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| Kevin Baggett game plans with his core guys during the 2017-18 season. |
By Brandon Scalea
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. Rider basketball has summed this up over the last few years.
In four years’ time, the Broncs have been good, then bad, then decent, then really, really good. But four years in a row the team has exited the MAAC tournament in the quarterfinals. In this round of the winner-take-all conference playoff, head coach Kevin Baggett is 0-5 in his career. For a guy entering his seventh season—a 2-time MAAC Coach of the Year who is making over $220,000, according to The Rider News, decent MAAC money—when is enough considered enough?
Rider, the defending MAAC regular-season champion and NIT invitee, returns its starting five from last year. The Broncs won 22 games and went 15-3 in conference play in 2017-18. Non-conference resumè included wins over Penn State, George Washington, and California Irvine. Notably, if not for a selfish, last-second technical foul issued to Baggett, Rider could have also pulled off a remarkable road win over nationally ranked Providence.
Broncs’ fans who have been around long enough to be skeptical, who have seen the highs and lows, seemed convinced that season was the year their beloved team would get back to the NCAA tournament. After all, as the team continued to pile on wins, ESPN and CBS bracketology had Rider as a lock to get in—sometimes as high as a 12-seed. Rider fans started mentally preparing themselves for a first-round scuffle with the likes of Duke and Cincinnati.
After winning a thriller over second-place Canisius to all but earn the first seed in Albany, the Broncs seemed destined. But waiting in the quarterfinals was St. Peter’s and head coach John Dunne, Rider’s kryptonite. The Peacocks used stingy defense and a stifling full-court press to frustrate the Broncs year after year.
Baggett’s team saved their worst performance of the season for the game that mattered the most. I couldn’t even tell you the final score of the game because I have effectively suppressed it from my memory.
Iona went on to win the MAAC title game over a lesser opponent for seemingly the hundredth year in a row. To make matters worse, the Gaels went on to play Duke in the first round of NCAAs, so you almost found yourself rooting for them. OK, maybe not.
Last season, Rider had the dudes to not only get back to the NCAA tournament, but given the right opponent, possibly even make some noise. This year, there is no excuse. It is MAAC championship or bust.
Stevie Jordan has been the quarterback and heartbeat of the Bronc offense for the last 2 years. He has had his issues off the court, but there is never a doubt he is going to compete and give you a hell of an effort. Expect him to reach newer heights as an upperclassman.
What even needs to be said about Dimencio Vaughn? He was a legitimate MAAC Player of the Year candidate as a freshman, and he would have gotten my vote if I had one. If he can confirm as a sophomore that he is the real deal, Vaughn might even be a considerable NBA talent.
Then there is Jordan Allen, who is the best shooter in the conference, and I will not even hear an argument. Once he is feeling it, he will step back from Steph Curry range. This tends to drive Baggett crazy, but when Allen notches double-digit points before you can even blink, who will complain?
I will not forget to mention Tyere Marshall, who is automatic in the paint when he chooses to be. When he gets going, so does Rider’s offense as a whole. Devine Eke, a second-year transfer from Maine, adds depth.
This year’s non-conference slate includes powerhouse West Virginia, Central Florida (UCF), and Washington State. Good markers for where this team is really at, but we all know the only thing that matters is the conference tournament.
On Tuesday night, the Broncs took on UCF in Orlando. After claiming a lead in the later part of the first half, the Knights suddenly woke up and blew Rider's doors off. UCF won by double digits.
Time and time again, we are reminded that the MAAC is a one-bid league. *Laughs at the 2015-16 Monmouth Hawks.*
The last time Rider was in the NCAA Tournament was 3 years before the current senior class was even born. Do the math. That’s a long time ago.
This year is championship or bust. There is no excuse. Get it done, Broncs.
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