9) Rider (.478)
10) Niagara (.461)
11) Quinnipiac (.445)
Analysis: Effective field goal percentages reward the three-point shot, with the belief that a trifecta is one-and-a-half times more valuable than a standard two-point basket. With that said, it is no surprise to find Iona, who has hit threes at a 41 percent rate while letting the triple account for 44 percent of their shot selection for the season, atop the charts here. The biggest shocks, quite honestly, are in the next three spots. Fairfield has ridden the proficiency of Marcus Gilbert and freshman Curtis Cobb to a showing that Sydney Johnson will undoubtedly be pleased with as the Stags continue to push the ball, while Siena has returned to the form Jimmy Patsos expects on an annual basis with a strong veteran core led by junior point guard Marquis Wright shooting an astounding 53 percent from distance. Finally, Marist is the only other program ahead of .500, but their standing is attributed more to Mike Maker's constant preaching of smart shot selection than it is the Red Foxes' marksmanship, (Marist is a respectable 35 percent from deep) as both Khallid Hart and Brian Parker rank in the MAAC's top five field goal percentages.

Offensive Rebound Percentages (from highest to lowest)
1) Canisius (42.0)
2) Quinnipiac (39.7)
3) Siena (32.0)
4) Niagara (30.8)
5) Saint Peter's (29.8)
6) Manhattan (28.6)
7) Rider (28.5)
8) Iona (26.6)
9) Fairfield (24.5)
10) Monmouth (24.2)
11) Marist (22.1)
Analysis: Quinnipiac is miles ahead of the competition on the glass once again, but Jim Baron and Canisius never get the credit they deserve. The Golden Griffins have usurped the Bobcats' status as the kings of the boards, playing an aggressive and physical style that has resulted in four players averaging four or more rebounds per game, led by Jamal Reynolds and his lofty 8.1 figure. Canisius is no slouch shooting, either, which makes their rebound totals even more impressive considering the bulk of offensive caroms come off of missed shots. The Griffs are shooting a respectable 42 percent from the floor and 34 from three, but Reynolds has a personal offensive rebound percentage of 55.6, an exceptional number.

Assist Rates (from highest to lowest)
1) Iona (66.4 percent)
2) Fairfield (59.1)
3) Manhattan (58.8)
4) Canisius (58.1)
5) Rider (54.0)
6) Niagara (49.8)
7) Saint Peter's (47.8)
8) Siena (46.9)
9) Monmouth (46.6)
10) Marist (46.0)
11) Quinnipiac (45.7)
Analysis: Each of the top five teams has a point guard who ranks among the MAAC's top six assist leaders, so that is a start when it comes to sharing the ball. However, what sets Iona apart is the number of gifted passers Tim Cluess possesses beyond the backcourt. At 6-8, graduate transfer Aaron Rountree may not fit the mold of your typical passer, but his well-rounded play and 3.3 helpers per game has only furthered the Gaels' attack. Rountree and Siena's Lavon Long are the only non-guards in the top ten for assists per game, and in Long's case, his ability to impact the game without scoring has taken a massive leap from his first two years. Finally, people can say what they want about Manhattan's lack of depth and the effect it has had on the Jaspers' start to the season, something that prompted Steve Masiello to take a stand on behalf of both his players and program last week. One positive that the adversity in Riverdale has brought about, however, has been the evolution of Tyler Wilson at the point guard spot. The backup to RaShawn Stores in his first two seasons, Wilson has seen increased minutes largely out of necessity in the non-league portion of the schedule, and has made the most of his opportunity by honing his already exemplary floor game to the tune of 6.4 assists per game, second only to A.J. English by a small margin.

Our next edition of MAAC Monday will set the table for the resumption of league play, but until then, here is an update on the conference's stat leaders:

Scoring Leaders
1) A.J. English, Iona (25.0 PPG)
2) Khallid Hart, Marist (21.3)
3) Justin Robinson, Monmouth (19.8)
4) Shane Richards, Manhattan (18.7)
5) Malcolm McMillan, Canisius (18.6)
6) Marcus Gilbert, Fairfield (18.3)
7) Rich Williams, Manhattan (17.4)
8) Marquis Wright, Siena (17.1)
9) Matt Scott, Niagara (16.8)
10) Giovanni McLean, Quinnipiac (16.6)

Rebounding Leaders
1) Brett Bisping, Siena (9.2 RPG)
2) Jamal Reynolds, Canisius (8.1)
3) Quadir Welton, Saint Peter's (7.7)
4) Matt Scott, Niagara (7.5)
5) Deon Jones, Monmouth (7.4)
6) Isaiah Williams, Iona (7.3)
7) Donovan Smith, Quinnipiac (6.6)
8) Rich Williams, Manhattan (6.5)
9) Phil Valenti, Canisius (6.0)
10) Chris Brady, Monmouth (5.6)

Assist Leaders
1) A.J. English, Iona (6.8 APG)
2) Tyler Wilson, Manhattan (6.4)
3) Jerome Segura, Fairfield (5.4)
4) Malcolm McMillan, Canisius (4.4)
5) Trevis Wyche, Saint Peter's (4.2)
6) Teddy Okereafor, Rider (4.2)
7) Marquis Wright, Siena (4.1)
8) Tyler Nelson, Fairfield (4.0)
9) Lavon Long, Siena (3.3)
10) Aaron Rountree, Iona (3.3)

Finally, we bring down the curtain on "MAAC Monday" with our power rankings. Please note that "last week" actually reflects our December 7 post.

1) Monmouth (8-3, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Sunday 12/20 at Rutgers (W 73-67)
Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 at Cornell, 7 p.m.

2) Iona (4-4, 2-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at Rhode Island (L 79-74)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. (South Point Holiday Hoops Classic)

3) Siena (7-4, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Saturday 12/12 vs. Albany (W 78-70)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. St. Bonaventure, 7 p.m.

4) Canisius (4-6, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Saturday 12/19 vs. Boston University (W 84-68)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 5:30 p.m. (Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic)

5) Fairfield (4-5, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Friday 12/18 vs. Wagner (L 76-64)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. Loyola (Md.), 7 p.m.

6) Quinnipiac (4-5, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 12/13 at Boston University (L 64-57)
Next Game: Monday 12/21 at Oregon State, 9 p.m.

7) Saint Peter's (3-6, 2-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at George Washington (L 87-74)
Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, 4 p.m.

8) Manhattan (3-7, 0-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 12/20 at Morgan State (W 78-66)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/29 at Eastern Kentucky, 2 p.m.

9) Marist (3-6, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Sunday 12/20 at Army West Point (W 89-83)
Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. Brown, 6:30 p.m. (Mohegan Sun Arena)

10) Niagara (3-8, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Saturday 12/12 vs. LIU Brooklyn (L 80-79)
Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 at Albany, 7 p.m.

11) Rider (2-9, 0-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at Providence (L 73-65)
Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 at Morgan State, 7 p.m.