Towards the end of the 2023-24 season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced that two new teams would join the conference beginning with the 2024-25 season. As of July 1, Merrimack College Warriors and the Sacred Heart University Pioneers officially became full-time members of the MAAC, aligning with the conference in all the sports it sponsors, including basketball.
Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, the Sacred Heart Pioneers are joining the MAAC from the Northeast Conference, where they played for the past 25 seasons. A standout team at the Division II level during the 1970s and 1980s, including winning a national championship in 1986, the Pioneers have failed to capture that magic at the Division I level. While the team hasn’t produced any NBA talent, many have had lengthy careers worldwide, including 2014 Japanese B.League champion Kibwe Trim and Maltese national team member Tevin Falzon.
Currently coached by Anthony Latina, who is in his 11th year with the Pioneers, Sacred Heart has mostly fresh faces, as only five members of last season’s roster are coming back for this season. Redshirt junior Tanner Thomas is a player to watch after he averaged 10.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last year before an injury ended his season after only seven games. As for fresh faces on the team, a player to watch is junior guard Keyishon Miller, who averaged 18.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals last season for Northwest Kansas Technical College.
Also, moving to the MAAC from the NEC, Merrimack College is the furthest east team in North Andover, Massachusetts. The Warriors are a newer Division I team after joining at the start of the 2019-20 season. Merrimack has made a huge impact in five seasons, though, winning three NEC regular season championships and one NEC tournament championship. However, none of this success has resulted in tournament appearances due to NCAA rules regarding reclassification. Merrimack was ineligible for any postseason tournaments until the 2023-24 season.
Merrimack hasn’t produced an NBA player, but they are home to a few players who had careers overseas, including NBL Canadian champion Darren Duncan and Indonesian Basketball League all-star and Dominican Republic national team member Gelvis Solano.
Currently led by Joe Gallo, who is in his eighth season coaching the program, the Warriors have eight returning players from last season’s squad. Among those returning players is last season’s second-highest scorer and assists and steals leader Budd Clark, who will be in contention for an All-MAAC mention this season. Out of the new players, one to look out for is freshman Tye Dorset, who averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season for Lenape High School in New Jersey.
