2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Digital Program

FEATURE STORY

on an eight-game exhibition tour through Japan. The team traveled to six cities over a 14-day period, making stops in Fukuokam Kobe, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Fukui. Seven years later during the summer of 2005, Ensor and the MAAC would again sponsor a men’s basketball All-Star Tour, this time taking 12 student-athletes from the 10 member institutions on a two-week, seven game exhibition tour of China. Since, the MAAC has partnered with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Sports Changes Life to host two Belfast Classics (2018 and 2019) in Northern Ireland and will co-host the MAAC/ASUN Dublin Challenge in Dublin, Ireland and London Basketball Classic in London, England both in the fall of 2022. Ensor has also put the MAAC on a national and regional broadcast scene, showcasing the league’s premiere sports through top networks such as ESPN, MSG Network, SportsChannel-NY, to name a few. During his first year at the helm of the conference, Ensor signed a television deal with SportsChannel, allowing the company to broadcast eight men’s basketball games during the 1988-89 season. By 1995, that quantity would increase to 19 men’s games and five women’s game, which included the women’s semifinals and championship game. Shortly after, in the summer of 1995, Ensor and the MAAC would agree on an unprecedented eight appearances nationally on ESPN and ESPN2, also featuring the women’s basketball championship airing live on ESPN2 for the first time ever. By 2011, Ensor, the MAAC and ESPN would announce a six-year rights agreement extension for enhanced coverage of MAAC men’s and women’s basketball across multiple platforms, with the deal featuring a record of 80 national appearances over 40 scheduled contests – the most ever for the MAAC. The conference would continue

to grow its partnership with ESPN in May 2014 with the launch of the MAAC branded ESPN3 channel and school produced ESPN3 broadcasts. In May 2016, Ensor embarked on a new eight-year agreement with ESPN to include broadcast annually on ESPN2, ESNPU, ESPN3, and ESPN+ including men' and women's basketball and championships from ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. The deal also catapulted ESPN3 school productions in which all MAAC member institutions will have fully operational ESPN facilities/trucks and each school produces and transmits their own broadcast to ESPN. The agreement to have school’s producing upwards to 600 broadcasts a year by 2025-26, was exceeded in 2021-22, with MAAC schools producing a conference-record 646 total ESPN productions. Ensor is a 1975 graduate of MAAC charter member, Saint Peter’s University (formerly College). In 1982, he was awarded a Master's degree in sports management with honors from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and in 1987 he graduated from Seton Hall University's School of Law and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in June of that year. Ensor has served in many administrative capacities in college sports prior to his time as MAAC Commissioner, including positions at his alma mater, Saint Louis University and Seton Hall University.

2023 post season awards show Wednesday, March 8 10:30am Adrian phillips theater jim whelan boardwalk hall Coaches of the Year Players of the Year Tune in as the MAAC announces its: Rookies of the year 6th Players of the year Defensive Players of the Year LIVE ON

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JIM WHELAN BOARDWALK HALL | ATLANTIC CITY

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