Manhattan Jaspers
MAAC (25-7, 15-5)
Manhattan finished the regular season with an impressive 25-7 record. The non-conference slate was littered with even matchups, but the Jaspers only fell to George Washington and Fordham. Conference play started out poorly with four of their five conference losses coming in January. In February and March this team won 11 of 12 games.
Big Wins: 12/21 vs Buffalo (84-81), 2/28 Iona (80-77), 3/10 vs Iona (71-68)
Bad Losses: 11/26 Fordham (75-79), 1/18 at Fairfield (67-71), 2/21 at Siena (63-67)
Coach: Steve Masiello (3 seasons at Manhattan)
Why They Can Surprise:
Manhattan is built around senior’s George Beamon, Michael Alvarado and Rhamel Brown. Beamon leads the team with 19.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest and is a solid all-around defender as well. Alvarado, the point guard, averages 12.0 points and 4.0 assists. He has no fear attacking the basket and that is one reason why nobody takes more free-throws then Manhattan. Brown might look undersized and 6-7, but he has an amazing knack for blocking shots. Only Arizona State’s Jordan Bachynski and UNLV’s Khem Birch block more shots per game than Brown. But Brown is more than just a defender, he is a double digit scorer in the paint as well.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Coach Steve Masiello has a lot of depth at his disposal and he often needs it. This group commits a ton of fouls and players like Ashton Pankey, Emmy Andujar and Shane Richards cannot all get into foul trouble or the strong frontcourt quickly becomes weak. At times it seems like Manhattan is stuck in a free-throw contest and that is a battle they do not often win. The potentially more potent problem comes in the turnover department. While the Jaspers usually create more turnovers than they commit, they still do turn the ball over too much. Every possession is going to be huge in the NCAA Tournament and Manhattan will not be able to afford to give the ball away, especially if it leads to an easy bucket on the other end.
Probable Starters:
Michael Alvarado, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 4.0 apg
RaShawn Stores, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 2.0 apg
George Beamon, Senior, Guard, 19.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Ashton Pankey, Sophomore, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Rhamel Brown, Senior, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.7 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Emmy Andujar, Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Donovan Kates, Junior, Guard, 2.4 ppg
Shane Richards, Sophomore, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Rich Williams, Freshman, Guard, 4.4 ppg
Tyler Wilson, Freshman, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.6 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.6 (36th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.1 (174, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.0 (137, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.9 (57, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (150, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.7 (77, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.3 (284, 10)
Rebound Margin: 1.2 (155, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (136, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (209, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 CIT First Round win over Albany
2012 CIT Second Round loss to Fairfield
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
