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Sunrise, FL - Manhattan (3-7) heads South to take on No. 23 Florida State (10-1) in the first game of the 2016 Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday, December 17 at the BB&T Center with opening tip tabbed for 1:30 pm.
TOP STORYLINES #1 - The Jaspers will be playing their second ranked opponent of the year and sixth non-conference foe that played in the postseason or won 20 games a year ago.
#2 - The Seminoles have won all three meetings between the teams.
#3 - Manhattan is 2-9, all-time, against the ACC with the Jaspers most recent win against an ACC school came when they bested Maryland by an 87-84 count on March 18, 2006 in the NIT.
#4 - Fans are invited to join the Jaspers in Florida both at the game and at a pregame reception starting at 11:00 am. Click
HERE for more information.
QUICK HITS
* Manhattan's last defeated a ranked team on March 16, 1995, besting No. 17 Oklahoma in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
* DYK? The Jaspers' former football program played in the first-ever Palm Festival Game, the predecessor to the Orange Bowl, in 1933.
* Manhattan will be in search of its first win in the state of Florida since besting FIU 70-57 on December 20, 1994.
* Head Coach
Steve Masiello, who picked up his 95th career win the last time out against Fordham, is 14-8 in neutral-site games.
* After the Rams started out 9-of-15 (.600) from the field, the Jaspers limited the visitors to just 8-of-39 (.205) the rest of the way.
* Manhattan's final field percentage defense number of 31.5 percent was its top performance since Canisius made good on just 31.1 percent on February 6, 2015.
* The Jaspers limited Fordham to just 53 points in moving to 36-4 in the Masiello era when holding teams to less than 60 points.
* Manhattan, which shot just 38.6 percent from the field, snapped a 12-game losing streak dating back to the 2014-2015 season when shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
* Junior
Zavier Turner scored 15 points with five rebounds against Fordham while making good on 3-of-4 from long range and 6-of-6 from the line in earning John “Doc” Johnson Most Outstanding Performer honors.
* Over his last seven games, Turner is averaging 19.0 ppg and 3.6 apg while shooting 50.7 percent (38-of-75) from the field, 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from long range and 90.5 percent (38-of-42) from the line.
* Included in that run was a career-high 32 points at in the win over Detroit Mercy, including 10 in overtime, to go along with six assists after notching 28 points at Temple. He also hit for 30 against Saint Peter's and has recorded at least 20 points three times this year and nine times for his career.
* The Ball State transfer ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (17.0 ppg-5th), free throw percentage (.900-2nd), assists (3.0 apg-13th) and three-point percentage (.449-6th).
* At halftime, Manhattan College President Dr. Brennan O'Donnell and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Marianne Reilly honored Fr. George Hill, the College's longtime chaplain who passed away in September, as Father Hill's family was presented with a framed Jaspers' jersey.
* Masiello is keeping a seat behind the bench vacant all season in honor of Father Hill with Manhattan basketball players are wearing memorial patches on the left shoulder of their jerseys in his honor.
* Not to be overlooked in the win over Fordham was the play of
Tyler Wilson as the senior converted the momentum-changing three-point play that gave the Jaspers the lead for good. No stranger to big-time plays, Wilson drew the game-clinching charge in the win at Detroit Mercy.
* Against Morgan State, junior
Zane Waterman's scored a career-high matching 23 points, on 11-of-15 shooting, before delivering a big second half in the win over Fordham. The North Carolina native scored all 10 of his points while pulling own seven of his team-high eight rebounds after halftime.
* Waterman, who notched his first double-digit rebounding performance of the year and the sixth of his career vs. Canisius, has started each of the last 37 games for Manhattan dating back to last year and ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (10.9 ppg-28th), rebounding (7.7 rpg-5th), field goal percentage (.513-6th) and three-point field goal percentage (.433-10th).
* Also registering a big game at Morgan State was
Thomas Capuano as the sophomore finished with a career-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals in 48 minutes of action.
* Capuano followed that up with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in the victory against Fordham and over his last three games is averaging 12.7 ppg while shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from deep while raising his season scoring average to 8.0 ppg.
* Junior
Calvin Crawford scored a season-high 15 points at Morgan State before adding 12 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in the win over Fordham. He has now scored in double-figures three times in his last four games and is averaging 11.3 ppg with 5.5 rpg during that time while elevating his scoring average to 7.6 ppg.
* The Jaspers have won the rebounding battle in eight of their 10 games while ranking second in the MAAC in rebounding offense (39.3), rebounding defense (34.9), rebounding margin (+4.4) and offensive rebounding (13.3).
* Manhattan has notched at least 40 caroms five times this year, including pulling down a season-high 45 at Bucknell, including 19 offensive caroms. Both totals are the most by a Jasper team since the 2014-2015 season.
* Freshman
Aaron Walker Jr. turned in arguably his most impressive all-around game at Morgan State, finishing up with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. The Brooklyn native scored two of his 12 points on an impressive reverse layup and another two on a thunderous dunk off a steal.
* Walker Jr. was named MAAC Rookie of the Week earlier this year after averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg over three games during the week ending November 20. Walker Jr., who scored a career-high 15 points with six rebounds against Winthrop, has now hit for double-figures five times and is third on the team in scoring at 8.3 ppg.
* Junior
Zavier Peart, who also had a team-best 11 points at WVU, has notched double-figures in scoring three times this year and is averaging 5.8 ppg and 3.4 rpg while shooting 63.6 percent (21-of-33) from the floor.
* In the win over Detroit Mercy, Manhattan went 9-for-12 from the line in overtime with Walker Jr. sinking two free throws to tie the game up with 0.7 seconds remaining in the first extra session.
* Junior
Samson Usilo had a career-high nine points and seven rebounds at WVU while fellow Nigerian sophomore
Ak Ojo scored a career-high nine points in the win at Detroit Mercy.
* The two started in the same game for the first time this year in the victory over Fordham as Manhattan used its sixth different line-up.
* Junior
Ahmed Ismail grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the win over Detroit Mercy and ranks among the MAAC leaders in rebounding (5.3-17th) and blocks (1.4-3rd).
* In the final five minutes of games/overtime, Turner is averaging 4.5 ppg while shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the floor and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the line.
* Manhattan posted an impressive 24-0 advantage in second-chance points at Temple.
* Through the first 10 games, the seven Jasper newcomers are averaging a combined 42.4 ppg and 17.8 rpg while accounting for 58.5 percent of the team's offense and 45.3 percent of the rebounding.
* In an 80-68 win over Hofstra, Manhattan shot a blistering 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the floor, including a perfect 100 percent (17-for-17) from the line, and scored on seven of the Pride's nine first-half turnovers, parlaying the miscues into 17 points.
* Setting the tone for the Jaspers was Peart, who scored 14 points in the opening half while connecting on all seven of his shots en route to finishing with a game-high 16
* Wilson handed out five assists, against just one turnover, against Hofstra while moving past
RaShawn Stores into ninth place on the program's all-time assist list and now has 326.
* Saturday's game against No. 23 Florida State is one of 11 non-conference games for Manhattan against 11 different conferences (ACC, American, Atlantic 10, Big South, Big 12, CAA, Horizon, MEAC, NEC, OVC, Patriot). The Jaspers will also play in six states: NY (5), PA (2), FL (1), MD (1), MI (1) and WV (1)
* Included in the 11-game schedule are six games (Temple (NCAA), WVU (NCAA), Bucknell (NIT), Florida State (NIT), Hofstra (NIT) and Fordham (CIT)) against teams that qualified for the postseason a year ago.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 95-78 (.549) record, including going 58-40 (.592) during MAAC play, 44-21 (.677) at Draddy Gymnasium and 14-8 (.636) in neutral games, over his six seasons with three MAAC Title Game appearances, three postseason berths, two Metropolitan Coach of the Year honors and two 20-win campaigns.
* He has participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 20 seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Championship.
* The Jaspers were slated to finish sixth in the annual preseason MAAC Coaches Poll with Williams earning All-MAAC Second Team honors.
* Williams and Wilson, the team's lone seniors, have helped Manhattan to a 60-47 record during their three-plus years with two MAAC titles, two trips to the NCAA Tournament and a MAAC-best 7-1 conference tourney record.
* Williams, who has missed the first seven games due to injury, averaged 14.8 ppg and a team-best 6.0 rpg last year, highlighted by seven 20-plus point performances and three double-doubles. Additionally, he raised both his scoring (+9.3 ppg) and rebounding (+4.5 rpg) numbers and took his game to another level at the MAAC Tournament, averaging a team-leading 21.0 ppg.
* The Jaspers boast five foreign-born players in R. Williams (Jamaica), Ismail (Egypt), Usilo (Nigeria), Ojo (Nigeria) and
Oliver Ehrnvall (Sweden).
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has led Manhattan to a pair of MAAC Titles as well as a pair of 20-plus win campaigns. In his first tenure, he was a part of two MAAC Championships and three 20-plus win seasons. All told, Masiello has been a member of four of the five Jaspers' MAAC Championship teams and five of the school's 12 20-win seasons in accruing a 178-114 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 458-224, including 337-196 on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship Game appearances, two Final Fours, six Elite Eight berths, eight conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
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 baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming 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 1890's 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.
THIS IS MANHATTAN COLLEGE• U.S. News & World Report ranks Manhattan 15th out of 138 in the Best Regional Universities (North) category of its 2016-17 Best Colleges list. This is the tenth year in a row the College has placed in the regional top 20. U.S. News & World Report also ranks Manhattan College as 8th among 52 regional universities that are attractive colleges for veteran students.
• Brookings ranks Manhattan College 9th out of more than 7,000 two- and four-year schools in an analysis that examined how well schools prepare students for successful careers.
• Why is Manhattan College in the Bronx? Our campus was originally located in Manhattan at the intersection of 131st Street and Broadway. In 1923, Manhattan College moved to its present Riverdale location in order to accommodate a growing student body. But with more than 60 years of history established as Manhattan College, the institution decided to retain the name despite the geographic misnomer.
• 17 alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
• Alumni include Rudy Giuliani '65, former mayor of New York City; James Patterson '69, best-selling author; and Raymond Kelly '63, former commissioner of the NYPD.
• Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
SCOUTING NO. 23 FLORIDA STATEThe Seminoles like to push the pace and are averaging 89.6 ppg while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor with all 13 players seeing at least 10 of action a game.
KEY MANHATTAN MATCH-UPS1. The Jasper Way: Manhattan defeated Fordham by playing hard-nosed basketball, predicated on defense and grit. Against a talented, athletic Florida State team the Jaspers will have to continue to do the little things and play the Masiello brand that has taken the program to a pair of MAAC titles.
2. Protect The Ball: The Jaspers were able to defeat Fordham despite turning it over 25 times but will need to cut down on the miscues against a Seminole squad that allows opposing teams to shoot an average of just 37.1 percent from the floor, including 27.8 percent from deep.
3. Make Bacon & Issac Work: Manhattan will be going against projected NBA Lottery pick Jonathan Issac (14.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and projected First Rounder Dwayne Bacon (17.3 ppg) and will have to make them earn every point they get.
A YEAR AGOManhattan was 13th nationally with 15.8 forced turnovers per game while turning the opposition over on at least 20 occasions five times and 36th nationally with 7.7 thefts per game.
THE MASIELLO WAYSince Masiello took over the program in 2011-2012, the Jaspers are 34-6 when notching 10 steals, including 23-3 over the last three years, and 20-11 when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
NOT SHABBYOver the last three years, Manhattan is 46-8 when leading at the half, 23-8 when limiting teams to less than 40 percent shooting, 29-14 when winning the battle of the boards and 39-19 when forcing more turnovers than the opposition. Additionally, since the start of 2014-2015 the Jaspers are also 30-5 when leading with five minutes to play.
MASIELLO AT MANHATTANMasiello has been a part of four of Jaspers' five MAAC Championships while helping lead Manhattan to a 178-114 record in this his 10th season in Riverdale.
THE WORLDWIDE LEADERThe Jaspers slated to appear on the ESPN family of networks 10 times during the 2016-2017 season, including seven during MAAC play, once on Fox Sports and once on Root Sports.
NIGERIA REVIVALUsilo and Ojo both have returned to action this year after missing the bulk of the game action a year ago.
NEWCOMERSThe Jaspers welcome seven student-athletes to the fold this season S. Williams (Tuckahoe), Turner (Ball State), Ismail (Colby CC/Egypt), Peart (Eastern Florida State), Council (Scotland Performance (PA)), Ehrnvall (Swedan), Walker Jr. (Cardozo).
NEW YORK STATE OF MINDSeven of Manhattan's 15 student-athletes - R. Williams, S. Williams, Wilson, Crawford, Capuano, Maloney, Walker Jr. - hail from the state of New York.
REPRESENTING THE USAThe Jaspers also boast players from Florida (Peart), New Jersey (Council), North Carolina (Waterman).
INTRIGUINGMasiello was named at one of the “25 Most Intriguing Coaches” in college basketball by Yahoo and has twice been named as the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year (2012 | 2014).
MEET THE STAFFMasiello is joined on the bench by
Matt Grady,
Shawn Finney,
Branden McDonald,
Stephen Elmore and
Michael Alvarado. Grady is in his sixth year as an associate head coach with Finney arriving in Riverdale after spending the last six years at UCF. McDonald is in his second year while Elmore begins his third year with Alvarado returning for his second season.
RICHARDS SELECTED IN NBA D-LEAGUE DRAFTShane Richards was recently selected in the Second Round of the NBA D-League Draft by the Erie BayHawks before being traded to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and is the second Jasper in the last three years to be drafted by the NBADL, joining 2014 MAAC Tournament MVP George Beamon.
111TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALLIn its 111th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1343-1195 overall record (280-294 MAAC). The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and took a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
UP NEXTManhattan is at St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday, December 20 with opening tip tabbed for 7:00 pm.
