America East Basketball: 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

9. KJ Maura

If you just looked at Maura, it was hard to tell that this 5’7 point guard from Puerto Rico could really play, but he certainly proved it in his college career. He was a minimal contributor at the beginning of his college days, spending a season at Abilene Christian. After transferring to College of Central Florida for his sophomore season, he spent his final two years with Ryan Odom at UMBC, with his career ending on quite the high note in 2018.

UMBC’s full-time starting point guard, his junior year numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page, but the Retrievers were getting 8.9 points and 4.3 assists per game out of Maura. He was an exceptional basketball player for his size and really showcased his skills as a senior. Not only would he average 11.3 points and 5.0 assists per game, but he was dynamic on the defensive end and also hit 43% of his 3-point attempts. Maura scored 10 points and was one of the big faces of UMBC’s historic upset of #1 Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Maura was the America East Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, a year where he led UMBC to that historic upset and led the conference in assists. He also led the league in steals as a junior and was a major presence, even at 5’7, for the Retrievers, both before and during their moment in the spotlight. This undersized guard from San Juan didn’t take the easy road but really excelled when he seized the opportunity with these Retrievers.