EDISON, N.J. – The backcourt duo of
Marcus Hammond and
Raheem Solomon was named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-MAAC Teams announced on Thursday. Hammond was a unanimous selection to the first team while Solomon was selected to the third team.
Hammond was one of four unanimous selections to the first team – Jalen Pickett (Siena), Manny Camper (Siena), and Deion Hammond (Monmouth). KC Ndefo (Saint Peter's) is the fifth member on the first team.
Hammond became the 14
th Purple Eagle to earn All-MAAC First Team honors at the conclusion of last season. He averaged career-highs in points (14.3 ppg), rebounds (4.6 rpg), and assists (2.9 apg) to lead the Purple Eagles in all three categories during the 2019-20 season. He was one of two players in the conference to lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists. A two-time MAAC Player of the Week recipient, he finished ninth in the MAAC in scoring, 11
th in assists, third in 3-point field goal percentage (.425), and fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.3 pg). He was tied for second in the MAAC in 20-point games with 10.
Hammond had several memorable performances last season. Hammond had a career scoring output at Quinnipiac on January 10 with a game-high 36 points which were the most by a Purple Eagle in two seasons and his 14 made field goals were the most by a Purple Eagle in 12 years. Hammond's 36 points were tied for the most points in the MAAC. Hammond made a buzzer-beating game-winning jumper to beat the Rider Broncs on January 17; the play was featured on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
Solomon, who started in all 32 games last season, posted career-high numbers with 9.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting over 39 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line. Solomon notched his first career double-double with a season-high 17 points and career-high 10 rebounds in a win at Iona. Solomon scored the game-winning basket in Niagara's MAAC Tournament win over Marist.
The Purple Eagles were tabbed to place sixth in the preseason poll while receiving 63 votes. Niagara will be led by second-year head coach
Greg Paulus, was the recipient of the
2019-20 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball. NU returns eight letterwinners, including four of the top five leading scorers, from last season's team that exceeded preseason predictions.
The Purple Eagles went 9-3 at home during the 2019-20 campaign, including going 8-2 in MAAC games. The Purple Eagles ranked statistically in the top-25 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.6), fewest total turnovers (338), turnover margin (3.3), and 3-point field goal percentage (.372), while leading the MAAC in all four categories. Niagara had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13) in the MAAC.
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