Men's Hoops to Host Siena Thursday at Draddy Gym

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Winners of nine of their last ten games, Manhattan hosts Siena for the first time this season at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers are returning from a thrilling 86-79 overtime victory over Marist on Sunday, January 12.

Manhattan trailed by four points with less than two minutes to play but Michael Alvarado and Rich Williams came up with critical buckets in the final minutes to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra session, both Alvarado and Williams proved clutch once again, helping the Jaspers outscore Marist 13-6 to gain their fifth MAAC victory.

THE SERIES WITH SIENA
The Jaspers lead the all-time series with the Saints, 48-39. Siena has won three of the five meetings between the two teams during the last two seasons but the Jaspers have won the last three contests played at Draddy Gymnasium.

HOME, SWEET, HOME
Manhattan's victory over Marist on January 12 was the 250th win for the men's basketball program at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers have won three straight at home and have won seven of their last eight MAAC games at Draddy Gymnasium.

WORKING OVERTIME
The 86-79 win for the Jaspers over Marist in overtime on Sunday was the third OT win for Manhattan this season. The Jaspers had not played three overtime games since the 2005-06 season.

BEST START IN 12 YEARS
More than halfway through the regular season, Manhattan's 12-3 record is its best start to a season since the 2001-02 team was 13-2 after its first 15 games that season.

JASPERS ARE #7 IN MID-MAJOR POLL
In the latest Mid-Major Poll released by CollegeInsider.com on January 13, Manhattan was ranked at No. 7. The Jaspers have been ranked among the top 11 teams in the poll since the second week of the season. Manhattan had held the fifth spot in the poll for the previous two weeks.

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 largest number of road victories in the nation.

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 14 of Manhattan's 15 games. Manhattan's 78.3 points per game rank 53rd in the nation and is 20 points per game more than its average of 58.3 points per game during the 2012-13 season.

BEAMON HAVING STRONG SENIOR SEASON
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 one shot in every game this season and currently ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 3.8 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 had a game for the ages in the Jaspers' 86-79 overtime win over Marist on January 12. In the victory, Alvarado poured in a career-high 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field. He scored 21 of his 33 after halftime, willing his team to victory with a series of drives to the basket. The senior point guard also dished out four assists without a turnover in 34 minutes. He currently ranks ninth all-time in Manhattan College history in career assists.

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar had a strong all-around performance in Manhattan's overtime win over Marist on Jan. 12. In 34 minutes, Andujar finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. He made four of his six field goals

STORES READY FOR BUSINESS
Junior RaShawn Stores has started the last seven games for the Jaspers and had a solid game against Marist on January 12, scoring seven points with three rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes of action.

RICHARDS DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards is averaging 11.7 points per game in Manhattan's last three games. Against Marist on January 12, Richards scored 11 points on 4-of-6 field goals, including three from long range. He now has 102 three-pointers during his first year and a half and is approaching the top ten all-time at Manhattan.

PANKEY PROVIDING SOLID POST PLAY
Sophomore Ashton Pankey has started the last three contests for Manhattan, alongside fellow big man Rhamel Brown. Against Quinnipiac on January 9, Pankey scored 10 points in 14 minutes, adding five rebounds and two blocked shots in the game.

RICHLY DESERVED
After scoring a career-high 14 points on January 4 vs. Fairfield, freshman Rich Williams made a number of critical plays in Manhattan's 86-79 overtime win vs. Marist on January 12. His steal and breakaway dunk in the final minutes of regulation tied the game at 73-73. Williams then sank a three-pointer at the three-minute mark in overtime to give the Jaspers the lead for good. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the game against the Red Foxes.

HEY, MISTER WILSON
Freshman Tyler Wilson has had a solid first year as well, averaging 13.4 minutes per game. Wilson has made 44.8 percent of his field goals this season and has a positive assist to turnover ratio of 1.1:1.

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 87.5 percent from the charity stripe, making 21 of 24.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
Manhattan ranks among the nation's top 75 teams in field goal percentage defense (58th, 40.1%) and three-point field goal percentage defense (75th, 31.3%).

I'LL TAKE THAT
The Jaspers totaled eight steals on 16 Marist turnovers in January 12th's victory over the Red Foxes. Manhattan currently leads the MAAC in steals per game and ranks 20th in the country with 8.7 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 31.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Jaspers have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from three-point range in all 12 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 13 games over .500 in his coaching career with a 47-34 overall record.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
On Wednesday, January 15, ESPN announced that Manhattan's February 7 game at Canisius will be televised live on ESPNU. That will mark the third of three consecutive Friday night games for the Jaspers on ESPNU. The first ESPNU game will air live from Draddy Gymnasium on Friday, January 24 when Manhattan hosts Rider.

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. Here is the upcoming television schedule for the Jaspers, as of January 15.

MANHATTAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
The Jaspers are ranked among the naton's top 100 teams in several statistical categories, in games played through Sunday, January 12.

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.

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.