Legacy of Coach Street

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Overall, I would say it was a disappointing season for us. We played well at times, but our inability to take care of the basketball was our achilles heal. We finished 10-18 overall 6-12 in conference play. Sophomore sg Shon Neely 11.2 ppg and jr sf Aaron McCuthison 11.1 ppg led our team in scoring. We had 3 players average 4 rebounds a game, and as a team we ranked 3rd in rebounding in our conference. We also finished 2nd in our conference in fg% as a team, 49%... We also had the second most turnovers per game at 16.9... Junior Mark Bergmann was the biggest surprise of the season. He started the season as our primary big man reserve. However, due to the ineffective play of incumbent starter Rudy Gooden (2.9ppg, 2.5 rpg) Bergmann became the starter. He finished the season as our leading rebounder and proved he would be in the mix for a starting spot next season. Our starting guards really need to do a better job of protecting the basketball. Both averaged over 3 turnovers per game. Our team MVP was Shon Neely... No player from our team recieved any national or conference awards or honors... 3 seed Michigan State would go on to win the National Championsip... Sophomore Kenneth Moore from Georgetown won the prestigious Norton Award as the nations top player. He averaged 26 ppg and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game, from the 2 guard position... Coach of the year honors went to Florida's Eric Crudup. He led the Gators to a 34-5 record and an appearance in the National Championship game...

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Heading into his second year as the head coach of Rider, Mike Street says he feels the program is moving in the right direction. Yes, last year was not as successful as Rider would have hoped, but it feels as if they have started to lay the foundation for success. That foundation was built on defense. Rider has earned a reputation as a hard nosed, physical defense, and that should continue heading into Street's 2nd year. Hopefully, for Street's sake, the results will show up a little more in the win column this season... The Broncs return 4 of 5 starters and all of their key reserves. Rider's biggest problem last season was in its inability to protect the basketball. They ranked near the bottom of the MAAC in turnovers. Offensively Rider will once again rely on the athletic Shon Neely and the leadership of Aaron McCuthison...

Key Departures

PF Trent Joyce 28.8 minutes per game, 6.3 ppg, 5 rebounds per game...

New Arrivals

Center Travis McFadden 6'8" 253 lbs, WSSN National Rank: 1091.

Power Forward Jelani Hamilton 6'6" 196 lbs, WSSN National Rank: 1490.

Starters and Key Contributors

PG: Keith Walk, sr 6'5" 185lbs. 8.5ppg, Walk will need to do a better job of protecting the basketball. Last year he led the conference in turnovers. Walk's biggest strength is his size. His long arms help him on the defensive end, as players have to shoot three pointers over his outstretched arms. This helped the Broncs lead the MAAC in opponents 3pt %.

SG: Shon Neely, jr 6'5" 192lbs. 11.2 ppg, Neely is coming off a very successful sophomore campaign. Last season he shot over 50% from the field and 45% from behind the arc. Combine that with his freakish athletic ability, and you have one of the most exciting and dangerous offensive weapons in the MAAC.

SF: Aaron McCuthison, sr 6'6" 240lbs. 11.1ppg, McCuthison brings a wealth of experience to the Broncs. He has been a starter since the start of his freshman season. Coach Street will once again lean on McCuthison to help out in a multitude of ways both offensively and defensively. McCuthison is also a 2 time academic all-American sporting a 3.9 gpa.

PF: Donald Felder, jr 6'6" 223lbs. Last season Felder saw action in 16 games for the Broncs. Felder's impact will most likely be felt on the glass. Last season Rider finished 3rd in the conference in rebounding and Felder will play big role in where they finish in rebounding this season.

C: Mark Bergmann, sr 6'10" 276lbs. 5.8ppg. Bergmann started last season in a backup role, but due to ineffectiveness at the position he was inserted in the starting lineup. He would go on to lead the team in rebounding. Bergmann brings size inside and should become one of the best rebounders in the MAAC.

6th: Gavin Wilson, sg, so 6'2" 182lbs. 4.2ppg. Wilson was a pleasant surprise last season. Due to injuries he saw his playing increase and he responded in a big way. He shot over 47% and 40% from the 3pt line. He also provided a spark on the defensive end with his quick hands and anticipation in jumping the passing lanes.

7th: Roshown Sims, sf, sr 6'8" 238lbs. 4.0ppg. Sims has the versatility to play on the wing or down on the block, making him a valuable sub for the Broncs. Last season he shot a robust 64% from the field and a just as impressive 57% from downtown.

8th: Kerwin Seegars, pg, 6'1" 208lbs. 3.5ppg. Last seasons prized recruit, Seegars freshman season was hampered by injuries, including a foot sprain and a hamstring injury. Seegars did show incredible range and was a solid defender during his first season in Lawrenceville.

Strengths: Last season Rider was one of the best shooting and rebounding teams in the MAAC. Look for them to once again be one of the more consistent shooting teams in the conference. Rider will once again lean on its defense to lead them to wins.

Weakness: Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Last season Rider was one of the worst teams at protecting the basketball. The Broncs will have to cut down the turnovers this season if they wish to make any noise in the conference.

Prediction: Rider has gone from a young team to an experienced team ready to make win some games in the MAAC. If Rider can cut down on the turnovers and can continue to shoot the ball, rebound, and defend as well as last season, they should be able to contend with the top teams in the conference. record: 13-14, conference 9-9, 6th in conference.

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We enter this season with 3 scholarships available. We have chosen to only purchase one scouting guide, the atlantic east region gold scouting report. We have $77,000 to spend on our recruiting efforts. We will not be attending any national or regional camps. Once again our recruiting focus will be within the state of New Jersey... After reading through reports, talking with various sources, and watching a ton of film, we have a list of 12 high school seniors we feel we are capable of landing. We could use some help in the backcourt, so we will focus mainly on landing some guards. We will also need help at the 3, since our two top small forwards will be leaving this season (McCuthison and Sims)... The player that we have rated at the top of our board is sg Michael King. He is an athletic 2 that could also the point duties if need be. I really like his range. His defense leaves a little to be desired, but he has quick feet and with the proper coaching, I could see him developing into a good defender... A few other players that seem like good fits with our program include 6'5" pg Lavell Jessup, 6'5" sg Kenyon Charles, and 6'4" sg Jacob Wood. None of these players are ranked very high nationally, but they are all players that we may be able to sign...


A few weeks on the recruiting trail, we have offered all 3 of our available scholarships. We offered sg Mike King (position rank 100), pg Lavell Jessup (pos rank 252), and sg Kenyon Charles (pos rank 141). If we could land at least two of these players I would consider it a successful recruiting year... Unfortunately, it will not be a successful recruiting season because weeks later King and Jessup both decide that Rider is not the right fit for them. To add salt on the wound, King signed with conference foe Siena. At the moment we would only offer 1 of the now remaining 2 scholarships available. We offered 6'0" pg/sg Lawrence Collins. Collins height is a concern of mine, but assistant coach Mark Bekale really liked this kids game. He does have a high motor and good court vision. He was ranked as the 250 best prospect at the 2 position... It looks as if we have a good chance at landing shooting guard Kenyon Charles. He is very athletic with a shot to match. He has a good handle and has averaged 16ppg for Ocean City High... Currently, as a staff we are undecided if we will offer our last remaining scholarship before the end of the season, try to land a transfer, or sit on it until next season...

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Our season would open up with a home game against VMI. Sophomore shooting guard Gavin Wilson would lead the way with 16 points. He was 6-7 from the field, including 4-4 from deep. Another encouraging sign was senior pg Keith Walk's ability to protect the basketball. Last season, Walk was reckless with the basketball, averaging over 3 turnovers a game. In the season opener, Walk only committed 1 turnover. We would roll in this one 61-47... We would start the season at 2-2. Through the first four games our defense was really impressive. Opponents have not shot well against us. In our 2 loses, our offense went cold. Senior sf Aaron McCuthison seemed like a man on a mission to start the season. He was leading our team in scoring and the intensity he brought on the defensive end was contagious...

We would go 3-2 over the last 5 games of nonconference play, bringing our record to 5-4... Overall, I have really been impressed with the level of our defense. Opponents were averaging 59 points per game, while shooting just 44% against us... McCuthison was leading our team in scoring, averaging 12ppg. Junior Shon Neely started off the season rather slowlyand has been very inconsistent thus far. However, he is still second on our team in scoring at 10.6 ppg. Senior power forward, Donald Felder has been a pleasant surprise to begin the season. He has been an absolute beast on the boards averaging over 6 rpg. The best news I could deliver was the fact that our turnovers have been down this season. We were still turning the rock over more than I want, but ball security has been much improved to begin the season... I have been very disappointed in the play of sophomore backup point guard Kerwin Seegars. He has struggled to find any rhythm thus far offensively... Heading into conference play I am very encouraged by our teams play. We were picked to finish 6th in the conference, but I wouldn't be surprised to compete for the top spot this season... On a recruiting note, shooting guard Lawrence Collins has verbally committed to join our program... We still have 1 scholarship on the table, sg Kenyon Charles. It looks as if we have a great chance to land him as well...

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We enter conference play with a 5-4 record. I have a strong feeling that we will do some damage in the MAAC... Conference didnt start off so well for us. We dropped our conference opener 69-56 on the road against conference favorite Monmouth. It was a terrible night shooting for us, hitting for just 38% from ththe field... Our record through the first 4 conference games was 1-3, with loses coming against Monmouth, Saint Peters, and Marist. Our win came against Farfield... Through the first 4 conference games I really liked the way we were protecting the basketball. Of course, we were still throwing the ball away more than I wanted, but I didnt feel our turnovers were the primary cause for our poor start...


On a recruiting note, we were able to sign sg, Kenyon Charles. He was having a great senior season, averaging 16ppg. Unfortunately for us, the WSSN had him rated as a 2 star recruit, ranked 1367 nationally. I think we have a gem on our hands with this kid, so Im glad Kenyon's not getting any national pub, because we would have probably lost him... We have 2 players coming in next season, and we still have a scholarship to offer. As a staff we decided against offering our final scholarship. We will either try to land a transfer or hold that offer until next recruiting season...

We would pick up some steam, winning 3 straight games, raising our conference record to 4-3 and within striking distance of the conference leaders, albeit early on... Senior pg, Keith Charles was playing his best ball of the season during our 3 game win streak, scoring 20, 19, and 13 points respectively... Following our 3 game winning streak, things went south just as fast. We went on to lose 3 in a row, 2 of the 3 were home loses. We need to play better at home. The ebb and flow of the season continued with 2 consecutive wins, against Marist (the worst team in our conference) and Monmouth. Of course after a 2 game win streak, what else but a 2 game losing streak...

Freshman center, Travis McFadden was lost in the sauce. Coming into this season I thought we would be able to rely on McFadden to give us some quality minutes off the bench. It turned out, we would have been better off redshirting him. He came in out of shape, had a bad attitude, and an even worse work ethic. He has only aappeared in 2 games thus far, and has only logged 7 minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if he transferred at the end of the semester. Of course Im not that lucky, and I'll be stuck with this dog for 3 more seasons.

We would close the regular season portion of conference play the same way we opened it, going 1-3. To make matters worse, we ended the season on a 3 game skid.We would finish with a regular season conference record of 7-11, 12-15 overall. We will enter the conference tournament as the 9th seed and square off against the 8th seeded Siena Saints...

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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament kicks off from Albany, New York this thursday, March 3rd. Once again this tournament will be up for grabs, as there are several teams that could capture the crown. Iona, last years tourney champs, and Niagara finished 1 and 2 during the regular season. Both teams finished with 13-5 conference records. Saint Peters, Monmouth, and Canisius are three teams capable of getting hot and making a run in this tournament...

We pick uup our coverage with a matchup between the 8 seed Siena Saints and the 9 seed Rider Broncs. These two squads only played once during the regular season, with Siena winning by double digits 65-54...We pick this one up early in the 1st half, with senior center Marc Bergmann of Rider collect the offensive rebound (he had 3 off boards) and is fouled as he dunks it home for an and one. However, Rider would be cold from downtown, only hitting 1 all game (1-12) and enter halftime trailing 32-28... Rider came out strong defensively in the second half, this steal by sr pg Keith Walk leads to an easy transition basket plus the foul for jr sg Shon Neely. Rider would get to the free throw line a whopping 43 times, making 37. Siena coach Cam Roe would lose his cool and pick up a technical foul, as Rider would begin to pull away in this one, winning 60-51. Marc Bergmann would be chosen as the player of the game for his efforts. He finished with 9pts, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks... Up next for the Broncs, the top seeded Iona Gaels...

Rider and Iona square off for the right to advance to the semifinals of the MAAC. These 2 teams split their regular season matchups. Iona freshman Lazelle Brown would start off hot, scoring 7 of the Gaels first 10 points. He would finish the game with a game high 24pts. Iona would lead this one from beginning to end, winning easily 75-53. Iona's largest lead in this one was 26 and they dominated the paint, scoring 24 inside. Iona was red hot throughout the day hitting shots at a clip of 62%... For the Broncs, sophomore reserve sg Gavin Wilson led the way, scoring 20pts... Rider's season ends, while the Gaels will advance to take on 4th seeded Monmouth...

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I think our team made some strides this season. Unfortunately, I cannot honestly say it was a successful year for us. Another losing season, but we did improve our record from last season from 10-18, to 13-16. However, I still think we could have done better this season. We played well at time throughout the course of the season, but we were plagued by inconsistent play. We finished 7-5 at home, we need to improve our play at home in order to advance our program... Our leading scorers were once again jr sg Shon Neely 11.2ppg and sr sf Aaron McCuthison 10.9ppg. As a team we really struggled shooting the basketball. We were ranked 10th (out of 11) in our conference in fg%. Our best shooter was backup sophomore shooting guard Gavin Wilson, 59% and 57% from 3pt range... I was really disappointed with the play of senior pg Keith Walk. He never really found any consistency during the year. He showed glimpses of good play, but he closed out the season only scoring in double digits only twice in the last 13 games of the season. He also turned the ball over like crazy down the stretch. Once again junior sg Shon Neely took home our MVP Award. He had another solid season. His shooting percentages were down from last season, but he finished 2nd in the conference in free throw attempts and makes...

We really need to start doing a better job recruiting. We are losing 3 starters (pg Walk, sf McCuthison, and c Bergmann) and a key reserve (sf Sims). I do not think we have adequate replacements waiting to fill their spots. Sophomore point guard Kerwin Seegars has been a disappointment thus far. He is constantly hampered by injuries and inconsistent play. Freshman center Travis McFadden was a complete waste this season. He only appeared in 2 games all season. I feel that we may even be taking a few steps back next season. Also, all of our assistant coaches have expiring contracts. I am unsure whether or not I will retain any of them. None have really impressed me during the last 2 seasons, but I am a little hesitant on bringing in a completely new staff...

Nationally, UConn captured the National Championship. They went on an incredible run during the second half of the season, winning 18 straight games en route to a 72-71 victory over Florida (the Gators second consecutive appearance in title game) in the title game. Freshman sg Dorien Kern from Cincinnati captured the Norton Award as the nations top player. He had an outstanding freshman campaign, averaging 26.4 ppg. Kentucky coach Preston Beck was named coach of the year, after leading Kentucky to a 32-5 record and trip to the elite 8... Iona won our conference tournament and was awarded a 15 seed in the NCAA tournament, they would lose in the first round. None of our player captured any national or conference awards or honors.

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This is a critical offseason for us. The first order of business was deciding on what to do with my coaching staff. All 3 of my assistant coaches contracts expired. As I mentioned earlier, none of the three have really impressed me with their coaching abilities. In the end, I decided it would be best for our program to part ways with all three of them... After weeks of interviews, I feel as if I have the right staff in place. My new 1st assistant is Donnie Crosby. Crosby is an older coach, 63yrs old, so I'm not counting on him for the long haul. He does however bring with him a wealth of knowledge of the game, with over 40 years coaching in the college ranks. His last job was as an assistant coach at Boston University. His primary responsibility will be scouting... My 2nd assistant is Jon Peppers. Peppers is another older coach, but I can see him staying with us a littler longer. He is 59 yrs old and his primary duty will be recruiting. Peppers is a well respected coach, having spent time in both the NBA and college. He comes to Rider after spending the last 5 seasons on the staff of DePaul... I hired 39yr old Tyrone Denson as my 3rd assistant. His strength as a coach is in player development and his primary responsibility will be handling our practices. This is Denson's 7 season in coaching. Previously he held a position on the staff at Xavier. Denson spent 6 seasons playing in the NBA...

Freshman center Travis McFadden informed me that he was intending on transferring. This does not come as a huge surprise to me, as the two of us have never been on the same page. I feel he has some potential as a player, but he needs to improve his work ethic. I tried to convince him to stay with our program, but it seemed as if his mind was already made up. I granted him his release from his scholarship at Rider. He ended up transferring to Howard University. Although not one of my favorite players, he does leave us a little short handed in the front court heading into the season... We also landed 2 transfers. First we signed point guard Cole Rolle. He is from nearby Mullica Hill, New Jersey. He is heading into his junior season, after playing the last two seasons at conference rival Monmouth. He was Monmouth starting point guard the last 2 seasons. I feel Rolle will help us once he is eligible to play. He gave us fits over the last two seasons as a member of Monmouth with his ability to get to the basket and distribute the ball... We also signed another transfer. 6'4" shooting guard Jason Webb. Landing Webb was a bit of a surprise to us. He hails from Windsor, Connecticut and spent the last 2 seasons at Hartford. I really didn't think he would want to leave the New England area, but I am happy he decided to. New assistant Donnie Crosby was the major reason behind Webb landing at Rider. Crosby recruited him out of high school and even though Webb has yet to appear in a collegiate game, Crosby was very high on this kid... I also received word that center Ben Walton has been ruled academically ineligible. This hurts because combined with the loss of transfer McFadden and the now ineligible Walton, this leaves us extremely thin at the center position. Walton was a key reserve for us last season, averaging 10 minutes per game. He was expected to be our clubs starting center this season...

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We need to start bringing in some better talent at Rider. Thus far are recruiting classes have been subpar. During the offseason we replaced our recruiting coordinator, so hopefully this change in direction will yield some more positive results on the recruiting trail. Heading into the season we have 3 scholarships to offer. We really need some depth at the 4 and 5 positions. Coach Crosby has spent the last decade coaching up in the northeastern corridor, so hopefully the relationships he has built in that area will net us a larger recruiting range. Heading into my 3rd season as head coach of Rider we have not, as of yet, signed a prospect outside of the state of New Jersey. This needs to change this season... The prospect we have at the top of our board is center Russell McDonald from Hanover, New Hampshire. He isn't a great scorer, but he has excellent court vision for a big and gets at it aggressively on the defensive end. He is not highly ranked nationally. The WSSN has him listed as the 1057th best prospect in the nation... Another big we have ranked high on our board is center DJ Gates, from Princeton, New Jersey. He is ranked 1123rd best prospect in the nation, according to the WSSN. He is has long arms and can run the floor pretty well for a big... We also have some interest in a few point guards and small forwards. Hopefully, this recruiting season can bring better results than our last couple.

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Heading into his 3rd season at the helm, Coach Street and the Rider Broncs will be looking to contend for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown. However, Street will need to replace 3 of the 5 starters and overcome their apparent lack of size. Rider plays a physical brand of basketball, especially in the defensive zone and it should be no different this season. Although Rider makes its bones on the defensive end, this years iteration should be able to provide some more offensive firepower than in years in past. Senior shooting guard Shon Neely looks poised to have a big senior season. Neely, the 2 time Rider MVP will be moving to the 3 this season. This could hurt the team on the glass, as the 6'5" Neely will have to battle bigger opponents for rebounds. He moves to the 3 in order to get junior Gavin Wilson into the lineup at the 2. Wilson was a key contributor last season coming off the bench last season, and his productivity should rise as he is inserted into the starting lineup. Once prized recruit pg Kerwin Seegars will finally get his chance to prove his worth as he becomes the man to lead Street's team. Rider will be without expected starting center Ben Walton, at least for the first semester of the season, due to academic ineligibility...

Key Departures

SF Aaron McCuthison: last season stats: 10.9ppg, 4rpg, 1.3apg... career 12.5ppg, 4.3rpg,1.7apg... McCuthison was a 4 year starter and the leader of the team. He is currently playing pro basketball in Turkey.

PG Keith Walk: Last season stats: 8.4ppg, 3.3apg... A 2 year starter at pg, Walk had some turnover issues throughout his career, but excelled on the defensive side of the ball thanks to his 6'5" frame. Walk is currently playing pro basketball in the NBDL.

C Marc Bergmann: last season stats:6.4ppg, 4.7 rpg... Bergmann was inserted into the starting lineup midway through his junior season. He provided Rider with some stability inside.

SF Roshon Sims: last season stats: 3ppg, 14.7min per game...

C Travis McFadden: last season stats: 2 games played. McFadden played sparingly his freshman season before transferring to Howard University.


New Arrivals:

Lawrence Collins: pg, 6'0" 173lbs, East Brunswick, NJ, WSSN nat rank:1228

Kenny Charles: sg, 6'5" 203lbs, Ocean City, NJ. WSSN national rank: 1367

Cole Role (transfer, ineligible this season): jr, pg, 6'2" 200lbs, Monmouth

Jason Webb (transfer, ineligible this season): so, sg, 6'4" 184lbs, Hartford


Rider 8 Deep:


PG: Kerwin Seegars, jr 6'1" 208lbs, 3.1ppg. A once highly recruited player, Seegars has yet to live up to his billing. Kerwin will finally have his opportunity to prove he was worthy of all the acclaim coming out of high school. Seegars has great range and is a very capable ball handler. Thus far injuries and inconsistency has hampered him throughout his career.

SG: Gavin Wilson, jr 6'2" 173lbs, 5.8ppg. Wilson has always provided a spark offensively off the bench for Street. This season he will be counted on even more as a starter. Wilson's play on the court, on both ends, could be a huge factor in determining the amount of success Rider has on the court this season. Wilson's strength is in his ability to put the basket in the hole.

SF: Shon Neely, sr 6'5" 194lbs, 11.2ppg. Neely, the 2 time team MVP, will have to expand his level of play in all areas of his game, with the loss of team leader, Aaron McCuthison. Neely will be moving to the 3 this season, so he will be playing out of position but his athleticism should help him battle for rebounds against taller players. Neely can play himself on the radar of NBA scouts with a strong senior season.

PF: Donald Felder, sr 6'6" 223lbs, 4ppg. Felder is an important cog on the defensive side for Rider. He doesn't have the size as most 4s in the conference, but he has a nonstop motor and a tremendous work effort. Coach Street raves about Felder's hustle, "D-Feld is a ball of energy, he's nonstop, intense, and nasty. I love it", Street says.

C: Marcus Shannon, so(r) 6'8" 254lbs. Shannon was redshirted last season. He was expected to come off the bench for Rider, but due to Ben Walton's eligibility issues, and Travis McFadden's transfer, Shannon is thrust into the starting lineup. Coach Street says that he expects Shannon to be among the leaders in the MAAC in rebounding. That's high praise, or expectations, for a guy who has only played in 3 career college games entering this year.

6th: Kenyon Charles, fr sg, 6'5" 203lbs. Freshman Kenny Charles will enter the season as the first man off Street's bench. Charles was a prolific scorer during his high school days at Ocean City High, Ocean City, NJ. He will be asked to provide scoring punch off the bench for the Broncs. He has great range and can handle the basketball well. Street says he will play Charles at the 1,2,and 3 this season.

7th: Jamal Hall, jr, sg 6'5" 218lbs. Hall saw limited action during his first two season at Rider. This season should see his role expand and he will get the chance to show his skill. Hall is one of the more athletic players on the team and should benefit in the open court after turnovers and outlet passes.

8th: Rudy Gooden, sr, pf/c, 6'8" 196lbs. Gooden, a one time starter for the Broncs, will be the primary reserve big man off the bench this season. He doesn't rebound particularly well, but he does have soft hands and can hit the 15 footer consistent.

Strengths: Rider should be one of the best shooting and one of the most athletic teams in the MAAC. Tough, strong defense has been a staple of Rider basketball since Coach Street took over 3 seasons ago. This year the team looks like it should be able to provide some offense to match.

Weaknesses: Size. Rider is a very small team. They have no players over 6'8" (Ben Walton is 6'10" but is ineligible to start season), and only 2 players 6'8". Rebounding could be an issue for this squad.

Prediction: This Rider team should be the most balanced team Street has had during his tenure. They should be able to score enough to compete with any team in the conference, and their defense is good enough to shut down any conference foe. record: 16-11, 11-7 in conference, 3rd in conference.