Draddy Gym Set for 106th Battle of the Bronx Tuesday Night

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The 106th Battle of the Bronx pits 3-1 Manhattan against 2-2 Fordham as both teams have had impressive performances early this season. The Jaspers return from a 79-70 road win against Illinois State while Fordham has posted wins at home over St. Francis (Pa.) and Lehigh.

Manhattan has won nine of the last twelve meetings with Fordham, including last year's 65-58 victory at Rose Hill Gym. The Jaspers lead the crosstown rivalry 55-50 and have won four of the last five games with the Rams at Draddy Gym. Manhattan won the first matchup with Fordham by a score of 20-19 in the 1911-12 season.

BEAMON BEAMS BRIGHTLY
Manhattan senior George Beamon continued his terrific start to the season with a team-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals in an impressive all-around effort in the Jaspers' 79-70 win at Illinois State on November 20. It was the fourth straight 20+ point performance by Beamon to start the season. He made eight of his sixteen field goals and seven of nine from the free throw line. With the Jaspers ahead by four points with five minutes left and Illinois State making a run, Beamon rebounded a Manhattan miss on the weak side and in one motion, banked home a putback to put the Jaspers back ahead by six points. Manhattan's lead never dipped below five the rest of the way as Manhattan won its third straight road contest to open the season.

HOME, SWEET, HOME
The Jaspers are 16-9 under Steve Masiello at home since the start of the 2011-12 season. Manhattan holds a 247-179 all-time record at Draddy Gymnasium since it opened in 1978.

IT'S A START
Currently owners of a 3-1 record, Manhattan also began the 2011-12 season at 3-1. The Jaspers last started a season at 4-1 in 2002-03.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
Manhattan has outrebounded 40.0-34.8 so far this season. In the Nov. 20 game at Illinois State, the Jaspers outrebounded the Redbirds 46-32 and 17-7 on the offensive glass.

MANHATTAN VS. THE ATLANTIC 10
The Jaspers will play three of their first five games against members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Manhattan began its season with a 99-90 double-overtime victory at La Salle and dropped a home game to George Washington, 80-74 on Nov. 16.

JASPERS MOVE UP TO #10 IN MID-MAJOR POLL
In the latest mid-major poll released by CollegeInsider.com on November 25, Manhattan moved up a spot to #10, its high water mark this season. 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.

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. Five Jaspers hail from the Bronx.

BEAMON IS BACK
Manhattan senior George Beamon has had a terrific first four games of the season, averaging 27.5 points per game, including a season-high 34-point barrage in the Jaspers' last home game vs. George Washington. Beamon now ranks ninth on Manhattan's all-time scoring list, just behind former teammate Darryl Crawford '10.

RHAMEL'S BLOCK PARTY
Senior Rhamel Brown posted a double-double in Manhattan's 79-70 win at Illinois State on Nov. 20 with 14 points and 13 rebounds. It was his first double-double of the season and the 14th double-double of Brown's career. The Brooklyn native also blocked two shots and moved closer to second place on the MAAC's all-time blocked shots list.

MANHATTAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Through Monday, Nov. 24, the Jaspers are ranked among the national leaders in several categories.

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar scored eight points in 17 minutes at Illinois State despite being plagued by foul trouble. Andujar is averaging 7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and has a 2.5-1 assist to turnover ratio through the first four games of the season.

STORES RETURNS AFTER ALL-ROOKIE SEASON
Junior RaShawn Stores finished with five points, three assists and three steals in a strong all-around effort in Manhattan's 79-70 victory at Illinois State on Nov. 20. Stores is averaging 5.0 points per game and is second on the squad with 12 assists through the first four games.

RICHARDS DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards is averaging 11.0 points per game off the bench and shooting 48.1 percent from three-point range over the first four games of the season. The sophomore sharpshooter recently matched his career high with 19 points in the Jaspers' Nov. 12 win at Columbia.

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 4.8 rebounds in his first four contests, including nine points and six rebounds on Nov. 16 vs. George Washington.

MR. JONES
Sophomore CJ Jones made his first start of the season in the Jaspers' 79-70 victory at Illinois State on Nov. 20 and contributed steady ball handling and strong defense in 15 minutes of action.

MANHATTAN INKS FOUR IN CLASS OF 2018
Manhattan College men's basketball coach Steve Masiello and his staff have inked four standout incoming student-athletes during the NCAA early signing period. Nazareth (N.Y.) high school teammates Samson Akilo, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Samson Usilo, a 6-foot-4 wing, will join the Jaspers along with 6-foot-8 wing Calvin Crawford (Middltown, N.Y.) and 6-foot-9 wing Zane Waterman (Fayetteville, N.C.) in a highly regarded Manhattan class of 2018. “It's a very important class, losing three seniors in Michael Alvarado, George Beamon and Rhamel Brown, who mean a great deal to this program,” Masiello said. “We wanted to have a very strong class overall to really complement what we have on this team. I give a ton of credit to our staff, especially Rasheen Davis and Mathiew Wilson, for their help in recruiting this excellent group of young men.”

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.