Men's Basketball Looks to Continue Winning Ways at Rider Thursday

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Winners of three straight games after their first two-game losing streak of the season, Manhattan enters the game with Rider on Thursday, February 13 at 7 p.m. tied for second in the MAAC standings with Quinnipiac and Canisius at 10-4. Rider sits two games behind at 8-6.

LAST TIME VS. RIDER
Manhattan held Rider to 27.1 percent shooting from the field on its way to a 67-51 victory over the Broncs on Friday, January 24 at Draddy Gymnasium. George Beamon led all scorers with 21 points and added nine rebounds and three steals. Michael Alvarado finished with 12 points and seven assists, while Ashton Pankey had 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

JASPERS LOVE FEBRUARY
Manhattan has won its first three games in February, continuing a trend that began last year when the Jaspers went 5-2 during the month of February.

THE SERIES WITH RIDER
Rider leads the all-time series with Manhattan, 22-20. The Jaspers have won the last two meetings between the two schools, including last year's game at Rider, a 62-51 Manhattan victory on January 27, 2013. The Jaspers have won its last two games at Rider.

ROAD WARRIORS
Manhattan is tied for best in the nation in road victories with 10 wins  in true road games. The Jaspers have also own one win at a neutral site, when the Jaspers defeated Buffalo at the Barclays Center on Dec. 21. With an 11-3 mark away from Draddy Gymnasium, Manhattan is one of two teams, along with 26-0 Wichita State, to have 11 victories in road/neutral site games.

MANHATTAN IN THE MAAC
The Jaspers rank atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in several statistical categories:

Six different Jaspers also rank among the MAAC's top ten in several statistical categories:

BEAMON, ALVARADO, BROWN BYPASS 1,000 POINTS
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. Beamon recently moved into fourth place on the Manhattan career scoring list, while Alvarado and Brown passed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season. The trio of Beamon, Alvarado and Brown is the first senior class in Manhattan College history to score more than 1,000 points.

BEAMON IS BACK
Manhattan senior George Beamon averaged 23.5 points per game in Manhattan's weekend sweep of Canisius and Niagara last weekend on the road. He has scored 20+ points in 12 of his 20 games this season.

Beamon has also posted four double-doubles this season, leading the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game:

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 has blocked four or more shots 11 times already this season. The 6'7” senior currently ranks fourth in the nation in blocked shots.

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.

Brown is also the active leader in career blocked shots among all Division I players. 

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 strong game at Canisius on Friday, Feb. 7. In the game, Alvarado finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five assists and two steals. Alvarado is moving up the all-time assists list at Manhattan College, just behind former Jasper standout Jason Wingate '06.

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar matched his season high with six assists and just one turnover in Manhattan's 78-77 win at Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 9. Andujar added seven points, two steals and a blocked shot in a strong all-around effort.

STORES READY FOR BUSINESS
Junior RaShawn Stores has started the last 15 games for the Jaspers and played inspired basketball last weekend in Buffalo. At Canisius on Friday, Stores helped limit Canisius guard Billy Baron to 6-of-15 shooting and at Niagara on Sunday, Stores matched his season high with 10 points to go along with three steals.

PANKEY PROVIDING SOLID POST PLAY
Sophomore Ashton Pankey has started the last 11 contests for Manhattan, alongside fellow big man Rhamel Brown. In the Jaspers' 84-73 win at Canisius on Feb. 7, Pankey posted his first double-double as a Jasper with 16 points, 11 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots. Pankey is averaging 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in his last three games, all of which have been Manhattan wins.

RICHARDS BURNING THE NETS FROM DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards has scored in double figures in seven of Manhattan's last 11 contests. Richards scored 14 points in 25 minutes in the win at Canisius on Feb. 7, making four three-pointers in the process. He already ranks among Manhattan's top ten in career triples in less than two seasons.

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 12.2 minutes per game as the Jaspers' backup point guard. A strong ball handler and defender, Wilson owns a 1.4:1 assist to turnover ratio this season.

KATES SOLID OFF THE BENCH
Junior Donovan Kates has provided a steady presence off the Manhattan bench this season. Against Quinnipiac on January 26, Kates scored eight points in 15 minutes, nailing each of his two three-point attempts. He also finished with a pair of rebounds.

I'LL TAKE THAT
The Jaspers have used their pressure defense to force the most number of steals in the conference and rank 11th in the country as of February 9. The Jaspers totaled 13 steals at Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 9, forcing 25 turnovers by the Purple Eagles in the game.

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 19 of Manhattan's 23 games. Manhattan's 77.6 points per game rank among the top 50 teams in the nation, second in the conference and is nearly 20 points per game more than its average of 58.3 points per game during the 2012-13 season.

MASIELLO REACHES 50 WINS
Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello earned his 50th career victory in the Jaspers' 64-49 home victory over Saint Peter's on February 4. Masiello owns a career record of 52-37 in his third year on the Jaspers' sidelines. He is the fastest Manhattan head coach to reach 50 victories since Manhattan College Hall of Famer won 50 games midway through his third season at the helm of the Jaspers.

Masiello also ranks among Manhattan's top head coaches in career winning percentage (minimum 75 games):

JASPERS ON TV IN 2013-14
Manhattan will have at least eight games on television in 2013-14, including three more televised games during the regular season. 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 February 9.

MANHATTAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
The Jaspers are ranked among the nation's top 100 in several statistical categories, in games played through Sunday, February 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 Illinois (CJ Jones), Kentucky (Donovan Kates), New Hampshire (Trevor Glassman) and New Jersey (Carlton Allen). Below are the nine players from the New York City area and their respective high schools.

HOT SHOTS
Manhattan made 51.7 percent of its shots from the field against Canisius and 50 percent from three-point range in the game. Against Niagara, the Jaspers converted 49 percent of their field goals, including a blistering 54.5 percent shooting clip in the second half.

CLEANING UP THE GLASS
Against Canisius on Friday night, Manhattan outrebounded the Griffs by a margin of 46-32 and 15-12 on the offensive boards. Manhattan has held an advantage in rebounds in four of its last six games.

LEADING WIRE TO WIRE
Manhattan held a lead for 101 consecutive minutes during its past three victories, vs. Saint Peter's, at Canisius and at Niagara. The Purple Eagles took a lead early in the second half as the lead changed hands six times during the second half.

HOME SWEET HOME
Manhattan has won six of its last last seven games at Draddy Gymnasium, all within the conference. The Jaspers have won 10 of their last 12 MAAC games at Draddy Gymnasium, dating back to last season.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
Manhattan limited Saint Peter's to 49 points on February 4, the lowest scoring output for a Manhattan opponent this season. The Jaspers are 9-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points. Against Saint Peter's, the Jaspers limited the Peacocks to five assists on 18 field goals and just 1-of-12 shooting from three-point range.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Not only has Manhattan averaged 6.2 three-pointers per game, the Jaspers have defended the three-point line well. This season, Manhattan has limited opponents to 32.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Jaspers limited Saint Peter's to 1-of-12 shooting from three-point range on Feb. 4 and have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from three-point range in 15 of their 17 wins this season.

WORKING OVERTIME
The 86-79 win for the Jaspers over Marist in overtime on January 12 was the third overtime win for Manhattan this season. The Jaspers have played four overtime games already this season.

MANHATTAN WINS 1,300TH GAME
The Jaspers' 78-77 victory at Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 9 was the 1,300th win in men's basketball program history. In its 108th season, the Jaspers own an all-time record of 1,300-1,154.

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.