Jaspers Return to Draddy Gym on Sunday at 2 p.m. to Face Marist

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan had its eight-game win streak snapped on Thursday at Quinnipiac and will look to start a new streak on Sunday, January 12 at 2 p.m. against Marist at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers defeated the Red Foxes in the MAAC opener for both teams on Friday, December 6 in Poughkeepsie, 70-59.

LAST TIME VS. MARIST
Manhattan led 37-26 at halftime and saw its lead never dip below six points the rest of the way in a 70-59 victory at Marist to begin MAAC play on Friday, December 6. Michael Alvarado had 18 points, four assists and two steals to pace the Jaspers. George Beamon (12 points, 10 rebounds) earned his second of three double-doubles this season. Rhamel Brown finished a stellar all-around effort with 12 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Marist's Chavaughn Lewis led all scorers with 23 points, including 19 in the second half.

THE SERIES WITH MARIST
The Jaspers own a 25-15 advantage in the series against the Red Foxes and have won nine of the last 12 games between the two schools.

WELCOME BACK, ALUMNI
Manhattan College is proud to welcome back more than 40 former men's basketball players and alumni to today's game. The annual alumni game will begin at 11am on Sunday.

HONORING JUNIUS KELLOGG
Part of the alumni day festivities will be honoring former Jasper Junius Kellogg '53. Kellogg entered Manhattan College in 1949 and was the first African-American to play basketball for the school. In 1951, Kellogg was noted for refusing a $1,000 bribe to shave points during basketball games. He contacted his coach Ken Norton who then called the authorities and touched off the largest college betting scandal in American history. Ultimately, the investigation involved 32 players from seven colleges and encompassed 86 games between 1947 and 1950. After graduating in 1953, he began playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1954, he sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in an automobile accident and was paralyzed. Despite a grim prognosis, Kellogg went through several years of therapy to regain the use of his arms and hands. He was inducted into the Jasper Hall of Fame in 1979 and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's Hall of Fame in 1981.

HOME, SWEET, HOME
Draddy Gymnasium has played host to several Jasper victories and memorable moments since it opened in 1978. Manhattan holds a 249-180 all-time record at Draddy Gymnasium, including victories in the last two conference games against Monmouth and Fairfield. The Jaspers have won six of their last seven MAAC games at Draddy Gymnasium.

JASPERS ARE #5 IN MID-MAJOR POLL
In the latest Mid-Major Poll released by CollegeInsider.com on January 6, Manhattan was ranked at No. 5, the highest it has been ranked this year, matching its rank from the previous week's poll.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Jaspers currently lead the nation with nine road/neutral site victories, going 9-1 in those games away from Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan is 8-1 in true road games this season, marking the best road record in the nation and the most number of road victories in the nation.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
Manhattan has limited its last three opponents to less than 40% shooting from the field. The Jaspers rank 58th in the country in field goal percentage defense at 40.1%. Manhattan also has caused an average of 17.5 turnovers per game during its last four contests. 

SENIOR MOMENTS
Manhattan's senior class of Michael Alvarado, George Beamon and Rhamel Brown has been one of the most prolific senior classes in recent Jasper history. The trio has the chance to become the first senior class in Manhattan College history to each score 1,000 points during their careers.

LIFE BEGINS AT 70
During the offseason, head coach Steve Masiello preached a faster pace to his team. That has resulted in final scores above 70 points in 13 of Manhattan's 14 games. Manhattan's 77.8 points per game rank 66th in the nation and is nearly 20 points per game more than its average of 58.3 points per game last season.

BEAMON IS BACK
Manhattan senior George Beamon has had a terrific start to the season, averaging 20.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, including nine games in which he has scored 20 or more points. For his career, Beamon has 31 games in which he has scored 20 or more. The 6-4 guard has three double-doubles to his credit this season:

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Part of Manhattan's strong defense has been the play of Rhamel Brown in the paint. Brown has blocked at least two shots in every game this season and currently ranks fourth in the nation with an average of four blocks per game.

RHAMEL'S BLOCK PARTY
The Jaspers' all-time leader in blocked shots, Rhamel Brown ranks second among all MAAC players in conference history. He is one of only two players in conference history with more than 300 blocked shots.

BOUNDING AND ASTOUNDING
Not only is Brown the Jaspers' all-time shot block king, he ranks among Manhattan's top ten in career rebounds, coming down with more than 700 rebounds during his career.

AWESOME ALVARADO
Manhattan senior Michael Alvarado registered his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Manhattan's game at Quinnipiac on Thursday. Alvarado's 10 rebounds were a career high for the Jaspers' point guard, who also dished out three assists in the game. The three helpers moved him into ninth place on the Manhattan all-time assists list, past Jasper great Carey Wilson '93.

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar had a terrific all-around performance in Manhattan's 84-81 overtime victory over Buffalo on December 21 with nine points, a season-high six assists, a career-high four steals and four rebounds.

STORES READY FOR BUSINESS
Junior RaShawn Stores has started the last six games for the Jaspers and had a strong game at Quinnipiac on January 9, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Stores added a season-high five rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

RICHARDS DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards is averaging 12.0 points per game in Manhattan's last two games against the MAAC's Connecticut schools. Richards has made 57% from the floor in the last two games and 55% from three-point range during that stretch.

PANKEY PROVIDING SOLID POST PLAY
Sophomore Ashton Pankey scored 10 points, added five rebounds and blocked two shots in 14 minutes of action at Quinnipiac. He has started the last two contests for the Jaspers alongside fellow big man Rhamel Brown.

RICHLY DESERVED
After scoring a career-high 14 points on January 4 vs. Fairfield, freshman Rich Williams finished with seven points and five rebounds at Quinnipiac on Jan. 9. This season, Williams has made 57.5% of his field goals and 40% from three-point range.

HEY, MISTER WILSON
Freshman Tyler Wilson handled most of the point guard duties against Buffalo on Dec. 21, finishing with six points, four assists and three steals in 32 minutes off the bench. For the season, Wilson has 20 assists and 17 turnovers, leading to a 1.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

KATES SOLID OFF THE BENCH
Junior Donovan Kates has provided a steady presence off the Manhattan bench this season. In a season-high 26 minutes at South Carolina on December 17, Kates had six points, all on made free throws. This season, Kates is shooting 90.9 percent from the charity stripe, making 20 of 22.

BEST START IN 12 YEARS
Manhattan's 11-3 record is its best start to a season since the 2001-02 team was 12-2 after its first 14 games that season.

I'LL TAKE THAT
The Jaspers' 16 steals vs. Buffalo on Dec. 21 were a season high for the team. Manhattan followed that with 11 steals at Saint Peter's on Jan. 2 and 14 against Fairfield on Jan. 4. The Jaspers are averaging 10.8 steals per game over their last six games and currently rank 22nd in the nation in steals per game.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Not only has Manhattan hit 6.2 three-pointers per game, the Jaspers have defended the three-point line well. This season, Manhattan has limited opponents to 30.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Jaspers have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from three-point range in all 11 of their wins.

FIRST TO 40
Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello earned his 40th career victory in Manhattan's 70-59 win at Marist on December 6. Masiello is the fastest Manhattan coach to reach 40 victories since Fran Fraschilla won his 40th game late in his second season on the Manhattan sidelines in 1994. Masiello is now 12 games over .500 in his coaching career with a 46-34 overall record.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
During the week of January 6, ESPN announced that two Manhattan basketball games will air on ESPNU in January. First up is the Jaspers' January 24th game vs. Rider at 7pm at Draddy Gymnasium. On January 31, the Jaspers will travel to Iona for a 9pm contest in a rematch of last year's MAAC championship game.

MANHATTAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
The Jaspers are ranked among the naton's top 100 teams in several statistical categories, in games played through Thursday, January 9.

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.

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 (Middletown, 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.

NEW LOOK MAAC
This season marks the first time since the 1997-98 season that the MAAC has a different conference alignment. Loyola left the MAAC for the Patriot League at the conclusion of the 2012-13 academic year and was replaced by former Northeast Conference members Monmouth and Quinnipiac. As a result of the league's expansion from 10 to 11 schools, the conference schedule was also expanded. Each team will now play 20 MAAC games per season, up from 18.

MAAC TOURNAMENT CHANGES
With the addition of Monmouth and Quinnipiac bringing conference membership to 11 schools, the MAAC Tournament will have a new format this season. The top five teams at the conclusion of the regular season will have a bye into the quarterfinals, while the remaining six teams will play first-round games on March 6. There will be a day off before the quarterfinals that begin on March 8, followed by the semifinals on March 9. The MAAC Championship game on Monday, March 10, will once again be nationally televised on ESPN2. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN3.

BACK TO ALBANY
The 2014 MAAC Tournament will be held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., for the third consecutive year from March 6-10. This marks the final year in which the tournament will be held in Springfield. In 2015, the event returns to its former home - the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

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.

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.

JASPERS ON TV IN 2013-14
Manhattan will have at least eight games on television in 2013-14, including four televised games during the month of January. All remaining home games and select road contests will be available on JasperVision.TV in high definition:

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. Former Jasper greats Brian Mahoney and Chris Williams return as the color analysts, alongside play-by-play broadcaster Christian Heimall. Each broadcast will begin with the “Steve Masiello Pre-Game Report” 15 minutes prior to tipoff.

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.

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.