Manhattan University Athletics

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Owning a 2-0 record for the first time under head coach Steve Masiello, Manhattan will take on George Washington at Draddy Gymnasium in the Jaspers' home opener on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

On November 9, the Jaspers stunned La Salle in double overtime and three days later downed Columbia on an improbable three-point play by George Beamon with 0.5 seconds on the clock. That gave Manhattan a 71-70 victory and a 2-0 record heading into Saturday's game with George Washington.

THE MATCHUP
Although the series between Manhattan and George Washington began in 1948, the two teams have only played five times. The Colonials lead the series 3-2 after winning last year's contest, 67-55 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Manhattan's last victory came in the 1955-56 season by a score of 71-63.

ALVARADO NAMED MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Manhattan senior guard Michael Alvarado gained his first career MAAC Player of the Week award after a terrific all-around game in the Jaspers' 99-90 double-overtime victory at La Salle last Saturday. It is Alvarado's first career MAAC Player of the Week award. He earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors twice during his freshman season of 2010-11. Alvarado is the first Jasper to earn MAAC Player of the Week honors since George Beamon on November 26, 2012. In what was the season opener for both teams, Alvarado made five of eight field goals, five of six from the free throw line to score 16 points. He also had eight rebounds from the guard spot and handed out a team-high six assists.

HOME, SWEET, HOME
Draddy Gymnasium has played host to several Jasper victories and memorable moments since it opened in 1978. Manhattan holds a 247-178 all-time record at Draddy Gymnasium.

MANHATTAN IN HOME OPENERS AT DRADDY
The Jaspers have won their last five home openers at Draddy Gymnasium, dating back to the 2008-09 season. Manhattan is 27-8 all-time in home openers at Draddy Gym.

FROM DOWNTOWN
Manhattan has shot the ball well from long range through the first two games. The Jaspers are shooting 56.4 percent from beyond the arc. Each of the six Manhattan players that have attempted a triple this year have made one. On the other end, Manhattan has limited opponents to 29.4 percent shooting from three-point range this season.

WELCOME BACK
The Jaspers return nine players from last year's team, including six players who have gained recognition from the conference during the past year:
Sr. Rhamel Brown 1st team preseason All-MAAC, 2nd team All-MAAC (2013), 2nd team All-Metropolitan, MAAC Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2013)
Sr. George Beamon 1st team preseason All-MAAC (2013), 1st team All-MAAC (2012), 2nd team All-Metropolitan (2012), 2nd team NABC All-District (2012), 3rd team All-MAAC (2011), 3rd team All-Metropolitan (2011)
Sr. Michael Alvarado 3rd team preseason All-MAAC (2013), 3rd team All-MAAC (2012), MAAC All-Rookie team (2011)
Jr. Emmy Andujar 3rd team preseason All-MAAC (2013), MAAC All-Rookie team (2012)
Jr. RaShawn Stores MAAC All-Rookie team (2013)
So. Shane Richards MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year (2013), MAAC All-Rookie team (2013)

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Of the 13 players on the Manhattan roster, nine hail from the greater New York metropolitan area, including eight from the five boroughs of New York City. The Jaspers also have players from New Jersey (Carlton Allen), Kentucky (Donovan Kates), Illinois (CJ Jones) and California (Adam Lacey). Below are the nine players from the New York City area and their respective high schools.

BEAMON IS BACK
Manhattan senior George Beamon has had a terrific first two games of the season, averaging 26 points in the Jaspers' first two contests, including a 28-point outburst at Columbia. In that game, he made six of nine from the field, three of three from three-point range and 13 of 14 from the foul line. With the 28-point effort, Beamon now ranks 10th all time at Manhattan in career scoring.

RHAMEL'S BLOCK PARTY
Senior Rhamel Brown had a strong game in the season opener, totaling 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, including a critical swat of a last-second jumper in the first overtime that kept the game tied. The program's all-time leader in blocked shots with 255, Brown is third among all MAAC players in career blocked shots.

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar posted his fourth career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at La Salle on Nov. 9. Andujar grabbed six offensive rebounds, shot 6-of-10 from the field and added three assists for good measure.

STORES RETURNS AFTER ALL-ROOKIE SEASON
Junior RaShawn Stores gave Manhattan 28 solid minutes off the bench in the 99-90 double-overtime win over La Salle on Nov. 9. Stores canned a pair of three-pointers and dished out five assists with only one turnover.

RICHARDS DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards has made 10 of his 15 three-pointers in the first two games of the season. Richards matched his career high with 19 points in Manhattan's last game at Columbia, drilling six of eight triples, including five in an electric first half.

PANKEY BACK ON THE COURT
Sophomore Ashton Pankey sat out last season after transferring from Maryland prior to the 2012-13 campaign. Against La Salle, Pankey stepped back on the court for the first time in two seasons. He has averaged 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first two contests, including seven points and six rebounds in the win at La Salle.

MR. JONES
Sophomore CJ Jones provided some quick offense off the bench in the first half for Manhattan at La Salle on Nov. 9. Jones canned both of his shots from the corner, including a corner three that was a part of a 6-0 run by Manhattan to tie the game at 27-27.

CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Manhattan has outrebounded opponents in each of its first two games and by an average of 42-32. Against La Salle, the Jaspers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Explorers 51-33 and 24-14 on the offensive boards.

JASPERS RANKED #11 IN LATEST MID-MAJOR POLL
In the latest mid-major poll released by CollegeInsider.com on November 11, Manhattan jumped up seven spots to #11 after starting the season at #18. The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast, Western Athletic.

MANHATTAN ATOP MAAC POLL
The Jaspers were picked atop the 2013-14 MAAC preseason poll, as voted by the conference's 11 head coaches. Defending champion Iona was picked second, followed by Canisius, Rider, Marist, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Niagara, Saint Peter's, Siena and Monmouth.

JASPERS ON TV IN 2013-14
Manhattan will have at least seven games on television in 2013-14. All remaining home games and select road contest will be available on JasperVision.TV in high definition:

WELCOME FRESHMEN
A pair of freshmen should also be vital contributors to the Jaspers' backcourt. Rich Williams is an explosive wing player who can score inside or outside. With a tremendous wingspan, Williams has the ability to create havoc defensively. Tyler Wilson is a cerebral point guard who is a terrific ball handler. A deft passer, Wilson can create his own shot and set up his teammates effectively. Freshman center Carlton Allen will also lend size and athleticism to the frontcourt. A Philadelphia-area product, Allen's high school coach was former NBA player Pervis Ellison. An agile athlete, Allen has the ability to alter shots near the hoop while finishing efficiently on the offensive end.

NEW FACES, OLD PLACES
There are two new, but familiar faces, on the Manhattan sidelines this season. Mathiew Wilson, formerly the director of basketball operations, was promoted to an assistant coach position on Steve Masiello's staff over the summer. Masiello then brought in former colleague Mike Bramucci to fill the director of operations slot. Bramucci and Masiello coached together at Manhattan College from 2001-03.

Roberto Colonette, a 2013 Manhattan College graduate and two-year letterwinner, is also on the staff this season as the team's strength and conditioning coach. Colonette is currently enrolled in the Manhattan College School of Continuing and Professional Studies, pursuing his Master's degree in organizational leadership.

WHAT'S A JASPER?
The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach.

Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan College baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when Manhattan College was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy as Manhattan came to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890s at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the “seventh inning stretch” spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.

FLORES NAMED TO MAAC HONOR ROLL
Former Manhattan standout Luis Flores '04 will be part of the MAAC Honor Roll, at the Basketball Hall of Fame, joining other Jasper greats Keith Bullock '93 and Jack Powers '58, who were inducted in the last two years. Flores is recognized as one of the greatest players in Manhattan College history, and helped engineer one of the greatest wins in school history. He scored 26 points to lead 12th-seeded Manhattan to a 75-60 victory over fifth-seeded Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2004.

BROWN, MAHONEY INDUCTED INTO MC HALL OF FAME
Former Manhattan greats Durelle Brown '01 and Charles Mahoney '75 were recently inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame. Brown ranks among the top 10 in field goals made and field goal percentage in a career. Fourth on the all-time points list with 1,634, Brown was also dominant on the boards, pulling down 6.1 per game in his junior and senior years. He was named first team All-MAAC during his junior and senior years and All-Metropolitan second team in 2000-01.

Mahoney set a Manhattan career assist record of 394 in only three years. The high school New York State Tournament State Championship MVP, Mahoney scored 389 points as a freshman and added 904 during his varsity years for a total of 1,293 points. Coaches and sportswriters alike considered Charlie one of the best point guards in the metropolitan area.

WATCH AND LISTEN ON GOJASPERS.COM
For the 16th year, Manhattan College men's basketball games will be broadcast live over the internet on GoJaspers.com. Manhattan College Hall of Famer Brian Mahoney returns as the color analyst, along side play-by-play broadcaster Christian Heimall. Each broadcast will begin with the “Steve Masiello Pre-Game Report” 15 minutes prior to tipoff.

108TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 108th season, the Manhattan College men's basketball program boasts a 1283-1148 overall record and 243-270 MAAC mark in 33 seasons as a conference member. The Jaspers storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and served a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.