8. Wagner
The past two years have been nothing short of a fall from grace for the Wagner Seahawks. After claiming the NEC regular-season championship in 2016 and 2018, head coach Bashir Mason’s program went 13-17 in 2018-19 – and followed that up with an 8-21 record last season.
The Seahawks did experience some success last season, including a solid non-conference victory over Saint Peter’s and a sweep over Mount St. Mary’s. And, there is some hope for Wagner – they return four starters from last season’s squad, including Alex Morales, who averaged nearly 14 points a game on a 44% shooting clip.
But they will have to improve on their record without Curtis Cobb III, who graduated after averaging a team-high 16.2 points last season. Cobb, the fifth-leading scorer in the conference in 2019-20, was also the team’s best three-point shooter at 38%.
Thankfully, for Mason, this is a senior-laden squad with the experience needed to make this a successful swan song. In addition to Morales – who also led the team in rebounds per game (5.8) and assists per game (3.1), the Seahawks also return an experienced backcourt of Elijah Ford (9.5 ppg), Will Martinez (6.2), and Chase Freeman (6.2).
The frontcourt is absurdly talented – Freeman, Morales, and Martinez all registered 80 or more assists last season – which leaves some questions regarding the production of Wagner’s backcourt. If the backcourt can consistently score, this team should have no issues qualifying for the NEC Tournament.
Mason is no stranger to success with the Seahawks, and there should not be many causes for concern. The two-time NEC Coach of the Year has some impressive wins under his belt, including over UConn, St. Bonaventure, Vermont, and SMU.
Considering this year’s senior-laden group, however, this could be the last attempt for a successful season before a rebuilding year. Mason – one of the youngest coaches in college basketball at 36 – used to be one of the hottest up-and-coming names in college hoops during Wagner’s reign as an NEC power a few years back, and this could be his return to that title.