Early sneak peak at Monmouth from the Almanac 2022-23
Monmouth Hawks
LOCATION
West Long Branch, NJ
21-22 RECORD
21-13, 11-9 (4th MAAC)
POSTSEASON
No Postseason
Potential Potholes
Monmouth has succeeded in player development in the past, but there is still a lack of proven talent on the roster. The Hawks return a grand total of only 13.9 points per game. Thankfully, the players on the roster understand the territory they are in.
“There’s an excitement about our program because the young guys are anxious to be coached by us,” Rice said. “They’re bought into what we’re trying to build, and they understand that we are moving up [in conference affiliation]. The way we have to attack this is that we have to ‘out-team’ people by getting along and playing together.”
Three-point shooting looms as another significant pothole. Monmouth is not typically a proponent of shooting a ton of 3s, ranking in the bottom half nationally in 3-point attempt rate in all but one of Rice’s seasons, per KenPom. With that said, Rice’s best teams have been efficient from deep.
“We’ll have more guys who are capable shooters this year,” Rice said. “I think our percentages are going to go up because we’re going to take better ones.”
Holstrom and Allen should lead the perimeter barrage. Neither has received the chance to prove themselves at the collegiate level yet, but Rice is complimentary of their sniping abilities. The head coach also noted that Fagan is “a coach’s son who can really shoot it.” He is in line to play a sizable role as a sharpshooting guard.
Monmouth’s freshman class also features a pair of potential shooters. Andrew Ball is a versatile and extremely skilled 6-8 guard who can play 2 through 4. Rice also complimented Jack Collins on a great summer in which he arrived early and put in excellent work.
Even considering Rice’s praise, though, Monmouth is still unproven across the board.
KEY DEPARTURES
GEORGE PAPAS (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg)
SHAVAR REYNOLDS (14.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg)
WALKER MILLER (14.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)
MARCUS McCLARY (8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 apg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
JACK COLLINS (freshman, Manasquan, NJ)
ANDREW BALL (freshman, Marlton, NJ)
AMAAN SANDHU (freshman, India)
JARET VALENCIA (freshman, Colombia)
The X-Factor
Monmouth flaunts an intriguing array of lineup possibilities. The Hawks boast size and versatility at each position, giving Rice lots of options. He could choose to go shooting-heavy with Fagan, Allen, Holmstrom, Vaughan and Vuga, for instance. Or he could also go mega-sized with Ball playing the 2 at 6-8.
“Our depth and versatility will be huge,” Rice described. “We can go super big, or we can go super small. We could even run an all-guards lineup if you count Vaughan this year. That could be a fun style for us. We will have a lot of options.”
With many players being thrust into bigger roles, Monmouth might look to experiment with its rotation. Deploying several different lineups with varying strengths could turn the Hawks into a difficult team for which to gameplan. Amaan Sandhu and Jaret Valencia, two other freshmen, also contribute in this area with positional size. They stand at 7-0 and 6-9, respectively.
The Outlook
Monmouth is a challenging team to project this season.
On one hand, the Hawks have been successful recently under Rice’s leadership. On the other, they migrate to a new conference and lack proven talent. Ruth and Foster are the only returners who appeared in 20-plus games last season. Not only will they need to make sizeable strides, but the Hawks also need a supporting cast to arise.
Monmouth’s inexperience is concerning. During Rice’s tenure, the Hawks have posted a 124-64 (.660) record in six seasons when ranking top-130 in KenPom’s experience statistic. They are only 58-103 (.360) in seasons when they’re younger than that. Bart Torvik projects Monmouth to have the 29th-lowest percentage of minutes returning for this season — so perhaps buckle up for a bumpy ride.
This season feels like an opportunity for Monmouth’s young core to prove its value, but the adjustment period could be too much to overcome in Year 1 of its CAA era. The Hawks might be a year away from rising in the Colonial standings.
Monmouth Hawks
LOCATION
West Long Branch, NJ
21-22 RECORD
21-13, 11-9 (4th MAAC)
POSTSEASON
No Postseason
Potential Potholes
Monmouth has succeeded in player development in the past, but there is still a lack of proven talent on the roster. The Hawks return a grand total of only 13.9 points per game. Thankfully, the players on the roster understand the territory they are in.
“There’s an excitement about our program because the young guys are anxious to be coached by us,” Rice said. “They’re bought into what we’re trying to build, and they understand that we are moving up [in conference affiliation]. The way we have to attack this is that we have to ‘out-team’ people by getting along and playing together.”
Three-point shooting looms as another significant pothole. Monmouth is not typically a proponent of shooting a ton of 3s, ranking in the bottom half nationally in 3-point attempt rate in all but one of Rice’s seasons, per KenPom. With that said, Rice’s best teams have been efficient from deep.
“We’ll have more guys who are capable shooters this year,” Rice said. “I think our percentages are going to go up because we’re going to take better ones.”
Holstrom and Allen should lead the perimeter barrage. Neither has received the chance to prove themselves at the collegiate level yet, but Rice is complimentary of their sniping abilities. The head coach also noted that Fagan is “a coach’s son who can really shoot it.” He is in line to play a sizable role as a sharpshooting guard.
Monmouth’s freshman class also features a pair of potential shooters. Andrew Ball is a versatile and extremely skilled 6-8 guard who can play 2 through 4. Rice also complimented Jack Collins on a great summer in which he arrived early and put in excellent work.
Even considering Rice’s praise, though, Monmouth is still unproven across the board.
KEY DEPARTURES
GEORGE PAPAS (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg)
SHAVAR REYNOLDS (14.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg)
WALKER MILLER (14.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)
MARCUS McCLARY (8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 apg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
JACK COLLINS (freshman, Manasquan, NJ)
ANDREW BALL (freshman, Marlton, NJ)
AMAAN SANDHU (freshman, India)
JARET VALENCIA (freshman, Colombia)
The X-Factor
Monmouth flaunts an intriguing array of lineup possibilities. The Hawks boast size and versatility at each position, giving Rice lots of options. He could choose to go shooting-heavy with Fagan, Allen, Holmstrom, Vaughan and Vuga, for instance. Or he could also go mega-sized with Ball playing the 2 at 6-8.
“Our depth and versatility will be huge,” Rice described. “We can go super big, or we can go super small. We could even run an all-guards lineup if you count Vaughan this year. That could be a fun style for us. We will have a lot of options.”
With many players being thrust into bigger roles, Monmouth might look to experiment with its rotation. Deploying several different lineups with varying strengths could turn the Hawks into a difficult team for which to gameplan. Amaan Sandhu and Jaret Valencia, two other freshmen, also contribute in this area with positional size. They stand at 7-0 and 6-9, respectively.
The Outlook
Monmouth is a challenging team to project this season.
On one hand, the Hawks have been successful recently under Rice’s leadership. On the other, they migrate to a new conference and lack proven talent. Ruth and Foster are the only returners who appeared in 20-plus games last season. Not only will they need to make sizeable strides, but the Hawks also need a supporting cast to arise.
Monmouth’s inexperience is concerning. During Rice’s tenure, the Hawks have posted a 124-64 (.660) record in six seasons when ranking top-130 in KenPom’s experience statistic. They are only 58-103 (.360) in seasons when they’re younger than that. Bart Torvik projects Monmouth to have the 29th-lowest percentage of minutes returning for this season — so perhaps buckle up for a bumpy ride.
This season feels like an opportunity for Monmouth’s young core to prove its value, but the adjustment period could be too much to overcome in Year 1 of its CAA era. The Hawks might be a year away from rising in the Colonial standings.
