JERSEY CITY, N.J. – With the official start of the 2020-21 collegiate basketball season less than three weeks away, the Saint Peter's University men's basketball program saw its finish from the end of its interrupted-but-historic 2019-20 campaign recognized in the form of three selections to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Preseason All-Conference Teams, which were unveiled on Thursday night via the league's Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3.
Rising junior forward
KC Ndefo, last year's MAAC Defensive Player and Sixth Player of the Year, represented Saint Peter's on the 2020-21 All-MAAC Preseason First Team to headline the Peacocks' trio of preseason all-league selections. The Elmont, New York, native was an All-MAAC Third Team pick at the conclusion of the regular season last winter and was an instrumental force in what was the program's best year in conference play in a decade, culminating in a run to the league tournament's semifinal round before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the cancelation of the remainder of the postseason.
Leading Saint Peter's in scoring (8.5), rebounding (5.3), blocks (67), and steals (40) last year, Ndefo ranked first in the MAAC in blocked shots per game (2.4) and total blocks while ranking 23rd and 25th nationally in each category, respectively, to cement his status as the league's elite defender. He tied the program's single-season record in blocks-per-game average and his total blocks figure ranked second on the single-season all-time ledger. Ndefo also became the fastest Peacock in team history to reach 100 career blocks, and his 123 total career rejections to date currently sit fifth in the all-time standards. He also ranked eighth in the MAAC averaging 1.4 steals per contest, making him the only player in the league to rank in the top-10 in both blocks and steals.
Joining Ndefo as preseason all-league selections were rising sophomores
Daryl Banks III and
Doug Edert, each of which was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team. The pair of guards were part of a freshman class that contributed all over the floor during last year's 18-win campaign and were both named to the 2019-20 All-MAAC Rookie Team for their efforts. They were two of a league-record five Peacocks who, at one point last season, earned MAAC Rookie of the Week accolades.
Banks was one of three Peacocks who started in over 20 games and appeared in all 30 last winter, logging the second-most minutes on the team (664/22.1 per game) when it was all said and done. He averaged just under eight points per match (7.6) while hauling in 49 boards (1.6 per game) and dishing 37 assists (1.2). On the defensive end, the Los Angeles product added 23 steals and one block and led Saint Peter's in scoring four times with eight double-digit scoring outputs. One of Banks' fondest memories from his rookie campaign was his career-high 25-point outing that featured a dramatic, coast-to-coast buzzer-beating basket to stun Iona on the road in the Peacocks' league opener, one that ignited the program to one of its best seasons in conference play in the past decade.
Rounding out the Peacocks' preseason all-league members is Edert, who emerged as one of the nation's top sharpshooters from outside the arc last year. Leading the team with 53 triples while ranking second in the MAAC in 3-point shooting (44.2%), Edert was the national leader in 3-point shooting percentage through late December, at one point nearly converting 60 percent of his attempts. The Garden State native was one of five Peacocks to appear in all 30 games while ranking third on the team in scoring (7.8). He finished the year shooting an even 44.0 percent from the floor while knocking down nearly 77 percent from the stripe. He was also of two players to score in double-figures more than 10 times last winter while recording 10 games in double-digit scoring figures. His seven triples made in a rivalry win over Rider in late February represented the most by a single player in a game since 2013.
Bolstered by arguably the league's top defense and an extremely well-balanced roster that features seven players who appeared in over 20 games, the Peacocks are looking to finish what they started from a year ago when they finished a game out of first place in the MAAC standings. Saint Peter's was predicted to finish in a tie for third per the league's preseason coaches' poll, which was also unveiled Thursday night.
2020-21 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll:
1 Siena 121 (11)
2 Iona 103
T3 Saint Peter's 89
T3 Monmouth 89
5 Manhattan 77
6 Niagara 63
7 Quinnipiac 54
8 Fairfield 39
9 Marist 36
10 Canisius 31
11 Rider 24
